ABOUT REDEFINED

Welcome to REDEFINED!

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I created this space initially to document my journey, primarily of learning about finances and building wealth, but also about personal development, building meaningful relationships and ultimately living a purposeful and meaningful life.

I am 34 years old and currently live in Switzerland.  Originally from Costa Rica, I left my home country when I was 19 years old and ventured to the world on my own to see what was out there and take whatever opportunity I could find to keep growing and developing in pursue of a successful rewarding career and what I thought could be a successful better life.
 

Since then, I have experimented a lot of versions of myself and phases of life.  Initially with the goal of studying abroad and traveling the world I volunteered and applied to many scholarships and every single program I thought could bring me forward to that goal, leading me to enroll in studies and academic programs in several countries and meeting people from all corners of the world.​  The focus on studying was what I thought necessary to pursue a successful international career, which I also accomplished by working over 16 years in a number of roles at multinational companies in Europe and Latin America, mostly in the pharmaceutical industry.

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This career has brought me also multiple rewards and opened many opportunities for me to further develop and grow.​  However, I also have always been interested in entrepreneurship, real estate and investing. In every important decision of my life, optimizing resources was a priority, not only by necessity at first but also especially since I started seeing the major benefits it brings in life giving you choices.

As a young investor I first approached a bank to ask what investment funds were at age 17.  It wouldn't be until over a decade later that I would learn the most relevant lessons about investing in stock market.  I also led the build of my first property at age 23 and have been since purchasing real estate and using it as a tool to build wealth.  Since an early age I have also been interested and constantly involved in entrepreneurship and startups

The origin of REDEFINED came as the result of further exploring, learning and developing in my passion projects and tapping into the experience of working in big corporations internationally but also combining my passions and addressing the many informal requests I constantly had from people to advice on personal finance, investing, real estate and entrepreneurship.

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• How can I start investing?

• What do I need to consider to purchase my fist home or real estate?

• How do you manage to have a career and being a mom?

• How can you save? Switzerland is such an expensive country!

• How did you find "your tribe" in a foreign country?

• How did you land scholarships for your studies?

• How did you manage to move to other countries without an expat offer from a company?

• And the list goes on...

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I tried to bring all the topics together that I am most passionate about and where I have been able to help people and formally introduce this space. 

The name REDEFINED came to life because we as humans usually get so much influence from society and external opinions about what we should do, that only when we clearly look at our own motivation, desire and values, can we really redefine what is important to us.

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That, and additionally, since I discovered that financial independence is one of the biggest ways to create choices for your life, I decided to pursue this topic and share the knowledge that has worked for me so far to help others improve their lives too. I would also like to use this as a platform to keep learning while building and connecting with the growing community of like minded people.

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Especially since I became a mom, I have an even higher appreciation of living life in one's own terms and schedules.  To be in ownership of your time and have a high freedom and flexibility is the ultimately luxury. Since I learned how being strategic about personal finances and investing can drastically change and redefine your life, I decided to bring REDEFINED Life to everyone who want to give themselves that opportunity. 

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As we work in this journey of increasing and applying knowledge and expertise into growing businesses, improving finances and investing the ultimate goal is to design for ourselves and our dear ones the best life possible.  To design and create a life we love and are passionate about.  

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​All of the areas we focus on are dear to my heart because I truly believe they were turning points in my life that either opened doors to new heights for me or served as pivotal moments to find a true calling and purpose.

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The areas of focus are:

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Students:
Students looking to find their best options for their future finding a balance of career, financial outlook and finding purpose in their chosen profession.  Our services are especially valuable for people looking to apply for scholarships or eventually study in a different country but also for everyone looking into making conscious decisions of where to study to get the most out of their resources.
 

Expats & Migrating:
Having moved dozens of times, multiple times to different countries across the ocean have taught me a lot of the in and outs of living as an expat but also about migrating to a different country without the guaranteed support of an employer's sponsor package.  We help you navigate such a huge step and cover important factors such as cultural elements, language, first steps, financial and administrative considerations and how to set yourself for success in your new endeavor.

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Moms:
Motherhood is often seen as something belonging to your personal life, outside of the professional life.  Whether you are a "stay at home mom" or a "working mom", the experience of mothering cannot be put into any label or category. Every woman goes through her own personal path and it can be the most fantastic experience.  We support you through the navigation of buzz words, trends and parenting philosophies to help you connect with your baby and your own motherhood essence. 
 

Personal Finances:
Money is a tabu still in many places.  It is sometimes portrayed as either as a mystic evil or a unattainable luxury limited to some lucky ones.  The truth is however, that money is just a tool that can be managed.  Personal finance does not have to be about restrictions or scarcity.  We help you navigate the world of personal finances and give you the tools and knowledge to get out of debt, achieve your financial goals and live a life of abundance and purpose.

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The later focus area of personal finances is one that pertains everyone and takes a prominent role in our programs because I firmly believe it holds the key to a life with purpose.  Everyone should have received basic education on personal finance but the truth is most of us have learned what we know about personal finance the hard way, by making mistakes or through the people that surrounds us. And I dare to affirm that most of us are not surrounded by super wealthy people and the ones who are, usually do not get their secrets shared over small talk, especially if we go back to the fact that money is a tabu topic.

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Money should not be a tabu topic, especially it being a universal currency.  Everyone needs money, regardless of their age, occupation, where they are from and their preferences in life.  But nobody talks about it.  And that is robbing you from a powerful tool to make your dream life come true.

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Solid financial literacy gives you choices.  These choices lead to a position of power over your life and the confidence it creates, changes you forever. It leads you to exponential personal growth.  

I would like to share this journey and learnings with you so you can profit from all these sources of knowledge and tools to implement to design and live a life of abundance, full of purpose and aligned with your values.

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I hope you find here useful information and resources and perhaps the inspiration you were looking for to redefine your life in terms of your own happiness and fulfillment.  

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All of the content in REDEFINED has been carefully created with extensive research, thoughtful design and the combined knowledge of experts in their fields throughout decades.

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I invite you to explore the resources available on the website and get in touch to share feedback on what has worked for you or if there is something you would like to see more of.

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Have fun exploring and I wish you your best REDEFINED Life, full of purpose, success and fulfillment.

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Kindly,

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Melissa

Founder of REDEFINED

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