About Mika and Not Mad Yet

My name is Mika, and I’m a process.

This process has included:

  • a Bachelor’s degree (2006) and a Master’s degree (2008) in Mathematics from Universidade de Brasília, a Ph.D. (2014) from Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and two years (2014–16) as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen; over two decades (2000–) teaching mathematics at all levels from children and adolescents to university students and self-taught adults

    — this makes me a mathematician;
III Biennial of the Brazilian Mathematical Society (UFG-Goiânia, Brazil 2006)
International Student Orientation Week Volunteers (Rutgers University-New Brunswick, USA 2010)
Department of Mathematical Sciences (University of Copenhagen, Denmark 2016)

  • a series of independent overland travel experiments, each lasting several months by bicycle, on foot, or hitchhiking, in Europe and South America (2016–20); living in Brazil (1985–2008, 2022–), the United States (2008–14), Denmark (2014–16), Serbia (2016–17), and Ukraine (2017–22); climbing mountains, trees, and rocks in these and many other places around the world (2010–); various vertical techniques courses, especially courses on rock climbing safety procedures (2017–)

    — this makes me an explorer;
wild camping on a cycle tour
(Moldova 2017)
sunrise at Pico da Bandeira
(Brazil 2022)
climbing “Vulcano” at Pedra do Elefante (Andradas, MG, Brazil 2023)

  • researching, writing, and giving presentations and interviews on intention, opportunity, and commitment (2016–); becoming a YNAB Certified Budgeting Coach¹ (2022); teaching the YNAB budgeting method and developing my own financial education program, incorporating my experience of all these years in pursuit of my dreams (2022–)

    — this makes me a financial educator.
Ossobuco-Brasília (Brazil 2018)
Imagem: Daniel Titis Galvão
Training Center Solo
(Ternopil’, Ukraine 2020)
Yolo Coworking Brasília
(Brazil 2023)

These are the three archetypes I want to embrace and work on in the mid-term.

You can click on the following links to learn more about my financial education program Intentional Budget, my current focus, read the Not Mad Yet Newsletter (in English), or get in touch to discuss any of the above 🙂

1 Disclaimer: I am a YNAB Certified Budgeting Coach, which means that I have been trained to coach people on using YNAB software and the YNAB budgeting method. I have met select requirements of You Need a Budget LLC in order to receive this certification, which means that I have the ability to competently coach YNAB to others. I am not an employee of YNAB, and all non-YNAB related opinions and recommendations are my own. My views do not reflect the views of YNAB and its employees or its affiliates.