How I got back to my original values & relaunched my company thanks to #TheBreakFellowship.

In October 2022 I applied for #TheBreakFellowship, an accelerator program for women entre-solo-almost-preneurs with a unique approach. After Destination Everywhere, my company dedicated to accessible travel, had suffered a two year hyatus due to the pandemic, I really needed a constructive break.

Already from the website it was clear that the founding principles of The Break were truly tailored on women entrepreneurs, total awareness of what the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur can be and a strong ethical approach. Focusing on creating a safe space to learn from one another and grow - and grow in a way that is sustainable to who you are, and the impact you want to make on the world. Not the usual StartUp rethoric, which was for me at that point totally uninteresting - been there, done that, did not find it suited to my personal values.

So I was lucky to be selected, among over 1000 candidatures, to be part of this first group of 240 women that were going to embark on a month of break (literally), full immersion in one of 12 destinations in Spain. Focusing on your own project, but also, super important, on a local challenge. Giving back to your hosting environment, meeting locals.

Realising tha women entrepreneurs, whether they make cheese or...AI, have very similar ways of interacting with the world around and of developing their businesses.

It has to be said, I think I was also very lucky to be selected for the destination coordinated by the team of Pueblos Remotos , not only because it was Gran Canaria, but for the professional approach and their choice of locations and people to meet for the local challenge, and most of all of mentors and coaches.

The month of The Break was everything I had expected - and more.

But it deserves a longer space to analyse how and why it was both things (more posts to come!).

But what happened after the return from Gran Canaria to "planet Earth" (aka, in my case, Brussels)?

Long story short: the impact was tough, and the incredible bubble that was The Break was of course impossible to re-create at home. But thanks to the continued support of the group of excellent Breakers I spent time with, with messages of hope and good energies via Whatsapp, after two months, lots of flu, and pure fear and terror or restarting the activity, I am very happy to say that Destination Everywhere is back.

With a different approach, with new projects and with a stronger awareness of the values I started with - which were great! Never doubt that. Even if pivoting is necessary sometimes, it should not mean pivoting from the actual reasons why you started a business - no-one asked you to do that, by the way - so you might as well do it YOUR way.

A heartfelt thanks to Escuela de Organización Industrial and namely to Eva Curto and to Impact Hub Madrid for, respectively, creating The Break Fellowship program and for implementing it - amazing work Cristina Pan García Maria Solano G and all your team.

More thanks to come to all the wonderful mentors and Breakers in the future posts (and a photo where we are all there :D)