As a happiness researcher, I had gone through a long period of sadness and personal loss. I had lost my own sense of happiness and searched for what could possibly spark joy and light up that little flame inside of me. And so, I saved up for a year, left my dream job, and embarked on my very own Bailando Journey – a dance journey that led me to learn 18 different dances as a total beginner from New York to Buenos Aires in just under a year.
What I learnt was much more than a few dance moves, pivots and turns. Learning to dance taught me how to embody the science of happiness in daily life. It increased my confidence, allowed my creativity to flourish, and fueled me to become fearless in taking on new challenges. I learnt that dance is an incredibly powerful tool for our personal growth, well-being and happiness. And learnt to live life “Bailando” (dancing in Spanish), as a philosophy – dancing through life to be truly present and enjoy each moment.
Bailando Journey started as a personal journey to find happiness, and now it has grown into a mission to spread happiness around the world. Happiness is itself a journey: It is built from experience through overcoming fears and obstacles, from finding our core values, meaning and purpose, and taking action to follow our heart.
By bringing happiness science to life, Bailando Journey’s vision is a world where people’s happiness and well-being come before economic output, education systems value socio-emotional skills over memorization, health systems recognize happiness as the prevention of major disease and finally, a happier workforce where creativity can flourish.
Through events, retreats, and other educational content and experiences, Bailando Journey supports you to embark on your very own journey to happiness, so that you can design a life of meaning and purpose.
Aliénor Salmon is a French-British author, speaker and consultant. After graduating from King’s College London with a master’s degree in war studies, Aliénor worked as a field researcher studying issues related to education in Mongolia and along the Thailand/Myanmar border, before eventually settling in Bangkok where she worked for UNESCO.
She founded Bailando Journey after leaving her dream job as a happiness researcher at the UN to follow her dream of learning to dance around the world. She documented her transformational journey, exploring the local culture, history, and way of life with every step.
Through her work, Aliénor seeks to help others incorporate happiness science into their daily lives by exploring their values, habits and beliefs, and creating a roadmap to design their happiest life and follow their dreams through personal development and enhanced well-being.
She splits her time between Latin America and Europe, and is based in Lisbon, Portugal. Her debut memoir Finding Rhythm, which is based on her very own Bailando Journey was published by Apollo Publishers in New York on 16 March 2021.
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