Proudly Brazilian

#18 | Back on track

Previously on The Next Stop

• Maria, Maria

• As Luzes na Liberdade

🎧 Listen while reading: Flor de Flamboyant, João Gomes, Jota.pe, Maestrinho

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Hi everybody,

Long time no see. I hope you all had a beautiful holiday season and that 2026 has started full of good things.

A lot has happened since we last connected. I took my first solo adventure after becoming a mom and traveled to the Middle East to join a group of women exploring Dubai. It was incredible (and a little surreal). That familiar feeling of who I was before motherhood came rushing back. I don’t expect everyone to fully relate, but I know the moms and dads here will understand exactly what I mean.

To recap: the past trimester was craaazy. I shared through Substack notes a curated series of images and words about my beautiful country, Brazil, and something unexpected happened. More than 1.5K new people joined this space. Fellow Brazil lovers who felt something through the visuals, the stories, and the emotion. So I’m now writing to almost 1.800 of you that are receiving my email without any interruption, straight to your inbox, from me. That’s huuuuge. Thank you for being here 🤍🤍

Because of that viral moment, I began having deeper conversations about how rich, layered, and culturally powerful Brazil truly is - I was even invited to an interview with a Danish skincare brand to speak about my roots and cultural background (click here to check)

My Roots of Kin interview

That’s what led to a new idea: a series of special editions written in Portuguese, with links to English content, exploring Brazilian art history, cultural context, and personal reflections from the perspective of a Brazilian immigrant who has been living abroad for nearly seven years.

What started as a way to portray Brazil beyond stereotypes quickly transformed into something more collective. Many Brazilians asked for the content to be in Portuguese, as a way to reconnect with our own country through culture, depth, and affection. So the project naturally shifted: the newsletters began in Portuguese, with English links; an invitation for Brazilians to look back at Brazil with more curiosity, pride, and love.

We’re now on the third edition, and I’m planning to release the fourth in February (or still in January if things flow accordingly). Don’t worry. I’m not abandoning this more relaxed, primary English format. I just felt the need to give this project its own space, as something that can live alongside everything else I write.

I truly hope you enjoy it, and if you don’t, tell me. Part of what guides my choices here is the desire to create something that feels valuable not only to me, but also to others.

Seeing my country through different lenses brought something extra special to the surface. And apparently, that feeling is shared. Everywhere I look, Brazil is being described as the place to be, a country people are curious about, eager to visit, and drawn to for its beauty, culture, and lifestyle.

And honestly, this is for me, just the beginning. Because, as I said before, there is nothing like BraSil.

Talk to you soon!

- Ana

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Snacks

🎧 “Brazilianizing” the journey through new MPBs

🥥 Habits that intrigue foreigners

🇧🇷 Sonho Brasileiro vs American Dream?

🫔 O renascimento latino

🥁 Meanwhile in Brazil….

🥘 “O baiano tem o molho” and an Oscar nomination

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