01 / CURIOSITY AND EXPERIENCE
From Brazil to London.
I grew up in Brazil and have called London home since 1990. Throughout my life, the curious “Little Alex” has wanted to explore, while the pragmatic Alex has kept asking: what can we actually do with what we discover?
I started working at 14 in my father’s accounting business and created an events business by 18. My career later took me from marketing at American Express in Brazil into hospitality, management, training and business development in the UK.
02 / WORKING WITH PEOPLE
The same approach.
Different responses.
From the Barbican Centre and Kensington Palace to Starbucks’ early UK expansion, I worked with people from many cultures, backgrounds and circumstances. Later, at Crisis UK, I developed and managed the Skylight Café employability programme for people facing homelessness and barriers to work.
I kept noticing that the same approach could produce very different responses. Someone who struggled in one environment could thrive in another. Development involved opportunity, relationships and conditions—as well as responsibility and boundaries. I had to question and adapt my own approach, too.
03 / A PERSONAL SEARCH
Knowing is not always
being able.
Living with a formal diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) for more than 20 years made these questions personal. Understanding a reaction did not necessarily mean I could change it. What I could manage varied with pressure, support, circumstances and time.
I learned to start with what was actually happening, rather than what I thought should be happening. Acceptance could be a starting point for adjustment and action. It did not have to mean resignation.
My studies in developmental psychology and exploration across science, philosophy and culture helped me examine the interactions between thoughts, sensations, emotions and experience. No single perspective answered every question.
04 / THE DNA PROGRAMME™
Turning questions
into a framework.
Gradually, three connected perspectives emerged: Dynamic—observing change and influences; Natural—recognising what is present here and now; and Assessment—exploring how these conditions interact and what we might do next.
That became the Dynamic Natural Assessment Programme™: a structure for observing experience, recognising patterns and exploring our participation. Its purpose is educational and developmental, with its concepts and practical value still open to examination and research.
The programme does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions and is not a substitute for psychotherapy, clinical assessment or medical treatment.
05 / THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
Still curious.
Still questioning.
Today, I develop books, resources, consultancy, workshops and presentations while seeking collaborators to question, test and refine the work. What began with my own questions continues through other people’s experiences and perspectives.
My invitation is simple: observe what is happening, question what you think you know, and explore how you can participate in what happens next.
Life is dynamic. Find your rhythm. Develop your contribution.