When. My. Life. Changed.
I want to share something personal with you.
At the age of 25 I found myself the owner of a big retail business. 15 branches, 70 employees, in 3 states in the US.
Money was coming in while my soul was running out…
I came back home. 2 cats, a dog and a date to my wedding that never happened.
I felt the illusion of freedom, but actually I was letting others set my path just like everybody else.
It all seemed successful and right... but something was missing.
One day in 2016, a friend invited me to Burning Man. He told me not to research what was first. He told me “just come!”
I didn’t yet know what was coming my way…
In one week I entered a world of endless parallel realities that were so different from everything I knew.
This was the turning point towards the powerful wave of change that led me to this moment and state where I am now — a highlight of growth I couldn’t even imagine.
I came home, and the call for getting to know myself deeper was inevitable.
I realised that the world as I knew it was going to end. All my life systems — work, lifestyle, relationship — couldn’t support the growth I was longing for.
I decided to stop it all. I broke up with my fiancee.
It wasn’t easy, but my life moved on.
In the north countryside I found an ecological spiritual community of amazing people and lived there for 2 years. I started playing the guitar, singing, living close to nature and practising ancient ways of healing with the earth. I started coming closer to who I really am.
There, without many possessions but with a lot of joy, a new phase began in my life. I was connected to myself and to others.
I have been on this path of exploration and consciousness for the last decade. I've come back to business with a new perspective. A holistic perspective.
I’m making sure all that I create is breathing with what I really stand for in life.
In the last 10 years, I created the community of ecstatic dance in my local area, Rise In Love, the Heartbeat project, The Dance Temple Festival, desert festivals and more. In all of those places people can really meet each other and connect in authentic ways.
Thousands of heart connections were made through these creations (and still are!).
And the journey brings me to where I am today — a CEO of a startup with a valuable mission:
To connect millions of people authentically.
The startup is LUA, the app for meaningful connections. LUA brings the gift of deeper, authentic relationships, growth and awareness to wider audiences, much more than those who can attend festivals and workshops. It changes the way people relate.
This company is what powers Rise In Love online community!
I won’t lie. Startup lifestyle is not easy and brings a lot of challenges. Creating a smooth app takes time, and just one year has passed since we launched. I admit that sometimes I feel the pressure from app users to create solutions faster, even though I know it needs patience and resources.
With all that being said, I am grateful for all our passionate supporters, for the couples that already met in LUA, to the people who are meeting deeply on the app now, to the investors that make it all possible and believe in the future of better relationships.
Of course I appreciate the team, and each one of the people who follow me and see it all growing. I feel your support and it helps me to push through. Thank you!
Are you fired up by helping people create more authentic relationships too? You can help the love revolution by being part of LUA’s success. We have an option to receive 3 last angel investors with Favourable conditions, after raising 135,000$ in this round.
If you want to hear more, hit reply and let's talk. I would love to explore how we can grow more love (and wealth) together.
With love,
Makatu
CEO & cofounder of Lua
P.S. If you know someone who would be interested, please share this with them!
