28 Today: Reflections, Goals, and Challenges

Today I’m turning 28.

For me, birthdays have always been less about parties, cakes, or candles, and more about reflection—looking back at the path I’ve taken, and forward toward where I’m going.

Last year, when I turned 27, I stopped making yearly resolutions. Instead, I asked myself a bigger question: What do I want to achieve before I turn 30? 

That gave me three years, three goals, and a longer horizon to focus on things that really matter.

One year later, it’s time to check in. Here’s where I stand on those goals, and also the challenges I’ve faced along the way.

Goal #1: Being in the best physical shape of my life ✅

My relationship with my body has gone through extremes.

I’ve been overweight.

I’ve been depressed.

I’ve tried to power through periods of exhaustion.

And I’ve learned - sometimes the hard way - that nothing works if your body doesn’t.

Your body is the main tool, the leverage that makes everything else possible.

If I feel sick, if I don’t sleep well, if I’m constantly fatigued - then my business, my creativity, my relationships, none of them matter as much.

This year, I can confidently say:

I’ve achieved the first goal. I’m in the best shape of my life.

How did I get there? By building systems and layering improvements step by step.

I started with a daily exercise routine - strength training and mobility.

• Then I added stretching, cardio, and VO₂ max training.

• I systemized my sleep: tracking recovery, consistency, and depth.

• I measured everything: weight, body composition, bone density, and blood markers.

And I stuck to one guiding principle:

On the nutrition side, I kept my 90% vegan, 10% vegetarian diet—giving myself flexibility while traveling.

That little buffer made it sustainable.

The results surprised me: visible muscle growth, more strength, better cardiovascular health—all while scaling my business full-time and traveling.

For years, my focus was on losing weight and staying lean.

But recently, I’ve shifted: now I’m in a muscle-building phase. I’m focused on gaining a healthy weight and pushing my body to new limits.

I’ll keep you updated on how it goes.

Goal #2: Building $1 million in assets (±90%)

My second goal was financial: to reach $1 million in assets before 30.

I’m already on a strong trajectory to achieve this - maybe even earlier than I expected.

Right now, my startup generates around $58,000 in monthly recurring revenue. Annually, that’s about $700,000. Even at the lowest conservative multiplier of 3x, our valuation is over $2 million.

With my 35% stake, that’s around $700,000 in equity value for me.

On top of that, I have personal savings and other investments.

So realistically, I might cross the $1M mark even before my next birthday.

I don’t take this lightly. I’m grateful for my co-founder, for our team, and for all of you who follow and support my journey.

This year, our growth exceeded even my most optimistic expectations. But I like to approach financial planning realistically, sometimes even pessimistically. That way, when things go better than planned, it feels like a bonus.

And this year has felt like a gift.

Goal #3: Visiting every continent (5/7 done)

The third goal was more personal: to visit every continent before 30.

Travel has always been a dream of mine - not just to see the world, but to build my startup while living on the road, to experience life as a true nomad.

This past year was my most adventurous yet.

I visited new countries, met new people, and explored new cultures. I’ve now set foot on Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Antarctica.

That leaves just two: Africa and Australia.

My plan is to complete them next year - likely celebrating my next birthday in Africa, and then heading to Australia soon after.

But what matters most is not just where I’ve traveled, but how it’s changed me.

At the start of the year, I still carried the mindset of an Eastern European—more reserved, less expressive. But after so much time in Latin America, I’ve started showing emotions more openly, connecting with people with warmth.

I no longer feel like a tree rooted in one culture.

Instead, I feel like a network, spread across different places, shaped by different values. It’s not always easy - but it’s made life richer, more complex, and more rewarding.

Challenges along the way

Since I started sharing my journey publicly, I’ve tried to follow one principle: to be honest. I don’t want to paint only a “perfect picture,” like Instagram highlights.

But I also don’t want to overdramatize and frame life as a constant struggle.

The truth is: things are going well with my main goals.

But I do have challenges, and I want to share them here - not as complaints, but as part of the real picture.

And today feels like the right day to reflect on them, because this is also my first birthday that I’m celebrating completely by myself.

Every other year, I’ve been with family, friends, or my business partner.

Today, I’m alone in a city where I don’t know anyone.

It’s an interesting experience, part of the price I pay for the lifestyle and decisions I’ve chosen.

I don’t regret it - but it is what it is.

Friendship & community

I’m fortunate to have good friends: some from university in Ukraine, others from Lisbon, and new ones from my travels.

But the challenge is distance.

My friends are scattered across continents.

Some friendships, I’ve realized, only existed because of proximity.

As I moved further away, I realized I was the one initiating contact.

And over time, I stopped feeling appreciated by some of those people.

On the other hand, distance showed me who my true friends are.

My close friend Nick, for example, flew from Portugal to Rio to spend time with me. I’ve met others on the road, and I know I’ll keep seeing them again and again, even flying to reconnect.

Another lesson I learned this year is about expectations.

When I first began traveling, I tried to exchange contact information with almost everyone I met, hoping to keep each connection alive.

Over time, I realized that I don’t need to “click” with everyone - and that’s okay.

I still meet many people, but I no longer expect every encounter to become a friendship.

I’ve learned to let people go and to focus my energy on the connections that really matter.

Still, building strong friendships as a nomad is not easy. Time is short, connections are fleeting.

That’s why I’m considering slowing down travel - staying longer in certain places, building deeper communities, and filtering friendships by shared values: business, longevity, travel, curiosity.

One more challenge is cultural.

In most places I travel, social life happens late at night - over alcohol, clubs.

As an early bird focused on health, it’s hard for me to fit into that rhythm.

I’ve tried, but I realized I don’t want to sacrifice my health for socializing.

That means I need to find new ways of connecting - meeting people during the day, or around healthier activities.

It’s not always easy, but I know the right people exist in those spaces, too.

Romantic loneliness

Another challenge is romantic loneliness.

My last serious relationship ended in 2021.

Since then, I haven’t had anything close to love.

Some of that is by choice - I’ve become more selective.

I’m happy with myself, I don’t need a relationship to feel complete.

But I still want a partner.

Here are the hurdles:

• Lifestyle: Constant travel makes it difficult to build deep romantic connections. Nomad circles are primarily male. The women I meet are often older, which creates an imbalance.

• Appreciation: I know I’m growing - healthier, smarter, stronger, more resourceful every year. But I don’t always feel valued or appreciated by the women I meet. And I don’t want to be in a relationship just for the sake of being in one.

• Timing & culture: Just like with friendships, many dating opportunities happen late at night and involve habits that don’t align with my values. As someone who thrives in the mornings and prefers healthier activities, it narrows the field even more.

To address this, I plan to slow down my travel rhythm. By staying longer in certain cities,

I’ll give myself more space to date, to build community, and to form real connections.

Balance between health, work, and life

The last challenge is balance.

When I train harder, sometimes my body doesn’t recover fully - even if I don’t feel like I pushed myself too far.

At times, I’ve struggled to align exercise, health, and work.

I feel I’m close to the right balance, but it’s always shifting.

I’m constantly trying to stabilize it - to push myself, but not break myself.

To grow stronger, while still having the energy to work and live fully.

And maybe that’s the point: balance isn’t something you achieve once, but something you keep adjusting to as life moves forward.

So, at 28, here’s where I stand:

• I’ve reached the best physical shape of my life.

• I’m on track to financial independence.

• I’m two continents away from completing a lifelong dream.

• And I’m learning to navigate challenges—friendship, love, balance—that make the journey more human.

Thank you for being part of this story. Thank you for reading, for following, for supporting.

Here’s to another year of growth, of exploration, of building, and of learning.