The Hidden Cost of Burnout for You and Your Business

In this newsletter for November, I would like to address an uncomfortable truth:
Burnout isn't just a personal issue—it's an industry & world-wide challenge.

According to the Harvard Business Review, U.S. businesses lose between $125 billion to $190 billion annually in healthcare costs due to workplace burnout. Additionally, burnout can lead to a 37% increase in absenteeism, not to mention the costs with losing valuable talent for the organization.

In addition, a 2024 Global Trends Report by Mercer, a comprehensive study involving over a massive 12,000 participants globally, including 9,500 employees, 84 investors, 845 C-Suite leaders, and 1,900 HR leaders, delivers a sobering revelation: more than 80% of employees were at risk of burnout in 2024.

Let’s face it: burnout is a growing and deeply concerning epidemic!
And in 2024, burnout has unfortunately reached an all times high. A report published by BCG (Boston Consulting Group) in June 2024 shows that half of employees around the world are already struggling with burnout. In addition, a Forbes article published in February this year, shows CEOs are quitting in record numbers due to burnout.

So how are you preventing burnout for yourself and your company?

As someone who has over 10+ years in Tech, HR, Leadership & Development of managers and teams, I can say that the solutions are readily available and they include a shift in priorities that lead to long-term success.

In my work with leaders and organizations, I approach 4 core aspects through my coaching & trainings:

1. ·       Mental Fitness

2. ·       Emotional Fitness

3. ·       Energy Management techniques for increased focus and productivity

4. ·       Lifestyle changes and Inner Leadership methods for cultivating long term Happiness

The current state of affairs in the world is showing us all it is time we take immediate action on preventing the rise of this world-wide phenomenon.

Feel free to reach out for a chat. And I would love to hear from you:

What are the strategies you use to prevent burnout? Have you or people near you been faced with burnout?

Wishing you a great start of November,
Alina

Founder & CEO, Growth Hives

Find me on LinkedIN

How I help a leading organization in Lisbon grow across the 2 sides of the ocean

Happy month of September!

With all the buzz and excitement of the holiday season over, it’s so important for all of us to re-focus and build momentum in our work, with renewed passion and energy.

Yesterday night I went to a phenomenal event here in Lisbon, that was a talk given by a leading AI tech founder from San Francisco and ex-Googler, on the impact of AI and Generative AI on our lives and businesses, from security to monetary considerations.
It was beyond fascinating and learnt myself so much!

The organization that holds these inspiring talks monthly, RedBridge Lisbon, is one of my clients and I am happy to share that their portfolio of members has tripled since I started helping them with membership growth and membership engagement.

RedBridge Lisbon is bringing together executives, founders and investors from both sides of the Atlantic, Europe and the US, plus now India and other parts of the world in order to discuss and share some of the best solutions for the future. A future that includes technology for the good, mental wellbeing for founders and solutions that are needed in these times of accelerated change on Earth.

At RedBridge Lisbon, every month CEOs, founders and investors get together to learn the latest in future business and tech growth.

I am so proud not only to be part of RedBridge, but to also be helping them with members growth & wellbeing.

Besides tripling the membership rate, there is a monthly Business Mastermind Roundtable that I am facilitating for them —> where founders, CEOs and business owners, leaders across various industries get to receive insights on how to effectively move beyond current hurdles in their business, plus it creates a real network of mutual, peer-to-peer support.

Because the road to the top… can sometimes be very lonely, especially for highly driven individuals.
Part of mental and emotional wellbeing for founders today, includes reaching out to coaches, mentors and especially a high-value support network.

I am here to support and facilitate that.

Feel free to reach out for a conversation, especially if you feel I can help you and your organization grow, both in impact and wellbeing.

Wishing you a phenomenal start of September,
Alina

Burnout at work: how it happens and the effects

This post & newsletter today has a bitter sweet nuance to it.

It’s never easy to look into this topic, yet it is necessary now more than ever. And I hold such deep gratitude for those times that shaped me into who I am today and the business woman I have become.

Back in 2018, I had gone through several promotions in the company I was in, yet I was alone in running a one-person department, within a large company of then 3,000 employees.

Maybe you can relate: lots of pressure at work, high stakes, not being able to say No and constantly filling up your plate with more, more demands and wanting to stay at the top of the game.

This, coupled with less and less time for your personal life and relationships, no time for your passions, little to no time for a healthy lifestyle and proper sleep.

These are all the signs of a downhill journey, if not addressed in time. Burnouts are never pretty and they are the signs of a much deeper, inner battle.

In my case, the burnout I had in 2018 was really rough at the time, but it turned out to be my breakthrough journey. After being rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with severe exhaustion, I knew this was my huge warning signal. Something needed to change. I looked at the way I was working and leading my life, the externally-imposed principles of productivity and high achievement above all else and found that they no longer resonated with me.

And guess what? Today I am still at high productivity and achieving my goals, one by one, but from a place of deep seated inner peace, healthy relationships, a clear & motivating vision for what I am here to build in this life and foundational work & life principles that give me energy, rather than deplete me.

After my burnout and leaving the company I was working with at that time, I took a sabbatical. It took me gradually over 3 months to recover my energy. When getting better, I dedicated myself to studying and immersing into topics that all had to do with bringing back balance in my life: from mindfulness, to energy management, heightened intuition, life visioning processes, the role of feminine & masculine energies in life and at work and how to balance them, to personal development and building long term wellbeing.

After getting certified in 7 different methods that are on the cutting edge of today’s personal growth and development scene, I decided to incorporate them in my work and I immediately started seeing beautiful results.

Today I run 2 brands, live by the ocean in Portugal and enjoy healthy friendships and lifestyle, am able to visit my family often and my energy is higher than ever. Here is what my 2 brands focus on:

• Growth Hives: for executives who want to experience growth for themselves and their company through wellbeing, energy management and burnout prevention programs

• Illuminated Essence: holistic living and holistic feminine leadership (coaching women who want to build careers based on feminine energy principles)

And clients I’ve been working with, either 1-on-1 or through retreats (especially through my retreats in Portugal), have experienced what it means to gain their energy back, to develop a healthy relationship with themselves and their life & work vision and build a strong foundation for their growth. They are able to create sustainable success from inner balance, rather than depletion.

In the end, I would like to touch on a few points of why this world-wide burnout pandemic is so important to discuss today, more than ever.

1) First of all, it is on the rise : a 2024 Global Trends Report published by Mercer study shows that 8 in 10 employees are at risk of burnout this year. If you are not looking at and discussing this in your company seriously, then you risk point 2)

2) Company attrition rates are growing and turnover rates are rising, much like costs with hiring too!

3) The same study shows that the employees most susceptible to burnout are: women and generation Z and millennials. If you are not taking into consideration the younger generations’ needs for adequate programs for personal growth, then you risk having a high attrition rate in the long run.

Not to mention that the effects of long-term burnout on managers can be really severe:

• Lack of motivation at work over time

• Decreased sense of belonging

• Decreased sense of belonging

• Stress and mental and emotional overwhelm, exhaustion

• Home and relationships negatively impacted, as there is little time, presence or willpower to allocate to them

The effects of burnt out managers on the company can be even more severe:

• Lack of motivation of employees affecting company productivity

• Human error and lack of accuracy in work abounds in companies where burnout is higher

• Mental wellbeing in companies is also becoming a huge topic, caused by stress and burnout

• Lack of cohesion of the teams, especially when burnout is not addressed or hidden

• High attrition and turnover rates

• High constant costs with hiring and new benefit plans for new managers and employees

  This can be all avoided when the problem is addressed from the root cause, before it gets bigger.

  One of the 4 main solutions I suggested in the recent TEDx Talk I gave, is that companies have access to a life & energy management coach for themselves and their managers and employees with high responsibilities. This allows them to find inner balance, clarity, developing a healthier relationship with themselves and their work.

  
  I am also putting together a series of trainings that are specifically oriented towards Wellbeing & Impact, for companies and their employees.
  
  

You are more than welcome to reach out for a discussion (I would love to hear from you!) if the above speaks to you and you would like to develop a plan to prevent burnout and invest in growth through wellbeing for your company.

Here’s to your expansion!

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Photo Credits: @jaylag, Jerome Roussin

My first TEDx talk on preventing burnout for executives

Hi dear friends,

It’s been a while, I know. :) Hope you are having a lovely summer and taking care both of your energy, delighting in the joys that summer naturally brings us and delighting in your work.

Been highly focused over the past 2 years in growing Illuminated Essence https://www.illuminatedessence.life/ , my brand for women’s wellness and holistic practices that enhance our lives and our mindset. It’s a bridge between all my studies in energy therapies, spirituality, wellbeing and successful businesses.

What makes the mindset of a successful executive? What makes a happy, fulfilled, energetic and productive executive? How about happy and fulfilled employees?

These are the questions to ask ourselves in this century and decade, as we see the rate of executive and entrepreneurial burnout and company attrition rates sky rocketing.

Recently, I was able to tackle these questions and share first-hand advice, based on my own experience and studies over the past few years, with a large audience. This summer I gave a TEDx talk in front of a large audience of over 1500 people in Romania, mostly corporates and entrepreneurs, at TEDx Cluj.

I will be very happy to share this talk with you when it is available online.

The most important to remember, for now, is that this topic is becoming a huge, world wide issue: the mental wellbeing of teams of executives and founders. Even more, studies show that all managers are affected, from junior to middle to senior level.

In 2019, the World Health Organization declared burnout as a mass phenomenon in organizations and it has steadily grown ever since, year after year.

Last year, 53% of all managers surveyed mentioned they have experienced at least once a burnout.

• What do you think that does to to overall mental system of the person?

• What is the impact in terms of creativity and innovation (as you cannnot innovate from a burnt out state) ?

• What is the toll it has on overall productivity ?
  

  These are just some of the questions I am focused on tackling and providing solutions to, through my 1-on-1 Executive Coaching, as well as company-wide focused trainings this year and beyond.

  In my own experience, no one is truly spared of it, but the ones who rise above and develop well balanced inner leadership strategies, mindset habits and healthy energy management and lifestyle habits —> those are the ones who become truly leaders in their industry.
  
  Long term success is built on a healthy mindset and inner leadership habits.

My mission is to bring Energy management for Leaders and The science of Happiness back into organizations, all the while helping you to manage a successful career.

Because a world free of stress and burnout is a world that can innovate and find the solutions of the future.

If you would like to keep in touch and keep up to date with my research, trainings and coaching practice, then I invite you to also follow my LinkedIn, where I regularly post updates from conferences, talks and trainings in companies and organizations.

And if you would like to schedule a catch-up call to explore ways I can help you and your company thrive when it comes to developing healthy mindsets for wellbeing, innovation and inner leadership, then feel free to schedule a 30-mins call with me HERE.

It is a joy to be back in touch with you and I will be providing a lot more content and value on this topic through my next newsletters and masterclasses.

Wishing you a great month of August! :)
Alina

Founder, Growth Hives

Top 5 things Millennials want from their workplace

Millennials. Generation Y. Generation Z. The youngest generations in the workforce across the world now and also the keys to our future. The keys to your future as a company.

As I was sharing in an earlier newsletter this year, we are living the most challenging of times, as well as the most “rich-in-possibilities” of all times. Tomorrow’s heroes will be today’s mavericks, the innovative minds and hearts, those who choose to invest in themselves, their teams and in the mind-bending ideas that support the future.

Here you can read more about the L&D trends for 2022.

So how do you determine your young employees’ needs in terms of growth and development, beyond the in-house surveys and interviews?

It’s worth looking at the world statistics too. In an Intelligence Group & Deloitte 2020 study, which surveyed millennials in various regions of the world, these came in the top 5 wishes of millennials when deciding the companies to work for:

1. A company with a clear mission

“76% of millennials view business as a source of powerful and positive social impact”

2. A collaborative and innovative company culture

3. Management Team that is committed to employee success

4. Flexible work schedule & remote work opportunities

5. Healthy work – life integration

Whether these results surprise you or not, there are a few things that are undeniable: the younger generation is highly connected (technology-wise and social-wise, which justifies the second highest option in the ranking), as well as wishing to bring their contribution to this changing world landscape, to create positive impact. I find it highly encouraging that the younger generation is so focused on creating impact and joining companies that create impact because in all honesty, this is where the biggest changes will come from.

If your company manages to tick at least 3 out of 5 and builds a positive Learning & Development culture, investing in your employees as well as being among the future-creators, the mavericks that provide solutions for the current challenges of humanity —> then you are set to attract some of the most highly skilled millennials.  

This year, I am offering a unique opportunity for the first 3 companies ready to take their employee wellbeing and organizational impact in the world to the next level, by introducing you to ConnectQ, my solution for the happiest and most thriving organizations, founded on 6-levels of growth and innovation.

This solution is based in 10+ years in L&D, collaborating with companies and leaders in Europe, Africa as well as Latin America, my 7 certifications in ICF leadership coaching and holistic & energetic wellbeing, as well as learning from the top minds in terms of leadership & brain-heart coherence, among whom most recently Dr. Joe Dispenza, by attending 2 of his advanced week-long retreats.

Reach out to schedule an intro call if you feel this is for you.

In the meantime, I am continuing my series of a monthly free L&D calls with the topic for this March being “Motivation: Practical tips for reaching flow states & getting back up when you feel least like it”.

Watch out for my next email to receive the link to register for it. :)

In joy & co-expansion,

Alina

3 Company & Leadership Skills to build on for 2022

Happy 2022 dear friends!

Wishing you to bring your highest wishes to fruition this year, in the organization you run as well as in your life outside work.

I am, through Growth Hives, dedicated to helping companies, corporates and CEOs provide high quality learning & development products to their employees and find balance, meaning and impact in their lives.

The need for conscious Learning & Development products within companies is higher than ever this year.

Back in 2015 – 2018, when I was running Africa’s largest management & leadership academy for the continent’s biggest IT company, L&D (Learning & Development) was still seen as a department that was supporting the business.

Now L&D is gaining momentum and becoming a business function of its own in most medium to large-sized companies.

The need for connection (managers to peers, employees, clients), especially during times of lockdown, but also generally speaking - authentic human connection - is now greater than ever.

The need for innovation & growth that is in support of the ecosystem of the company as well as that of the world, is also paramount.

In a sense, we are living the most challenging of times, as well as the most “rich-in-possibilities” of all times. Tomorrow’s heroes will be today’s mavericks, the innovative minds and hearts, those who choose to invest in themselves, their teams and in the mind-bending ideas that support the future.

Who will you choose to be? And how are you supporting the ecosystem in your company to expand this year?

Here are 3 company and leadership skills that will prove to be, in my opinion, some of the key drivers to success in 2022:

1.       Connection & Care. Yes, you heard me well. :) Connection & Care are going to be at the forefront. In a zoom call with an HR consultancy with over 200 managers in South East Asia I was having last autumn 2021, one of the main conclusions that came through was that people needed to feel like their managers cared for them & invested in them. That made them feel safe and made them focus on giving their best at work. So developing the skill of Authentic Connection is going to be key in the future, because no matter what happens, a strong community, a strong internal environment can weather any storm. So Connection & Care for yourself, as well as for care for the people in your company, are what makes the organization develop a strong culture, with low turnover and high productivity in the long run.

2.       Intelligent Innovation. It’s not enough to be creative any longer. What is most lucrative now is placing your company’s genius minds in the direction of developing solutions for the future. Solutions that will solve some of humanity’s and Earth’s biggest problems. That will ensure your company’s resilience, immunity to fluctuations in the market, as well as growth. Intelligent Innovation is innovation that is in service of the planet/humanity.

3.       Partnerships. Partnerships are the fundamental key to the future. We are no longer living in silos, nor can we be made to. One of the biggest lessons of the pandemic is that solutions arise when we come together, connection is the one thing that makes us feel alive and held and generates elevated states of gratitude. It’s not by chance. If you think about it, the whole Universe is a giant web of interconnections. So, in a sense —> it is our natural state. Likewise, companies are discovering that working in a silo is no longer effective and that they get to thrive when they invite in creative collaborators or establish innovation partnerships with other disruptors in the market.

I have had the privilege of coaching these past few months one of the co-founders of Mauritius’s leading innovation IT company. The sheer fact that the company has more than one founder has helped them grow immensely and win numerous awards: one of them is the creative mind and focuses on innovation and the other is the creative heart and focuses on employee and company wellbeing.

I will dive deeper, in some of my next weekly newsletters, into the 3 leadership skills above to cultivate for the year, as well as others that are at the forefront.

In the meantime, there are 3 ways you can work with me:  

• Scheduling a 1-on-1 call for developing your 2022 strategy for L & D (learning & development) in your company

• The 1-on-1 leadership coaching sessions, about which you can find out more here: https://growthhives.com/new-programs

• Joining the monthly zoom calls.

We finished the year with a powerful zoom call last December, focused on celebrating our victories for 2021 and reflecting on lessons learnt, releasing them with gratitude.

Due to the success of the last call, this year there will be a monthly zoom call you can benefit from, on various life & business growth related topics.

The next one is happening next Friday, 21st of January, at 1 pm EST time and the topic I’ll be covering (with practical exercises you can take away and apply in your life) is: “Opening the Doors to Growth in 2022”. You can apply and receive the zoom link by following this link.

 
See you soon and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

In joy & co-expansion,

Alina

ENGAGE and Recharge yourself & your teams this summer

Feeling like summer is just in and the energy of your teams is lagging a bit behind?

Are you, as a leader as well, in need of re-energizing after all the fire fighting and the huge amount of adaptability that the past one year and a half has required of you?

As I was discussing with some leaders in my executive coaching sessions recently, the need for down time and balance in our lives has become real. It is no longer a personal choice, but rather a topic on everybody’s minds and needs.

We no longer live in the age of burnout, not at least if we really want to succeed at a sustainable pace.

We do, however, have to learn to say “Bonjour” to the age of self care.

And yes, as I was explaining in one of my sessions, self care is not a selfish concept, quite the contrary. It is self-fulfilling. When you fill your own cup first, before you extend it to others as well, then you run on a self-replenishing cycle, rather than in a constantly depleted mode.

In my life, self care, starting with my non-negotiable morning routine, has become my source of energy and inspiration. It is my most vitalizing and creative time of the day.

If you would like to know more about that and book a chat with me to explore executive coaching opportunities, you can book a free 30-mins call here: https://calendly.com/alina-cristina-buteica

I am also preparing a series of engaging monthly seminars, called ENGAGE, for leaders this summer, that will give you efficient tools to re-energize your teams and keep them motivated.

The first 3 seminars July through end of August:

• “Understanding your personality at work: 3 different personality profiling tests for engaging ways to understand oneself, your team and create impact” : July 13th

• “Emotional intelligence in teams and the winning practices of connective communication” : July 20th

• “Design Thinking and Creativity when understanding your client’s needs”: August 17th

Would you like to hear the good news about the ENGAGE online seminars? You can sign up yourself + up to 3 other members of your team for only 80 euros in total, per seminar. And if you sign up for all 3 seminars at once, you benefit from a discounted offer of 200 euros only.

Send me an email or go to Contact Us on this website to benefit from this offer early on and be among the first to sign up.

Thinking you would like to organize a corporate executive retreat or team building event this summer?

Reach out to me for a call and we can discuss a customized offer, based on your needs and your team’s needs of development. I would be happy and honored to bring in my 10+ years of experience in leadership psychology and organizational development, emotional intelligence, ICF certification and running large leadership trainings for the first 1$billion company in Africa.

Reach out to schedule a conversation about how we can create a custom-made offer for your company or check out the available programs here: https://growthhives.com/2021-programs

In joy & elevated impact,

Alina Cristina

About 2021: Prioritizing Self-Care, Adaptability & Creativity

It’s been so exciting to write this series on the 9 skills & super-powers to master for 2021 and this new, unprecedented decade.

To check out all 9 of them, you can listen to my podcast interview on the FemmeLead Podcast, the podcast for female role models & business women with powerful stories from across the world: https://www.femmeleadpodcast.com/podcast/episode/4937d773/live-session-7-from-landd-to-life-skills-with-alina-buteica-attitudes-to-help-you-step-in-2021

Today we continue with the remaining 3 skills / super-powers, that can actually prove to be, at a closer look, at the top of your list:

7.       Curiosity & Flexibility

This simply means having an open and curious attitude to change, instead of fearing it. Fear lowers not only our body immunity and overall energy to do anything, but it has been proven that it blocks certain neuro-receptors and areas of the brain associated with creativity and original thinking.

So if you do care about your own level of health, wellbeing and innovation, then you would do well to stay away from too much TV, drama and fear-inducing outlets and instead cultivate practices that increase your curiosity and make you stay flexible with regards to the outcome, in life and business.

A curious mind is a happy mind. And a flexible mind is a creative mind

Tips for unleashing more curiosity & flexibility at work:

• Make time (even if it’s only once a week) to read about new developments in your field of expertise

• Also, at least once a week, cultivate a hobby or passion outside your field of expertise. That has been proven to increase brain flexibility and overall joy (which stimulates creativity)

• Connect every week to someone new in the business (that you value) and share a (virtual) coffee where you pick their brain and get to understand possibly a different perspective on the state of things. Work-based friendships have a positive effect on increasing your wellbeing and sense of connected-ness, feeling that you are part of the bigger picture, at work.

• For small business owners, connect to networks of other business owners, exchanging ideas and experiences.  

8.        Creativity & Innovation

Now obviously, this is high on the menu of this decade, in business, life and for the sustainability of life on this planet. The ones who will be able to best ride the current wave of changes are the ones who will not cease to innovate, improve and find new ways of creating a positive impact.

Here are a few tips on how you can cultivate your creativity muscle:

• Attend online seminars and read in your field of expertise, connect to other experts online and offline

• Invest in your passions / hobbies, whether they are work-related or not. Some of the greatest inventors of the last century created when they were at “play”, pursuing their passions. When you are having fun, your brain’s frontal cortex and your creativity are positively impacted and you start making new correlations and ideas flow much more easily.

• Join online circles in your fields of passion and expertise

• Look into design thinking and other creativity-enhancing methods used by the biggest coaches and in various companies. One of my future posts will be directly related to this.

9.       Prioritize Self Care

Probably the most important of all 9 attitudes. In a world where the only constant is change, if we are not in balance internally then we can be easily swept away by any big change or challenge.

Yet the question is, how to stay balanced? Long gone are the days where burnout was a badge of honor. Today more and more people as well as companies who want to build a long-term relationship with their employees are realizing the importance of investing in their own mental, emotional, physical wellbeing. Whether through counseling, coaching, wellness practices like yoga and meditation, recreational activities, there is a big shift that happens internally (and is visible externally) when one invests in dropping unhealthy patterns and connecting to their own wellbeing.

We all deserve to be well, happy and thriving. Yet often times we have been conditioned, by old paradigms that are now dying out to make way for healthier ones, to think that we are not enough. To think that we constantly have to strive, work hard, deserving no break and least of all connection to oneself. And we are now finally realizing, seeing the collapse of unsustainable systems – that it was that connection to self, all along, that was the most important piece of the puzzle. Because when you act from a full cup, energetically, emotionally, mentally, everything opens up and becomes more easy. You don’t have to strive nor burn out. You act purposefully, intently and with impact. You create impact on the go, when your cup is full.

This has been a huge part of my journey too and it is what I am relentlessly implementing in all my coaching and client online journeys. It’s also what constantly gets me back on track when I notice my own cup is emptying fast.

Tips for improving Self Care:

• Proper sleep, exercise and healthy foods. Sleep-wise, we all have a unique chronotype and it is worth checking out Michael Breuss’s research on the 4 types of chronotypes.

• Increasing self awareness: Journaling and reflecting on your recurrent emotional states and habitual patterns, what is their origin and if there is something unpleasant that persists over time, how can it be addressed and gently let go of. Life coaching and coaches that focus specifically on women’s cycles and wellbeing can be of great help. This has also been part of my own evolution journey and I have seen the virtues and transformative effects of introducing the deep connection to feminine wisdom and feminine cycles in my own coaching practice with women professionals.

• Looking honestly at what replenishes and what drains your energy and making space in your schedule for more of the first. That looks differently for each of us, that is why I like to work with my clients on establishing their very own “Energy replenish map”. For you it may mean regular meditation time or yoga, dance, jogging, movies/book club night, and/or connecting to friends, women’s circles, etc.

• Being gentle with yourself when things don’t go as planned, reviewing the lessons but not dwelling on the losses. Allowing yourself some down time when you need it, as well as time to replenish and look at things from a fresh perspective, that seeks for the silver lining and the opportunities in it all.

Each of these attitudes has been in my experience extremely impactful for people who have showcased them. They are attitudes commonly associated to high impact, highly driven professionals, in all walks of life and business.

I hope you have enjoyed this series on the 9 skills & attitudes to master for this new decade and I look forward to an incredible month of April, in which I have prepared a brand new surprise for you.

In joy & elevated impact,
Alina Cristina