What’s Valerie up to for her 40th birthday?

If you had told me twenty years ago that, one day, I would be telling everyone I know about this crazy dream I have and end up asking for money for it, I wouldn't have believed you...

But here I am publishing this page and sharing it with you on my birthday, the day I turn 40.

I didn't think that this turning 40 business would affect me at all, but it turns out it has. And this mid-life crisis (yikes) is mainly because I SO do not feel 40 on the inside. More like 25 - and sometimes about 5, haha!

So here's my crazy dream: some day, I want to create a community where the way we live is sustainable and nourishing to humans and the planet, rather than destructive of them. Right now, I have no idea how to do that, where that could be or even what it’s going to look like. But I have identified the first step I want to take towards it.

I'm planning to go and spend 4 weeks in a place called Damanhur, in northern Italy, to learn how to design and build a sustainable community and way of living. The cost of the programme is €2,060, which includes the tuition fee, accommodation and food for the 4 weeks. The programme is based on the Ecovillage Design Education curriculum developed by the Gaia Foundation. This is the birthday present that I want for my 40th and, if you feel so moved to gift me something to celebrate this milestone with me, it would mean a lot to me to receive your support in making this happen. :)

If this is all you need to know then please feel free to click on the big aqua green button conveniently placed somewhere on this page. If you're curious about why I'm doing this thing, read on... If you need to get on with your day, thanks for reading so far! I’m glad I got to tell you about my dream.

So here’s the background story...

I've been on a bit of a journey these last 20 years! From wanting to be an actress when I was 20 to trying to conform to expectations by training as a barrister, spending almost a decade in the corporate world as a company secretary to finding my own path now as a life coach and trainer facilitator these last 4 years. It’s been a hell of a journey. And my beliefs have evolved dramatically along the way.

This is what I believe today: we and the planet are in deep shit. We cannot continue to live the way we're living. It's just not sustainable. On so many different levels: ecological, economic, social and spiritual. Day after day in the work that I do, I see how unhappy, stressed, anxious, isolated and lonely the way we currently live makes a lot of people fee. Me included in certain aspects of my life.

I've felt this way for a couple of years. I've done nothing about it and it's been eating away at me. The run up to turning 40 has been a time for reflection for me. Where I have ended up is the observation and decision that I may have no clue about how to make the vision I have in my head real, but I am as sure as heck going to do whatever it takes to give it the best sho I can. Because if I don't, I will always regret it.

So doing this programme in Italy is the first step towards making this dream I have a reality.

Thank you for supporting me, financially or with your good wishes, as I step out into the unknown. It means a lot.