Clara Alive

As I sit here in the middle of a heatwave, watching the sun gently ease towards its setting, I am reminded of why ClaraAlive came into being. And somehow, in the stillness of this evening, the inspiration for today’s blog came together. Today was a very tough day. Today it was confirmed that my dear Papa’s sun will be setting sooner than I had hoped. And there is something about that kind of news that stops the world for a moment. Life becomes very clear. 

This piece is deeply personal. It’s about connection, finding my voice, throwing off expectations, and the journey that ultimately led to ClaraAlive. At its heart is a simple belief: life is happening now.

How some of life’s most extraordinary moments arrive completely unplanned.

One minute you’re exhausted after trekking through the Colombian mountains. The next you’re dancing salsa with strangers on a hillside overlooking breathtaking views, laughter filling the air as a battered boombox blasts music into the afternoon. Pure joy. Pure connection. Just because you can

That the people we meet, the conversations we have, the adventures we embrace and the dreams we pursue become the memories that carry us through the difficult days and make us excited to greet the next one.

I’d love to hear what resonates with you most.

✨ Start doing
🌸 Turn dreams into memories.
💫 Live fully.

Clara xx

Doing 

When did we stop being alive? Truly living?

Not existing. Not surviving. Not ticking off endless to do lists. Not people pleasing. 

Being Truly Alive. 

We spend much of our lives becoming the woman the mould dictates for us. Stepping into lives that have been designed for us rather than lives we might have designed for ourselves. 

We study. We work. We build careers. We nurture families. We carry responsibilities. We become dependable, capable and resilient women. And somewhere along the way, without realising it, we suppress who we truly are.

I was that woman. From the outside my life looked successful. Building a high performing career, accumulating the trappings, following the path I believed I was supposed to follow. Yet beneath the pressure and responsibility, parts of me had become quieter. Smaller, less me. 

Then …..one day a wave of universal energy came tumbling messily towards me and created a possibility. An opening to truly be me again. 

But what surprised me most was what happened next. The thing I missed most when my world became smaller. Human Connection. When I was free to be me again, I began connecting.  Freedom…… one of being able to freely Connect…to open up and truly show me as I am. 

Free to have conversations that make you see the world differently. Forming friendships that remind you who you are – who love and support you for who you are. The chance encounters that stay with you long after the moment has passed.

Making new friends. Beginning new adventures. Exploring new cultures. Learning new languages. Learning new dances. Truly living. Dreams become memories. 

I began to feel again. The narrative that had become a way of life, a self fulfilling prophecy that had quietly been holding me back, began to fall away. I became stronger and braver in myself. I listened to my body, not other people’s expectations….we have a gut feel, our vagus nerve, for a reason. 

Earlier this year in a chance encounter, some amazing told me, “Your voice is going to become louder.” At the time I had absolutely no idea what that meant. A month later, trekking in the heart of the Colombian jungle,  ClaraAlive was born. ClaraAlive was never a business plan. It’s a way of living.I started living my life determined to experience every moment of my freedom with joy and abandon. To stop postponing dreams.To stop waiting for permission. No more “I wish” …. just doing. I am now the woman who danced salsa on a Colombian mountainside with aching legs, a boombox and a group of strangers, simply because life offered her the chance. Returning from a 60km trek to the La Cuidad Perdida, with very sore legs and exhaustion, we stopped at the last small rest bar on a hillside overlooking stunning views. The bar boombox turned up … and we danced salsa ….completely impromptu… with new friends… with strangers…with abandon…. Creating an energy and vibrancy from the zest of life. Just because we could……

I don’t need to plan everything out for months. Sometimes I simply take off, throwing off the chains of expectation, the need for certainty and the belief that every detail needed to be mapped before taking the first step. Stepping onto planes not knowing exactly where I’ll stay, where the journey will take me or even where my luggage might eventually appear!

When your luggage is in Lima….

I’ve discovered that the world is full of extraordinary people. And I love it! 

People with stories, wisdom and perspectives that bring joy into your life in a single conversation. I’m meeting people from every walk of life. I stood amongst the heights of the Andes. Explored coastlines that stretched beyond the horizon. Adventured along hidden trails known only to the ancients. In the depth of the jungle I listened to birdsong that awakened my senses and reminded me what it truly means to feel alive. I cared for strangers with tenderness and they for me. I truly believe each of us can be a pebble, creating beautiful ripples. A smile. A conversation. An introduction. An act of kindness. A moment of encouragement. These gifts travel much further than we ever know.

Most importantly, I connected… with life.. with joy…. I became Alive. 

At the heart of life, it is not about fabulous fotos. It is not even about adventure. It is about human connection. Every exchange matters. Every person carries a story worth hearing and not waiting to seek it out and hear it.

I plan to have a long life. I’m going to meet as many people as I can talk to in one lifetime.

Meeting the beautiful Patricia, sharing her story for an upcoming blog

The memories we create and the people we meet are what carry us through the difficult days and make us excited to get up and live the next one to the full.

Reconnect with yourself. Throw off the chains of expectation. Find joy.

Permission not needed. Swap “I wish” for “I’m doing”. Dreams are not to be carried, turn them into memories and be ready to exit with I did it all! 

After all, we only get one beautiful, messy, extraordinary chance at this adventure called life.

Why not live it Fully Alive?

This article was also published in the latest Rebound & Rise newsletter. A real pleasure and privilege to contribute to this incredible community.

Huge thanks to Rachelle Peterson for creating a community where ambitious, thoughtful and inspiring women can connect, support one another and rise together. And to the wonderfully insightful Dorothea Jones, whose writing always makes me stop and think.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/70-unseen-unstoppable-rachelle-peterson-zvrde