Between Tapas and Towers: What Reinvention Really Tastes Like

If you’d told me years ago that I’d trade Dutch drizzle for a life split between Spanish tapas and Dubai towers, I probably would’ve laughed while pedaling through the rain. Deep down, I always knew I’d escape Holland, I just never imagined the journey would look quite like this.

In Marbella, life was served with paella and patience. Bureaucracy moved at the speed of mañana, but there was always the sea to calm me down. I learned that slowing down isn’t laziness, it’s luxury. That joy can be found in a €2 plate of churros and the rhythm of flamenco echoing from a side street.

Then came Dubai, where ambition runs as high as the Burj Khalifa, and brunches are as extravagant as a fashion show. It’s a city that demands boldness. Reinvention here isn’t about blending in, but about daring to stretch into parts of yourself you didn’t even know were there.

The truth? Reinvention doesn’t feel glamorous when you’re in it. It feels messy. Awkward. Like ordering tapas when you don’t actually know what half the dishes are, or getting hopelessly lost in the world’s biggest mall and realizing valet parking was invented for a reason. But somewhere between laughter, frustration, and the courage to begin again, something shifts. You grow.

And that’s what my book  ‘From Tapas to Towers‘ is really about: how changing places can change you. It’s a book about culture shocks, humor in the struggles, and the beauty of turning the page, literally and figuratively. It’s part memoir, part travel guide (or should I say survival guide?), part love letter to the art of reinvention.

And because I wanted the book to go beyond the page, I created The Next Chapter Retreats together with Nathalie, who has been hosting retreats for years in Spain, the Netherlands, and Morocco. She knows how to create spaces that feel feminine, relaxed, and just a little magical. With her retreat experience and my book as inspiration, we designed a getaway where women can slow down, reconnect, and begin their next chapter;  surrounded by inspiration, laughter, and maybe even a few churros.

— by Jasmina