I graduated from college in Brazil in 2009, the same year my boyfriend (who is now my husband) was transferred to New York. A few months later, I was working for a mining company in Brazil.
For almost three years we had a long–distance relationship, with me traveling from Brazil to New York almost every month. During the same time, I felt I was not growing as fast as I could in my job; I started thinking about changing careers. In 2012, I quit and applied for a MBA at City University in New York to be closer to my boyfriend and start learning again. After my MBA, we decided to return to Brazil and start our life there, so when I applied to McKinsey, I preferenced the São Paulo location.
The choice to join McKinsey in Brazil was easy because it brought me closer to my family. It was also a plus that I could pursue my big passion, running, training in sunny Brazil instead of the New York winters.
When I joined McKinsey in 2015, I thought it would be impossible to balance running with my work, but I decided to try my best. My first engagement started two months before a marathon. I was afraid of not being able to keep up with my training, but my team was so amazing and were key to keeping motivated. They scheduled meetings after 9am and I even had one team member who would wake up at five am to go for a run with me.
After this first experience of working at McKinsey and training for endurance sports, I decided I would not only keep signing for new challenges but I would try to motivate other people in the office to have a healthier lifestyle.
With McKinsey colleagues as support, I could create value and keep a great performance at my client. For example, I was promoted to engagement manager in the same month that I completed my first full Ironman. I truly believe that at McKinsey you can not only achieve what you want and be at your best in personal and professional life, but also be surrounded by extraordinary people who will cheer you up, inspire you and be inspired by what you achieve.