Anabela Da Rocha Returns to São Miguel to Begin a New Chapter in Human Development

After more than three decades as a business executive, entrepreneur, and mentor, Anabela Da Rocha has returned to São Miguel, bringing a wealth of professional experience and a renewed commitment to helping individuals and organizations navigate life’s challenges.

In an interview with journalist Marco Sousa of the Azorean weekly Atlântico Expresso, Da Rocha reflected on her decision to leave mainland Portugal and return to her native island. Although professionally established, she chose to prioritize family, particularly the opportunity to spend meaningful time with her mother. She acknowledges that the decision required courage, personal sacrifice, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty.

With a degree in Biochemistry, a master’s degree in Coaching, and international professional certification, Da Rocha has spent more than a decade working in Human Development Consulting. Her approach combines scientific knowledge, philosophical reflection, professional experience, and an understanding of human relationships.

Her work addresses personal and professional transitions, including retirement, career changes, family difficulties, leadership challenges, and the search for greater purpose. She emphasizes that personal and professional lives are inseparable, as individuals carry their experiences, emotions, and values into every environment.

Unlike traditional coaching, her methodology incorporates mentoring, practical guidance, education, and the sharing of lived experience. Empathy, compassion, and meaningful communication are central to her philosophy, alongside the belief that understanding must ultimately lead to purposeful decisions and action.

Now established in São Miguel, Da Rocha offers both in-person and online consultations, as well as small-group thematic workshops designed to encourage reflection, learning, and personal growth.

Her return reflects a broader dimension of island life: the value of those who leave, acquire knowledge and experience elsewhere, and eventually return to enrich their communities. For Anabela Da Rocha, coming home is both an act of family devotion and an opportunity to transform decades of experience into a meaningful contribution to Azorean society.

For additional information, contact anabeladarocha.pt@gmail.com or WhatsApp 917 643 134.

Source: Interview by journalist Marco Sousa, Atlântico Expresso. Adapted for Novidades — The Islands and the Diaspora. The photo is also from AE.