Cynthia Soares
Chief Happiness Officer (CHO) with a genuine vocation for serving others. With over 20 years of experience in the Hospitality sector, she has built much of her career leading commercial teams across different regions of Brazil.
As Co-Founder of JOY2B, she believes that people are the true heart of any business. Her purpose is to care for, inspire, and promote the development of those who walk alongside her, leaving a legacy of well-being, lightness, and positivity wherever she goes.
Supporting organization of the projects: Happiness and Mental Health and Happiness and Longevity.
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About Cynthia Soares
Cynthia is the co-founder of JOY2B, a trained tourism professional from Minas Gerais, Brazil, the youngest of six siblings. Married to Lino and mother of Raiê and Raj, she has built her journey driven by genuine connections and a deep desire to serve.
With over 20 years of experience in the Hospitality sector, she has devoted much of her career to leading commercial teams across different regions of Brazil, always guided by care for people.
At the age of 40, a breast cancer diagnosis prompted an unexpected and transformative pause. It was during this time that Cynthia delved into self-knowledge, redefined her way of living, and developed a deep connection with the theme of Happiness. From this encounter, she began studying Positive Psychology and came to understand that each person is truly a transformative agent wherever they go.
Today, she continues to live her purpose: sowing positivity, well-being, and happiness wherever she walks.
Chapter Theme
WHEN LIFE SURPRISES YOU, THE HOPE OF LIVING GROWS HOW
BREAST CANCER TOOK ME OUT OF AUTOPILOT AND TAUGHT ME TO APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF LIVING
In this deeply human and inspiring chapter, Cynthia Soares shares a journey of transformation that weaves through pain, reinvention, and purpose. Following a diagnosis of invasive HER2-positive breast cancer, the author describes how a life-altering experience pulled her out of “autopilot” and led her into an intense process of self-discovery, meaning-making, and reconnection with what truly matters. Amid the challenges of burnout, cancer treatment, and the emotional and physical demands of a long and arduous process, a new way of seeing life emerges—one that is more conscious, sensitive, and aligned with what is truly important.
Throughout the narrative, the chapter also reveals how the author transforms suffering into learning and purpose, connecting her personal experience to Positive Psychology, the science of happiness, and the pursuit of longevity with quality of life. From pain arises a new professional and existential path, culminating in the creation of initiatives focused on well-being in organizations. More than a story about illness, it is a powerful reflection on hope, reconstruction, and the possibility of flourishing even after life’s greatest storms.