Self-Introduction: Hola from Spain! To everyone on Illumination

I quit my cubicle career and was done with the same-old corporate adventure. I started again by exploring a more authentic life.

Where it all began?

I was born and raised in Czechoslovakia, current Slovakia. I endured two political systems: Communism and Capitalism. I tried to escape both systems. The first one was a successful escape, as you know in 1989 the Soviet Union- Iron Curtain failed without any effort on my part. I was only 9 years old. Two years ago I decided to escape the other one.

My Early Life

After I graduated from a local nursing school ( in Slovakia), I decided to travel throughout Europe. I was backpacking while earning my living at seasonal jobs and learning languages. Then I volunteered at NGOs where I spent 2 years teaching in AIDS/HIV programs in rural areas of Mozambique and South Africa.

After Africa, I was ready for America. For more than a decade, I climbed that famous career ladder. I was young and full of ambition. My first job was a nanny, followed by a registered nurse in the hospital, then I was a medical foster parent. After I got burned out, I switched and became a cubicle nurse working for a major American healthcare insurance company. I made it to the Department of Defense working for the Innovation Department as the Nurse Consultant. I finished my MBA, collected all professional certifications. Then I realized, I didn’t like where my career was heading. I was fed up pretending to be someone I wasn’t. I disliked being a pencil pusher working at a BS job which looked good on the paper.

I quit all my career-building dreams, my ambition, and the system which values type A personalities.

I reorganized my whole value system and my priorities. I decided to lead a sustainable life. I started valuing the eco-system, my own creativity and exploring different ways of life. I chose to be innovative not at some job per se but in my own life.

My Life now

I am now in my second year living in Granada, a small city in Southern Spain. Life is slow and laid back here.

Spain is a very socialist country; for those who want to grow rich here, it isn’t easy. Granada is a city in which people still live like they did in the 90s and I love it. We do not lead fast-driven, ambitious lives here, far from it. Everything here is back to basics: nature, culture, walking, and community. The life I imagined for our family. I do not expect my daughter to get perfect grades, but she must know how to live a sustainable and creative life.

Why do I write?

I am not a professional writer, but I am learning the craft. I have so many stories in my head, I need to put on the paper. Also, I have a message to say and I am not afraid to write the truth even if it is uncomfortable for some. This year 2020 I promised myself to be creative every day and I am honored to be a writer for Illumination.