Issue 001: A Story Begins in Winter Light

On crafting a world between Barcelona's light, Mallorca's soul, and Toronto's heart...

Issue 001: The Beginning

The winter light in Barcelona hits differently. It streams through tall French doors in ways that make even the most ordinary morning feel like the beginning of a story. I know this because I've dreamed of these mornings for years – the ones where I'll sit in my Eixample apartment, watching shadows dance across century-old hydraulic tiles, feeling the city wake up around me.

For years, I've helped others build magnetic brand worlds. I've guided them in creating spaces that draw people in naturally, that feel like a warm invitation to stay awhile. But lately, there's been a golden thread weaving through my own dreams, tugging me toward something different – a life lived between three worlds.

Starting next February, this dream takes shape: winters spent in Barcelona's artistic streets, springs discovering Mallorca's ancient wisdom, and the rest of the year embracing Toronto's grounding energy. It's a vision that terrifies and excites me in equal measure – which usually means it's exactly where I need to go.

The mornings will begin in a Barcelona modernist apartment, where the light and shadow play feels like its own form of magic. In the evenings, my dining room will transform into Casa Saqi – intimate gatherings where artists, entrepreneurs, and dreamers come together, where conversations flow in multiple languages and ideas spark like Mediterranean stars. During the day, I'll guide my Brand Tea Party clients through transformations in spaces where sunlight filters through stained glass, creating ever-changing patterns on century-old walls.

Then Mallorca calls – what starts as a weekend escape becomes something more. Here, my work finds its rhythm in clifftop cafés where the sound of waves reminds me that the most powerful transformations often come in their own time. Casa Saqi moves under star-strewn skies, surrounded by olive groves that have witnessed centuries of stories. In this ancient landscape, every dinner party, every client session, every quiet moment feels like part of a story that's been unfolding long before us.

When summer beckons, Toronto welcomes me home. My east end apartment comes alive with touches of Mediterranean magic – ceramics from Barcelona, textiles from Mallorca, each piece carrying its own story. The Honey Jar, my weekly newsletter about building authentic worlds, takes on new depth, coloured by experiences across the sea. The converted industrial space where I work with clients becomes a testament to how we can hold multiple truths while remaining distinctly ourselves.

In my work, I've always taught that the most magnetic worlds aren't built through formulas or frameworks, but through living authentically and creating spaces that reflect our truths. Now, I'm putting those principles to the test in my own life. I'm building a world that can hold both movement and stillness, both solitude and community, both roots and wings.

That's why I'm starting this Substack series. "Following the Golden Thread" will document this journey as it unfolds – the victories and vulnerabilities, the magic and the mundane. You'll see how this dream transforms from words on a page to a lived reality, and how the principles I've used to help others build their worlds take on new meaning when applied to crafting a life.

Because isn't that what we're all trying to create? Not just careers or lifestyles, but worlds where our truths can live and breathe, where our stories can unfold naturally, where magic happens not in spite of our real lives but because of them?

This is more than a travel diary or a lifestyle experiment. It's an exploration of what happens when we take the principles of worldbuilding – the art of creating magnetic, immersive spaces – and apply them to our own lives. When we trust the golden threads of our dreams enough to follow them across oceans.

The first chapter begins in February, but the story starts now, with these words, with this declaration of intent, with you reading this and perhaps feeling your own golden thread tugging gently at your heart.

Will you follow along?

With warmth and anticipation,

P.S. Each edition will weave together personal stories with reflections on what it means to build a world of our own – one that feels both grounded and free, both intentional and alive with possibility. Because as this journey unfolds, it's becoming clearer than ever that the most beautiful worlds aren't built on perfection, but on the courage to live our truths fully.