What this year looked like behind the scenes

Hi guys,

I can’t believe that 2025 is almost over. It went so fast, and it was a crazy mix. 

In January, I had just started an e-commerce mentorship. I was at a crossroads, thinking of closing everything down.

We weren’t getting the results we needed, and I was already looking for other options. Maybe a new business, maybe a job. I don’t know. But deep in my heart, I’ve always known that no matter how many times I feel like giving up, I don’t. Because this mission keeps pulling me back. And when I try to move in a different direction, life shows me clear signs. This is the path.

I’ve learned a lot this year. Through your messages, your reviews, your orders… I found a new purpose in all areas of my life. I don't know how to explain—this year also brought big changes in how I relate to Clara. She’s no longer a child. She’s growing. And I’m trying to understand who I am in this new stage too — being her mom, her business partner, her friend, her support. Some days I fail. Some days we get it right. 

I don’t want to say this as every business says at the end of the year but... You changed our lives. Your support, your trust, your presence helped shape our choices, gave us air, and we felt so much loved. It changed the way I see everything. It changed the way of taking things for granted.

I want to run this business and our life with more lightness, more joy. I want to enjoy the process and find my happiness there.

Let me give you an idea of what this year looked like. In January, we had $930 in sales. You can imagine… that’s not enough to manage anything. I studied, I changed the website, I worked on the message, I started running Meta Ads, and I cried and cried and kept going. We changed a lot. We took risks. And we ended the year with 1,340 orders, 57 original artworks sold, 7 commissions, and Clara was selected as one of the official artists of the Olympic Games. So, wow! Now, I have a new dream. Bringing this business to a new level - to become a case study on how to actually transform adversity into dreams coming true with a profitable business at Harvard, and open new ways, new visibility for people with disabilities. 

Clara started painting classes this year, and I can already see something shifting in her. She is super happy to go to another studio and have a different way of managing things. In a short time, we can see a super different approach to her art.

After I fell, and I had to stop, she saw how much responsibility it takes to build something. My biggest wish for 2026 is that we can grow closer in this journey. That we can enjoy more, laugh more, and play more while working hard. 

People always ask me, “What if Clara stops painting?” For me, it would be way easier. I could build a brand, find a job, and spend some time in Brazil — it’s been 13 years since I last went.

But the real question is: what would Clara do? Because the world we live in doesn’t exactly make space for people like her. Most of the time, the less they shine, the easier it is for others. No one wants to be challenged to think differently, to make space, to change how things work. And we live that. EVERY DAY. 

I don’t know why I’m writing all this. I started to say Merry Christmas! But I love you, and well, you already read at least 60 of my emails this year. :-)

I also wanted to take some time to celebrate Carlo with you. He is being a rock in our family, supporting us in all the things that no ones see, he is helping my in all my crazy ideas, he is listening to my cries about Meta Ads never working how it should, he and Clara are creating conflict between them daily, helping each other's dopamine to boost and helping Clara to make the most incredibile art and compositions with his fast way of cleaning the brushes, moving the artworks, Uber's us and shooting content. So today, send a positive vibe to him, a prayer that he can start owning who he is, loving himself, and seeing how wonderful he is.

You probably don’t know this, but people with disabilities often find Carlo’s number on Facebook and call him. Every day. To talk. And he answers. He listens. With patience. With love. He becomes the highlight of their day. And I wish he could see himself the way we do. 

And my wish for you in this Christmas, which is the Birthday of Jesus, is to find him, to connect with him, to understand that his love goes beyond any religion, any protocol, any reason. He is cool, he is my best friend, and I hope he can be yours, too.

And I also wish that you can keep going, you can find your dreams, and work to make them happen!

I wish you joy in the middle of chaos. I wish you hope when things feel heavy. I wish you the courage to keep going and to believe in your dreams.

Guys!!!!!!!! I'm so happy to be on this journey with you and that together we are changing the world. Those are not just words, they are facts!!!!!!! Thank you for building The Inclusion Matters Movement with us!

And finally: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love, Love and Love

Betina