You hold both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Psychology from Católica. Why did you choose Universidade Católica to study?

My decision to study at Católica came down to three factors: the University’s credibility and faculty profile, the close support provided to students, and entering the programme with a merit scholarship. I look back on my experience at Católica with great fondness and nostalgia.

 

“If we cannot cure, we can care. If we cannot fix something, we can accompany, be present and available.”

 

Your Master’s thesis focused on the Experience of Loss and the Grieving Process in a Palliative Care Unit. What stands out from this research project?

I would highlight the role of spirituality. Spirituality is an incredible phenomenon through which people can find extraordinary resources of hope, resilience, adaptability, and new perspectives on life.
In grief, spirituality facilitates the continuation of the bond with the person who has been lost. Whether through religious beliefs or unique and creative ways of thinking about life, death, and what comes after, it was one of the dimensions that stood out most in how participants reorganised themselves after losing someone close and significant.

 

How did that research and your hospital internships shape your approach as a psychologist?

They showed me the potential of Psychology - both as a science that allows us to understand complex and subjective phenomena, and as a field of intervention that enables us to change beliefs, attitudes, emotional states, and behaviours. Working in a hospital setting, particularly in Palliative Care, gives us a very close understanding of vulnerability, suffering, and human resilience. These experiences showed me that even in the most complex and difficult life circumstances, such as approaching the end of life, there is always something we can do. If we cannot cure, we can care. If we cannot fix something, we can accompany, be present and available. It is each person’s ultimate freedom to choose how they face the circumstances they encounter, as Viktor Frankl stated.

 

“It is in the continuous need to become better that I find my main motivation to keep learning.”

 

Later, you pursued a postgraduate degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Why did it make sense to combine these areas with Psychology?

I have always seen Psychology as a scientific field with great potential to merge with others - Economics and Management being clear examples. Having ideas is easy. But it is in execution that many projects fail. Throughout their academic journey, psychology students learn a lot about Psychology, but little about other areas. I saw Innovation and Entrepreneurship as the perfect opportunity to learn models, processes, and systems that brought me closer to Management and gave me a solid foundation to develop and implement ideas throughout my career. I remember listening to Professor Pedro Dias speak about the importance of these topics, and that was when I realised this would be a winning path.

 

Throughout your career, you have worked in very diverse contexts: hospitals, care homes, NGOs, professional associations. What is the biggest challenge today for those working with psychological suffering?

Psychologists who only know Psychology will face serious challenges in this field. Working with psychological suffering means working with the person in suffering. Technical knowledge (diagnosis and intervention) is necessary, but not sufficient. Any effective intervention is built on the quality and depth of the relationship and connection established with the other person. This relationship is like a bridge, through which valuable resources (intervention techniques) are carried. The most effective psychologists know a lot about Psychology, but also explore other relevant areas - from Biology and Neuroscience to Economics and Management, or from Sociology to Literature. The main challenge is finding a position where one can be close, yet emotionally resilient. Feeling and thinking are both important - but the challenge is ensuring that emotion does not override reason.

 

Continuous training has been a constant in your career. What motivates you to keep learning?

We live in an increasingly VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous). As the pace of change accelerates, new challenges and realities constantly emerge. Skills are fundamental - often transformative - but knowledge is becoming increasingly short-lived. Fifteen years ago, innovation was seen as a “nice-to-have,” a tool for differentiation. Today, it is a “must-have,” a defensive tool without which we risk becoming outdated and less effective. Continuous learning is therefore essential. I strive to ensure that everything I do professionally is intentional, rigorous, and useful - and above all, that it adds value to the contexts and people I work with. It is in the constant need to improve that I find my main motivation to keep learning.

 

You founded and became involved in several projects focused on personal and professional development, such as Coaching Students to Success. What attracts you to this field?

I have always heard that the mission of Education is to prepare people for life. From primary school through to university, grades remain the main performance metric, largely based on tests and exams, where the main incentive is temporary memorisation. However, when entering the labour market, we quickly realise that grades are no longer the key metric - skills are. This phenomenon, referred to by the World Economic Forum as the “skills gap,” sparked my interest in the importance of transversal skills, those that impact both professional and personal life. I see the development of personal and professional skills as one of the best antidotes to the stagnation we often find in Education today: outdated content, outdated teaching methods, and an excessive focus on grades and content.

 

You are CEO of Next Level Hub. What led you to entrepreneurship in the field of Psychology?

At Next Level Hub, we define ourselves as a company focused on innovation in human behaviour. Psychology is at the core of what we do, but our work also intersects with other areas - from psychotherapy to neuroscience, from behavioural economics to gamification - allowing us to develop more comprehensive solutions to complex human challenges. We operate in two main contexts. In Education, through Next Level Hub, we develop award-winning soft skills programmes for children and young people, as well as training for educational settings. In organisational contexts, through Next Level Corporate, we design and implement fully customised development programmes for companies, in areas such as leadership, organisational culture, change management, mental health, and strategic communication. Building and growing this company has been a demanding but deeply rewarding journey. We are a team of psychologists - around 80% trained at Universidade Católica Portuguesa - united by a strong shared ambition and a highly aligned culture. What we are building together is one of the strongest pillars of our work.

 

What excites you the most?

What excites me most is the possibility of transforming knowledge into action - moving from problems to solutions, and from words to real impact. Whether it is pursuing our vision of becoming “the perfect partners in Education,” or helping organisations unlock the potential of people, culture, and performance, we feel we are contributing to an increasingly relevant movement: applying the science of human behaviour to create environments where people and organisations can truly thrive.

 

What message would you leave to students or young professionals who want to reach their full potential?

Work hard, play hard. Because extraordinary achievements come from extraordinary dedication.
But that dedication to professional life should never come at the expense of personal life. Just like high-performance athletes: they train with strategy and intensity, but are equally disciplined in how they recover and maintain balance.