Why I Started SettleWell

I never expected to start over less than a year before turning 50. My mid-life crisis was already quite enough. I loved my job. For over two decades, I served as a translator for complex humanitarian aid reports.

I worked hard at earning the top jobs in my field. I was hired by Médecins Sans Frontières, the Danish Refugee Council, the Sisters of Charity, the International Detention Coalition, and many other global NGOs, the true superheroes of the world. I translated text to convey the urgency of humanitarian missions and their extraordinary impact. It meant recognizing the vulnerability of the people whose stories were being told, and honoring the work of the organizations supporting them. Lending my voice to their efforts was my well-earned privilege.

But then the world changed. It didn’t happen overnight. It crept in slowly, one tech breakthrough at a time, until it became impossible to ignore: machines can now do what I spent my entire career mastering. My inbox grew quiet. My profession, like so many others around the world, was replaced by AI.

There was grief in that silence. A real sadness, a sense of losing not just work but meaning. I wondered, with a bittersweet blend of hope and despair: Where can I serve? The answer came by way of revelation: Humans need humans who genuinely care. SettleWell is my way of putting my skills to good use.

I was born and raised in Torreón, Coahuila, in northern Mexico, and I spent my first thirteen school years at Colegio Americano, a bilingual school that teaches both the American and Mexican full education curriculums. I was a proud nerd back then and won every kind of academic award you can imagine.

Growing up immersed in two educational systems taught me how to switch effortlessly between cultures. Not just the language, but the context, the subtext, the historical background, the rules of politeness, and how things get done.

Since moving to San Miguel de Allende in January 2020, my seamless understanding of both worlds has been highly appreciated.

I became the person my non-Spanish-speaking friends turn to when they find themselves in tricky situations: walking into offices where instructions are delivered too quickly and too vaguely, trying to understand conversations that seem simple but aren’t, or sensing there was more beneath the surface than a translation app could ever catch.

At my core, I’ve always been someone who helps. When people feel stuck or overwhelmed, I’m the one they call to make sense of things, to reframe a problem into something manageable, and to find the clearest path forward. I see “impossible” situations as an invitation to try.

Mexico is a beautiful country, but it's not always easy. Misunderstandings happen more often than most newcomers expect. Rules aren’t always clear, processes don’t follow a straight line, and things can quickly feel confusing when language and cultural expectations don’t align.

Because I’ve experienced those moments firsthand, the unclear rules, the closed doors, the need to read between the lines, I know how to move through them with patience, respect, and persistence. Today, I help others communicate clearly and understand what’s really happening. My role is to bring clarity and calm to those situations, so everyone feels informed and understood.

If you ever need a bilingual ally to navigate life in your new - sometimes bewildering - corner of Mexico, I am honestly happy to help.