Unveiling Nest & North: A Personal Reinvention Venture (Part 1/2)
On shedding skins, chasing clarity, and creating a life that holds both ambition and care: a new venture to help people design fulfilling lives of their own.
Relatable stories matter.
After seven years of identity-unraveling life transitions, I’m weaving my own story, colors, and passions into something uniquely mine: rekindling my love for personal growth, boutique experience design, creative writing, storytelling, and community building. Born from this journey of reinvention, I started a venture to help people design fulfilling lives of their own.
I’m on a mission to help you write a resonant story and build your village around it.
Meet Nest & North: an Endeavor for Inner Clarity
It's been a long time coming.
Rites of passage may happen in a moment, but becoming unfolds over years.
My story is about defining success on my own terms and making a fulfilling life of my own design: one that welcomes growth and ambition without compromising care, curiosity, and creativity.
This chapter of my life started around 2018, as I decided to leave Southeast Asia )a place that had defined my identity as a founder and community builder) with the intention of restarting somewhere closer to my immediate family (in Brazil) and, eventually, to build a family of my own. Today, I realize the arc of my journey coming to a subtle full circle as I watch my husband playing guitar for our toddler (“guarded” by our dog) in a sun-filled room at our own home, less than an hour away from NYC.
It's like a dream I had years ago, after embarking on a journey for a new sense of self.
But the road here wasn’t smooth.
It took courage and faith to stay on the often-painful path of shedding skins and trusting that inner voice amid heartbreak, uncertainty, and external expectations.
Now, as I step into a new chapter and the path ahead becomes clearer, the journey of becoming takes a leading role in my writing: I’ll be sharing stories and collected experiences as this next phase unfolds. This newsletter is my “traveler’s journal.”
Why?
Because stories create possibilities—especially when they’re relatable and accessible, as I explored in my book Hacking Communities (more on that below).
Consider this your invitation.
We need more stories from those navigating identity shifts through motherhood, reinvention, or life transitions.
Let’s get going.
About Nest & North
We design clarity-enhancing journeys for people navigating identity shifts through motherhood, reinvention, or major life transitions.
Through boutique experiences that spark connection, insight, and inner clarity, we help people build their village through resonant storytelling. Our goal is to serve as a catalyst for them to:
Reclaim their confidence and creativity
Define success on their own terms
Design a life that accommodates both care and growth
Whether through soulfully crafted journeys that help you write your story, deep conversations with those who’ve redefined success, or creative-work gatherings that foster community—everything we do is designed to help you become the protagonist of your life. As one must.
Nest & North is anchored in the belief that inner clarity is the root of great creation, and that a grounding soil can propel higher flights.
We help people build a nest—and set their north.
👉 Sneak Peek: nestandnorth.co | password: nestandnorth
Public launch: May 20th :)
Why: The Power of Resonance
“Stories create possibilities. The moment you see someone who resembles you attaining the seemingly impossible, success is no longer a far-fetched idea.”
— Laís de Oliveira, Hacking Communities
In my book Hacking Communities, I shared a moment that stayed with me while researching startup ecosystems around the world.
In Helsinki, I met a founder who was inspired to launch a startup not after hearing billion-dollar exit stories, but after seeing someone his age, from his background, raise a six-figure seed round. I call these accessible success stories.
They’re the stories that make the impossible feel doable. That move people into action. And evidence shows they can shift realities at a macroeconomic scale.
That’s what I want to create with Nest & North.
Because stories create possibilities— and we need new stories that inspire realities where ambition and nurture can coexist.
Let’s write (and tell) resonant stories together.
FAQ: Will I Still Write About Community?
Short answer: yes.
Community building is still at the core of everything I do, representing not only my modus operandi—how I show up and add value to the world, but also my end game.
Ultimately, the goal of facilitating inner-clarity through community-based journeys is to make people feel more connected to each other in a deeply authentic way. Recalling the first part of my book, I believe that true belonging starts from inner clarity.
In fact, everything I wrote in my book is being applied as we speak, incorporated in the daily practice of building Nest & North (an its tangential projects).
This will enrich my stories with fresh insights from new experience. That means I might be talking even more about the actual process of building community
Nest & North at Work: Our Initial Offerings
[Privately shared: we’ll publish it to the broader public on May 20th. In the meantime, feel free to engage or forward this to friends who might resonate with what we’re building!]
1. Clarity Journey (Inaugural Cohort Kickoff: June 25th)
👉 Check it out – password: nestandnorth
What: A cohort-based experience designed for creative, intuitive, ambitious women navigating identity shifts through motherhood, reinvention, or life transitions. This is a 3-month, community-based journey to reclaim, write, and share your story—while building your village through it. It includes:
6 core sessions + bonus sessions (with guests)
1:1s with Laís
Personal assignments (at your own schedule)
We’ll Create: Each participant will walk away with at least one of the following:
A memoir (or anthology) project
A resonant brand guide
An actionable content strategy designed to attract the people who truly resonate with your story
2. Memoir-Writing Circle (+ other Creative Gatherings)
👉 Invite only. Reach out to learn more – password: nestandnorth
What: A writing circle for those called to explore the power of personal storytelling.
We’ll create: memoirs: a first-person narrative that offers an intimate and personal perspective focused on a about a particular moment—or learned subject—in the author’s life.
3. Podcast: Pumping Latte ( Fall 2025)
What: We’re reinventing narratives by collecting and sharing stories of founders, creators, and artists who are building great things while also nursing babies or chasing toddlers.
We’ll create: possibilities. We need more stories that inspire new realities where ambition and nurture can coexist - from early on.
👉 Check it out – password: nestandnorth
👉 Sign up or recommend a guest (targeting early parenthood: pregnancy to age 4)
📌 We’ll also host occasional gatherings (online and IRL), like our “Handmade Books” workshop, where you’ll leave with your own stab-stitched book. FYI :)
Wrapping Up (for now)
Thank you for reading—and for being part of my circles.
In a few days, I’ll be sharing Part 2, where I take you behind the scenes of this seven-year transformation. From Bali to Brazil to baby #2, I’ll unpack how this vision took shape, what changed along the way, and why I believe resonance and clarity (not hustle) are the future of both work and life.
📅 Coming Tuesday 5.20: “From Flight to Nest” — A Founder’s Story of Reinvention
If anything here resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you.
No pressure for long replies—I just love knowing who’s on the other side of this.
Until then,
Laís