#24 - Self Love

At Rebound & Rise, we believe self-love is powerful care, and we're endlessly grateful to the 2,000 incredible subscribers who care deeply too.

What moves me most is the beautiful diversity within this community. While it’s easy to assume our audience is mostly women, nearly 50% are men, showing up with curiosity and openness to explore topics like menopause, parenting, and reinvention.

That kind of inclusivity gives me real hope.

Here’s to listening, learning, and growing together.

Save the Date(s)

☕ Two beautiful coffee mornings are on the horizon, mark your calendars and get ready to join us! While tickets aren’t live just yet, we’ll share the Eventbrite links as soon as they’re available.

📍 Amsterdam – September 5 - We’re thrilled to gather at the Park Inn by Radisson Amsterdam City West (aka the Amsterdam Congress Center, next to Sloterdijk Station). Huge thanks to Joanne Greene and the hotel team for their generous support in making this event possible.

📍 London – September 23 - We’re returning, joyfully, for the fourth time to the warm and welcoming offices of Rathbones PLC at 30 Gresham Street, EC2V 7QN. Grateful as ever to EKATERINA DOUBININA, our steadfast host and friend to the Rebound & Rise community.

More details coming soon, but for now, pop those dates in your diary and we’ll see you there!

Self Love

By Manjula (Jula) Pereira

I decided to love myself. It began with a simple affirmation, “I deserve love.” And I knew it began with me. 

When I was a kid, I hated the color of my skin. I was born in India and I came to the US when I was only two months old. My birth name was Manjula. My parents decided to Americanize us and that included changing my name to Jula which Americans could pronounce better. We did not learn our native tongue Malayalam or Hindi for that matter. I grew up around a lot of white kids. I never wanted to be brown. I craved white skin and brown hair. I rejected myself on a deep level.

Not loving myself has led to many poor choices in my life. I was recruited into a cult when I was 23 years old and sexually abused by the cult leader. I had a hard time staying in a job for very long and tried so many things career wise. I had conflicts with bosses, friends and family members. After my marriage fell apart, I got into a relationship where I played out daddy issues. We were together for 9 years and he broke up with me and I pursued emotionally unavailable men. 

I oscillated between periods of self-righteousness and depression. Deep down, I hated myself. I didn’t know how to stop. I took antidepressants twice. I saw many therapists. I thought that I may be bipolar. I was so unhappy and I couldn’t find the key to unlock the door. I had been dealing with these thoughts and feelings ever since I was a child and now in my forties, I felt a sense of desperation to change.

Recently I had to let go of someone I loved and it became my catalyst for finding self-love. I read Matthew Hussey’s book Love Life twice. He has a chapter all about self love. He said that loving yourself is similar to the way a mother loves her child or how you love your ratty, old stuffed animal. You just do. You don’t need to do anything to win a mother’s love. You don’t have to reach a certain level of success. You just have to exist. This was the body and soul that you were given this lifetime. And it is your one job to take care of it, he says.

This changed me permanently. Ever since I decided to love myself, I’ve attracted a new relationship with an emotionally available man. I love my current job and am good at it. And my tarot and dragon matchmaking business is thriving. I am happy and whole again. And I recently have been telling people to call me Manjula again.

You can learn to love yourself too. Let go of the self-hatred, the pain, the regret and shame. Let go of your self-judgement. Love your body. Love you for who you are, flaws and strengths. It’s all of you.

Accept your beautiful self and you will thrive.

Manjula Pereira is an employment engagement and professional development manager for the nonprofit NPower. She is also a tarot reader and dragon matchmaker. Manjula lives in Santa Rosa, California and loves to dance, see musicals, walk and spend time with her partner, family and friends. You can check out her website at www.julatarot.com.

Next week's guest writer is the brilliant Eunice Adebiyi. With deep roots in luxury sales and a gift for emotional insight, she helps women sell with confidence, clarity, and authenticity, no performance required. Her upcoming article is one you won’t want to miss.

We are always on the look out for Guest Writers, so if you are interested please contact us via hello@reboundandrise.com or DM me via LinkedIn.

Twice Immigrant: A Life in Movement and Meaning

By Rachelle Peterson

At 18, I left Amsterdam and flew toward the chaotic promise of 1985 New York (well New Jersey, but I spend every free minute in the city that first year before I actually moved there). It was a move fuelled by idealism, stubborn optimism, and an appetite for reinvention. I didn’t know then how migration would shape my identity, not just once, but twice.

In 1998, with my American husband and our two young children, we packed up once more, this time for London. We imagined a progressive haven, a place that mirrored our liberal socialist values: community, equity, belonging.

For a while, it felt true.

But then came Brexit. The rise of anti-immigration rhetoric. Right-wing politics that cast suspicion on the mobile, multicultural, multilingual immigrant. Suddenly, being from somewhere else felt like a liability, not a strength.

Still, I’ve never regretted the decision to root here. Our story is woven into this city’s rhythm, in school runs and start-ups, reinventions and rainy-day coffees. London, for all its contradictions, has given us space to grow and contribute. We’ve carved out community in unexpected places and discovered that resilience isn’t just survival, it’s creation.

So, we stayed. We built. We connected. And we learned that being an immigrant isn’t just about geography, it’s about resilience. It’s about believing in bridges when others shout for walls. It’s about showing up, speaking out, and creating space for shared humanity.

As we continue to navigate shifting tides, I hold tightly to the belief that migration isn’t a threat to culture, it is culture. It’s the heartbeat of cities, the pulse of possibility.

To those navigating their own migration journeys: your story is valid. Your belonging isn't conditional.

And your presence in whatever city you land, is political, powerful, and profoundly needed.

About Us

Rachelle Peterson, a dynamic entrepreneur founded LOQIA Group a media consultancy specialising in hospitality and travel distribution along with Rebound amp; Rise a networking and events platform for women, after 30 years in the corporate sector. Driven by a fervent commitment to women’s rights, what began as a passion project has evolved into a new enterprise. Rachelle’s effectiveness and high energy resonate through her public speaking gigs at conferences and events worldwide.

Learn more at www.loqia.com

Dorothea Jones FRSA FIEDP is the founder of Inclusivation, intersectional DEI strategists that help businesses unlock the power of individuality. A seasoned public speaker, she has chaired panels with prominent figures like David Lammy and Baroness Shami Chakrabarti. Proudly neurodivergent, Dorothea has been a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment for over 25 years and remains dedicated to driving meaningful change.

learn more at www.Inclusivation.com