My dream to become a professional footballer was never just about me. It was for my family.
The Beginning I grew up in a studio house in one of São Paulo’s toughest neighborhoods. Every morning, I watched my dad leave the house at 5am and come back at 8pm, day after day, without complaint. That image never left me. It lit a fire that football became the outlet for. I wanted more, not just for myself, but for him, for my mom, for all of us.
The Academies From a young age, I threw everything I had into the game. I came through the academies of some of São Paulo state’s most respected clubs: Ponte Preta, Paulínia, São Paulo Futsal, Lemense, Desportivo Brasil, and others. Each environment made me harder, sharper, hungrier.
The Ultimatum When I turned 18, my mom gave me a choice: secure a professional contract, or go to school and build a career like my dad. There was no middle ground. So I made a decision that changed my life. I packed my bags and moved to the United States. No English. No safety net. Just belief. I earned a full scholarship and spent four years playing college football, competing and growing every single day.
The Setback Junior year, my body gave out. A serious injury led to two surgeries and eight months away from the pitch, the longest and hardest months of my life. But I came back. Senior year, I returned to the field and earned an opportunity to trial with the NY Cosmos. I had made it to the edge of the professional game I had chased since childhood.
THE DECISION
The drive never stopped.
At the end of the season, I was released. After everything, the sacrifices, the surgeries, the 5am mornings I inherited in spirit from my father, I made peace with hanging up my boots.
The pursuit had given me everything: discipline, resilience, and a story worth telling.
That chapter was over. But the drive it built never stopped.
I went all in
Still in New York, I landed a role with HelloFresh doing experiential marketing. I hit the streets, talked to people, and something clicked. I was good at this. Really good. I started to see a path: a way to build something real, make serious money, and finally take care of my family back in Brazil the way I had always wanted to. I didn’t ease into it. I went all in.
Built across two countries
I opened my first company right there in New York City. Then came Toronto. Then Atlanta. Charlotte. And now Los Angeles. The same kid who grew up in a studio house in São Paulo, who moved to America with no English and no plan B, had built a business operating across two countries. The work ethic my dad modeled every single day was always the blueprint.
What’s Next
The vision doesn’t stop here. Over the next couple of years, the goal is to take the business worldwide: India, China, Brazil, and Haiti. In the meantime, I spend my days consulting sales companies, helping teams unlock the same hunger and discipline that carried me from São Paulo to where I stand today. When I’m not working, you’ll find me at Venice Beach playing the game I’ll always love, or somewhere in the world traveling with my fiancée. Life is full. Life is good.
Whatever you do, do it with love.
Appreciate what you have, chase what you want, and never forget where you came from. That’s the biggest lesson this journey has taught me, and it’s the one I carry into everything I do.