Story & Lesson Highlights with ANA KARINA DA SILVA of NYC

We recently had the chance to connect with ANA KARINA DA SILVA and have shared our conversation below.

Hi ANA KARINA, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
building my comedy script for a project im cooking in nyc

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
im Ana Karina Da Silva, I am a creative copywriter in advertising and creator of emmas dream, a program that help kids identify their spark early so parents can nurture it for future career success. I also do stand up comedy in NYC.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Learning to trust what can’t be seen really transformed me in ways that shook my core. I went from absolutely rational intelectual to connecting with intuitive parts of myself. Intuition was something I wasn’t really into cause it didn’t seem believable or scientific. I know now that instinct and research are the best tools to be able to move forward and make successful decisions.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The wound of success and the emptiness that comes after achieving a big goal is real. That feeling comes from not really evaluating what fills you up, and trying to fill that space with something else.

I was very excited to achieve dreams like winning a Cannes. I loved it. It felt so amazing that I wrote a children’s book about it. But when I went back home, I thought: Ok, what now?

I went through a whole soul-searching process that involved lots of trips to Mexico, being in nature, and following my spiritual curiosity. I started learning about different ways of connecting with yourself beyond the identity you’ve built around yourself.

I started meditating in 2018. I knew I wanted something more. I knew there was something else beyond myself and what I could see. I was looking for answers.

I had a traumatic experience in an Uber in Chicago. We got shot at. Thankfully nothing happened, but I touched my body to see if the bullet was in, because I’ve heard adrenaline can kill the pain in those moments.

It was a dark moment. It was during Black Lives Matter, and right in front of my apartment all the lootings happened. I remember reviving that same feeling of being unsafe, like the one I felt growing up in Caracas.

After that night, I meditated in silence and the thought came to me: I should be in Portugal with my family. I asked my boss to work remotely for two months and stayed there.

I was running 10k per day, first in the freezing winter in Chicago, and then in the tropical island of Madeira where my parents are from. It was a complete detox of my soul. I was dealing with a lot of anxiety, but family time and connection were powerful healers.

Another wound has been heartbreak. I think loving so deeply is a gift, but it also teaches you who to love and how to love. I’ve ended a series of relationships, and I feel like each one grew with me in the exact way I needed at the time.

Looking back, I’m not sure if just one partner could have grown as much as I did through all those years. The fact that I was anxiously attached and stayed in relationships that weren’t right for me was a big lesson.

Now, living and dating in New York feels like a master’s degree in matters of the heart. It’s incredibly rich. The amount of wonderful people here is so abundant it feels like a dream. At the beginning it’s overwhelming, but it teaches you so much about yourself—what you need, not just what you want.

The options are endless, and obviously the abundance mindset can make you think: Why would I settle for someone who isn’t giving me what I deserve? But no one is perfect.

So having my non-negotiables very clear, and not throwing them away just because a guy is incredibly funny or a total gentleman, is one of my biggest challenges at the moment.

But hey, I’m glad I’m learning now. Better late than never.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
This is a funny question. I was thinking about this as I’m developing my next phase. What if I become known for whatever joke goes viral? And people only know me for that?

I follow comedians, and what I love is when they make me laugh, not when they get too intense or preachy. I like when they can be themselves, but there’s always a reason why I connect with them it was because they make me laugh.

There’s definitely a part of my ego that gets a little scared about how I’ll be perceived. But then there’s another part of me that needs to express itself in order to thrive. So I try to respect both sides. It’s like: “Hi, protector, you’re keeping me safe, thank you.” And then: “Hey, creator, I think we need to do this for the sake of creative release.”

The public part is just a tiny slice. But as an artist, you do have to be vulnerable. You have to create from that place and understand that once your art is out in the world, it’s not really yours anymore.

As I put myself out there- as a comedian, a workshop facilitator, or a creative in advertising. I realize that committing to who you are in different arenas helps define your identity. And you get to be proud of each version of yourself.

I’m honestly always myself, but maybe in English it comes across as a different version. I care deeply about big ideas and big thinking. I thrive in places where I can share those ideas and feel appreciated for them.

I love leadership roles, so I tend to lean more into my masculine energy. But when I’m with friends, I’m the most playful version of myself. I love to play, it’s my big game. I love laughing and not taking life too seriously.

So when it comes to being public, I don’t think I can truly hide who I am. I just have to figure out how to bring my point of view to the table as I am, and trust that that’s enough.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Holy molly, these questions are deep.

Ok, if I had 10 years left, I would stop rushing—ironically. I want to do everything at once, and I have this need to always be busy. It’s like if my boss doesn’t need me, I feel lost, weird, like, “Oh no, I’m useless.”

But then I remind myself: “Bro, you can do these other things you want to do.”

So, I’m trying to take time to prioritize and actually enjoy what I’m doing. To be like, “Ok, I have the luxury of creating, writing, making jokes, and having people in front of me.” That’s such a luxury, and I enjoy it so much.

I’m trying to be mindful and not take the life I dreamed of for granted. Actually enjoying having a job, living in NYC, having friends come to my shows to support me, and understanding that I need to do things despite fear—that’s pretty sick.

I’m excited.

So yeah, I would immediately stop trying to just be busy and instead enjoy what I have in front of me. Life is such a short instant, and I want to experience love deeply, lose control and expectations, and know that I can’t force things.

That’s the wisest thing I can do for myself: just observing, does this work for me? Ok, no? Ok, let’s keep moving on.

That is hard, but I guess being picky is a muscle, and I’m practicing. Being picky about my time, energy, resources, and focusing on how to have my own back and just be happy about that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anakarinawrites.com / www.emmasdream.net
• Instagram: anakarinaexists
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/