Who am I? (Sim Simma!)

My name is Sara. But many friends call me la Mygale (the tarantula). And my capoeira friends call me Fominha (the hungry one). I believe those two names fit me quite well as I’m definitely a gourmande and a (tall) person who likes to network and connect (big spider/web: now you get it, right? I’m not that scary 😉 ).

At the moment, my pronouns are she/they. I am a strong believer that gender is a social construct.

I’m 39 years old but I appear younger because while “black don’t crack, beige don’t age” neither…

My dad came from Tunisia and my mum is a French woman with her roots coming from the rural Corrèze. I grew up in the amazing and very diverse suburb of Paris called Seine-Saint-Denis.
10 years ago, I have decided to move to Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and I finally settled in the vibrant and also very diverse district of Bijlmer that I absolutely adore!

What makes my heart go BOOM BOOM

For 15 years, I have been passionate about Jamaican music in general and the sound-system culture in particular. It led me to assist artists with their career development with digital marketing, initially via MySpace and later other social media. In 2008, I created my own online platform to promote new talents (lamygale.com). 5 years later, I worked for the YouTube channel SoundAddictTV, filming and creating content such as video reports and conducting personal interviews. I was also community manager for a group of clash fans (12K members). Those various experiences allowed me to build up a solid network with sound-systems, artists and promoters within the reggae industry.

5 years ago, I fell in love with the Afro-Brazilian martial art called capoeira. It quickly became more than just a sport practice for me. I feel being part of a large and international community with a rich historical & cultural legacy that I find fascinating.

I can mirror many aspects of the 2 cultures: after all, they both originated as rebellious fights against oppression (slavery/colonization) lead by the sound of drums. The way energy is circulating in a roda de capoeira reminds me of the interactivity of sound-systems. In a soundclash (the musical battle between sound-systems) like in capoeira, I have a bias for a great fighter with a good sense of humor. I thrive in capoeira events like I did in reggae festivals around the world. I am fulfilled, even in my interest for languages as I picked up the Portuguese language along the way.

Mind, body, soul… and food!

I started capoeira at Het Gymlokaal, an amazing gym with a holistic view of functional training using the body as a whole to move and play together. Our teacher, Sjuul Daamen, was also giving mobility and movement classes and my sparring partner, Sim Sidhu, was also teaching yoga there. They were both inspiring mentors on my fit journey.

I’ve been experimenting with intermittent fasting for several years. After losing 25 kilos, I had to get familiar with my “new” body. I’m now learning how to move it, strengthen it and control it in liberating, playful and mindful ways.

After learning that maté improves muscle strength recovery (and therefore reduces muscle pain!), I started drinking chimarrão and became a big fan of the super-powers it gives me everyday. I suddenly had so much energy, focus and awareness that it felt like I spent the first 35 years of my life asleep…
I am also looking into microdosing and how it can increase focus, creativity, and mood.

I have always been a foodie. I was raised with an appreciation for terroir and I’ve always seen my mum paying a lot of attention to how she sources her food. Through my adult life, my lifestyle grew to become more and more conscious and healthy due to multiple reasons (+ some influence of the rasta’s Ital diet). I am trying to combine cycle syncing with my vegan diet.

Work, work, work, work, work

After graduating from high-school, I have been on the grind working as waitress, sales assistant and street marketer and then moved to office jobs where I occupied positions like personal and team assistant. For 3 years, I worked as a project manager in press publishing. This was in the early 2000s when the industry was in the middle of a digital transformation. After 7 years of working life and as a good Xennial, I decided that it was also time for me to mature my digital transition…

I embraced my logical mind (my mum was a maths teacher) and went back to school to learn computer programming / web development. I spent 3 amazing years working as a Flash developer (R.I.P. Adobe Flash) at Marcel, a creative & interactive agency (part of Publicis). Later, I produced and developed TV apps for 6 years at Liberty Global, the world’s largest international TV and broadband company. After this, I worked on music, video and sports metadata at Gracenote and took a video production course at College of Multimedia.

With the intention of developing my experience in marketing communications, I worked as a social media manager at Talpa Networks. And 3 years ago, as marketing event coordinator at enviolo, I was in charge of organizing an education event tour and managing the brand’s digital presence on social media & websites as well as supporting the marketing team with video production, EDM campaigns and cross-departmental collaboration.

Later, I worked as a digital manager at Yemayá, a new restaurant serving vegan surinamese food in my neighbourhood. They opened at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic and I’ve supported them with various projects: advising them on solutions for a website allowing their customers to order online during the lock-down and by providing technical support and staff training. I managed their marketing campaigns and we’ve collaborated, in an agile manner, on their on-going projects.

In 2021, I joined the team of Live Operations at Just Eat Takeaway.com where I am remotely assisting French couriers during their deliveries.

Interests and values

I am a motivated, enthusiastic and resourceful person.
Curious by nature, I love learning as well as sharing knowledge and experience. While I respect academic degrees, I have not collected fancy diplomas but I have acquired experience. Through life, I have gained perspectives and an eclectic knowledge. This has strengthened my social and emotional intelligence and helps me be a better person everyday.

My range of interests is very wide.
I’m passionate about people, languages and cultures, especially popular, urban and so called sub-cultures. I love modern & street art and I’m interested in design, advertising, digital media.
I am an avid podcast listener and through this media and my personal researches, I learn a lot about social justice & personal development.

No man is an island

Amsterdam is my home but the world is mine… I have links on every corner of the planet. I love to travel, discover new cultures and meet people. This is my livity: I network and connect people, I give directions/tips to tourists lost in the streets, my house welcomes family, friends or Airbnb guests and I car-pool when I drive around.

I am very attached to my French culture and people so I try to go back regularly. I also try to visit my family in Tunisia frequently. I have travelled through Europe from Scandinavia (Sweden ♥) to the Mediterranean sea. I happened to go to Asia once (Japan ♥ & Taiwan ♥) and would love to visit again. And of course, I have been to the Caribbean: Jamaica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and my personal favorite, the nature island with 365 rivers: Dominica ♥.

During the covid pandemic and since I developed flygskam, I have reduced my travels and I avoid flying as much as possible. And I stay forever grateful for the beautiful places I’ve already seen…

Stay tuned

Currently under construction, this website will allow me to open a window into my world. There will be more content to come in the future…

Should you want to reach out, feel free to contact me at sara@lamygale.com.