Reach for Wonder This New Year – 7 Anecdotes and Life Lessons from Costa Rica
- Dec 30, 2025
- 6 min read
Jensine Ines Madera is a Founder, Entrepreneur, and multidisciplinary Artist. As the Founder of 32peces, she merges art, storytelling, and innovation to build creative ecosystems that empower artisans, elevate cultural narratives, and inspire next-generation leaders.
I hope you feel like a giant in the stars. Completely captivated by the sky. I yelled, this is incredible, with awe and wonder. I ask myself, how does this work? Standing on the night beach, hands pinched at my waist, with my head tilted back in a daze. This place is special. Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, underneath a blanket of shooting stars, one after another. I saw five that night. Everything is alive. It is just what I never knew I needed.
My salute to wonder
Say yes to your wonder. Have you sheltered your gut instinct, afraid to get lost? It is unsettling not to feel that intuitive north star we are innately gifted with from the beginning of life. Taking a chance offers no assurance.
Have our times conditioned us to override instinct, to transact our next steps and emotions instead of trusting them? Here’s to 2026. A salute to your wonder.
And if you are unsure what that feels like, the journey begins by unraveling the pieces of your life that no longer serve you. When the circle keeps bringing you back to the same place, it is time, not to repeat, but to wander, to wonder. It was just a wonder that brought me here to the blue zone, and it is as if I had been destined all along.
Not another “How To”: Just break the rules
I am confident you will be reading many pieces this year, and you might expect this to be another “how to.” I am not saying a how to is not relevant. We all need guidance every once in a while. In fact, a “how to conquer your to do list” is important, and I will probably write that for you sometime in 2026.
But as we set intentions and release our inhibitions for 2026, I want to invite you to do something you have been conditioned not to do. Break your own rules. Challenge your unconscious biases.
That person you want? Go get them. The jobs you want to create for the next generation, that one is for me, and for every entrepreneur shaping the future of culture. Go do that.
I laughed to myself as the sun kissed my face this morning. I dipped into the pool. When I came up for air, in the trees I saw a family of spider monkeys. I had just arrived in their space, so it made plenty of sense for them to see who else had entered the neighborhood. I wanted that. I dreamed that. And I believed that.
Come and taste the honey
My journey to Costa Rica led me to Coopeatenas Coffee Co-op, a new partnership for 32Peces. I met with the team and toured the entire property to understand its purpose and significance, one that brings generations of family farmers together and gives deeper meaning to the cup you pour every morning to start your day.
Coffee culture in the West is at its peak. Instead of late nights centered around clubs and alcohol, we are seeing a rise in coffee social hours and bespoke experiences. Why? Because coffee inherently calls for community, and for generations around the world.
During my time on the farm, I spoke with the farmers as we walked through endless rows of coffee cherry plants. The landscape was breathtaking. Did you know the coffee bean comes from a cherry? Carolina invited me to taste one. I placed the cherry in my mouth and began to taste sweetness, like honey. When I opened it, I saw the layers inside.
Each layer made me think about the layers we carry within ourselves, and what might be possible if we embraced our true essence, just like the honey inside the cherry. You cannot see it at first, but you can feel it and taste it.
Standing there on the farm with the bean in my hand, I felt a renewed sense of gratitude for the sip I take every morning. Tasting the honey felt like an invitation for the new year, to get lost in wonder, in search of what is sweet beneath the surface.
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Are you rooted or rushing?
Leaving the city and fully immersing yourself in nature has undeniable benefits. But what if you cannot leave the city, if you never experience the landscapes or the endless rows of trees that produce the food we eat? Does that disconnect create a deeper sense of discontent for everyone? It is hard to say.
I love the city. Like anything else, it has its pros and cons. Yet even the most beautiful landscapes need people, just as people need connection, to place, to purpose, to one another.
I bring this up because over the next decade, we will come to better understand the importance of humankindness. But how is that cultivated in a world moving so fast? What anchors us to our essence, to our intuition, our gut?
Is it a greater focus on health and wellness? More intentional communities? Social clubs, gated neighborhoods, or online spaces built around shared values? These are not answers, just questions for you to sit with and ponder.
The practice of patience
From the ferry, I watched islands drift into view. We arrived in the Blue Zone knowing the ferry had carried more than people. It transported cattle, horses, and cars, a modern-day Noah’s Ark moment.
I was greeted by absolute beauty. On the way to the villa, we stopped at my business partner’s uncle’s motor business. Behind it lived a quieter world, a goat, a few chickens, wild cats, and rows of guava trees. In the West, I have run through cornfields, but have you ever walked beneath a canopy of guava, ripe fruit hanging within reach at your fingertips?
In what felt like the Garden of Eden, his uncle pulled out a machete and cut open a coconut for us to drink. As we stood there, he shared his daily routines, how he tends the land and cares for it. Nothing here is rushed. Every fruit is handled with intention. There are no machines harvesting your food. Someone gathers it carefully, by hand, just for you. Is this sustainable, or is it efficient? Is there room for both? That balance would require patience.
The question is this, are we ready for that challenge in 2026? Can we challenge ourselves to slow down, to practice patience, and to endure the delight that comes with it?
The work that brings you here
The work that brought me here is the result of more than a decade of desire and immeasurable practice in my craft. It has been shaped by relationships, personal discipline, and commitment. Beyond all of that, this journey has been a soul journey.
If you are a founder or an individual seeking intention in the new year, I am here to remind you of a familiar truth. When you are in the process of enduring, you cannot measure the distance you have traveled. The experience is completely transformative. You are so focused on the craft, on the work, on being, that when you finally arrive at the place you once set an intention for and dreamed of, only then do you pause and reflect with gratitude.
This opportunity in Costa Rica was five years in the making. Yet in the time between, more branches formed and more extensions grew. And when it finally arrived, it was right on time, just as you will find yourself ready when the moment you have been working toward appears.
Reward yourself
During my time in Costa Rica, I took the chance to learn from all that nature had to teach me. Even in chaos, there is duality. Sun after the rain. Peace after the storm. In this, we see our own essence, our complete being, and our connection to the search for purpose, to the world, and to the communities around us.
Reward yourself with this reset. It may sound boring to simply be still. I know this because I am the same way. But in stillness, you find wholeness. Life began this way, and nature continues to show us its beauty in this simplicity. Just to be present in who you are, free of inhibitions. We have a lot of work ahead of us over the next decade, so let us begin.
Working together to make your goals a reality
At 32Peces, we help organizations, institutions, founders, and businesses uncover clarity, scale their impact, and build with intention. With Jensine’s decade-plus experience in strategy, brand growth, and soulful entrepreneurship, we guide you to make bold decisions, embrace your vision, and turn ideas into actionable results.
Get in touch today to schedule your free consultation and take the first step toward your 2026 you.
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Read more from Jensine Ines Madera
Jensine Ines Madera, Entrepreneur, Founder & Producer
Jensine Ines Madera is a multidisciplinary Artist, Entrepreneur, and Founder of 32peces, a creative collective bridging art, culture, and innovation. With over twenty years of experience in the creative services industry, she has worked across editorial fashion, styling, and digital design. Jensine’s work explores the power of storytelling to connect artisans, communities, and ideas. She has shared her insights as a guest speaker at WiSTEM 1871 Tech Lab and the University of Chicago. Through her projects and podcast, she continues to inspire dialogue around creativity, entrepreneurship, and cultural leadership.
