A friend here in Switzerland asked me the other day if I have someone bigger than me in the industry who can be my mentor. I said no. I am usually the mentor. What I did not say, because I was still figuring it out, is why.

Research confirms that exhaustion is experienced and expressed differently depending on culture. Brazilian Portuguese has a phrase for it: tô morta de cansaço. Dead from tiredness. Not dead-ish. Dead.

I have been watching presentations. The ones that stayed with me were not the ones with the best slides. They were the ones where someone stood up, looked at the room, and just talked. So I made a decision.

My dad moved from Uruguay to Brazil when he was a teenager. New country, new language, new everything. His mom pulled him aside before they left the house: blend in, don't draw attention to yourself, just blend in. The plan was solid. There was one small problem.

Immigrant mothers often face social exclusion, but with the right support and strategies, they can find connection and a sense of belonging in their new communities.