January 2026 already.

Almost two years since I left the corporate world.

But first things first.

Best wishes for 2026

I think it is time to wish you a wonderful 2026.

“Follow your dreams, be yourself no matter what, and become your vision.”

Those are my wishes for you.

You do not know what your journey will be, or how hard it will feel. Yet you will become the person you have always dreamed of being.

As soon as you step onto your life path, or your happiness path, I am convinced that life helps you. I can testify to that. So never lose faith in yourself, and keep moving forward. This advice also applies to me. I am not entirely there yet. The journey is so interesting, and I have never regretted my decision, despite the self doubts and the loss of meaning I sometimes felt.

Biannual report

I also think it is time to do a biannual report on my life, and on the direction it took two years ago.

For those who have not followed me until now. I have been working in software engineering and finance for the past twenty years. I decided to change my life completely. At first, I had no concrete objective. Then it became something like. “I want to work for wildlife conservation in Africa.” Even though I had never been to Southern Africa before, and I had never been on a safari. I left everything behind. My former life, and my belongings.

So, with some help, I went on my first safaris, volunteered for conservation initiatives, and obtained my Nature Field Guide diploma and my Apprentice Trail Guide diploma in South Africa in 2024. In 2025, I travelled extensively, continued volunteering, and saw more ecosystems and wildlife than I could have even dreamed of. Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Saint Helena, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Zambia, Uganda, and Dominica. I also experienced marine wildlife, which was not on my bucket list, but became a beautiful addition.

Compelling Experiences

Looking back on 2025, I can point out several compelling experiences that will leave a lasting memory.

• Being in Zimbabwe and seeing conservation initiatives connected with local communities, around the reintroduction of rhinos in the Hwange ecosystem
• Feeling part of an elephant herd in the most remote area of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe
• Monitoring a cheetah family for two months in South Africa
• Encountering mountain gorillas in Uganda
• Finally, after one and a half years, having beautiful sightings of the elusive leopards
• Facing my fears on foot in front of an impressive lioness
• Swimming with sperm whales in Dominica
• Discovering cultures and traditions in Papua New Guinea
• Overcoming my fear of being underwater, and diving again

I know I have not published everything yet, and I apologize for the fast forward. It is still on my to do list to keep up with the posts, and some articles are already ready. So please do not give up and stay in touch. I have great stories and photos to share with you.

About the Indigo Earth Foundation

Travelling with my partner, and seeing what he wants to achieve with his vision and his foundation, it became obvious that I could help. He offered this to me from the beginning of our relationship. I started contributing to it during the last months of 2025.

To give you an idea, here is a short excerpt I wrote about the foundation, and it resonates with me. I have also met many of these initiatives in the field, and I am amazed by the people behind them. Their vision, their energy, and their commitment. And I want to help.

This is exactly aligned with my objectives. Working for wildlife conservation and having an impact.

The past two years reinforced that vision. It is striking to see how much wildlife is left on Earth. Extinction is not a fantasy, and habitats are shrinking, slowly and inevitably. It is also striking to see the genuine actions happening on the ground, and the people fighting for wildlife, and doing as much as they can. So, there is hope, even in this tense geopolitical climate.

What also became obvious is the necessity to work with surrounding communities. There is no other way. Communities must benefit from conservation projects in order to improve daily life. Sometimes it is about meeting basic needs in Maslow’s pyramid ☹. This helps people improve their situation, understand the importance of wildlife, and eventually become its best guardians.

So here is the short text on what we want to achieve.

Indigo Earth Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting wildlife while strengthening the communities that live closest to nature.

Established in 2025, Indigo Earth Foundation is the natural evolution of work carried out since 2009 by Christopher Bartlett, founder of Indigo Safaris. For more than a decade, he has reinvested Indigo Safaris’ profits into conservation, education, and community initiatives across Africa, Papua New Guinea, and the Caribbean.

The initiatives chosen are small, remote, under the radar projects, run by passionate and dedicated people working directly in the field. These are the kinds of initiatives where even modest support creates a substantial impact.

Indigo Earth Foundation exists to support genuine, high impact initiatives, increase their visibility, build strong partnerships, and secure tax efficient funding to help them grow.

Our work focuses on the following goals.

• Improving lives through wildlife conservation
• Strengthening conservation through human development
• Supporting animals in need
• Expanding access to education
• Encouraging local entrepreneurship
• Promoting access to clean water, health services, and essential resources

I created the website of the foundation, and I invite you to read it to discover our vision, our values, and the initiatives we support.
www.indigoearthfoundation.com

I am now working on our social media content, and I invite you to follow us as well 😊.

A trip is coming

And also, the cherry on the cake.

I think the best way for people to get involved, and understand grassroots action, is to experience it firsthand. So, drums rumbling, I will be leading a voluntourism and safari trip for thirteen days in Zimbabwe, in July 2026 and October 2027.

This trip takes place on the following dates.

• 12/07/2026 to 25/07/2026
• 03/10/2027 to 16/10/2027

You can find a full description of the trip here. Do not hesitate to contact me for additional information, or share it with your friends 😊.

Link

New competencies

My path is not direct or straight forward, as we can see. Still, I have learned a lot over the past two years and gained new competencies.

• Reinforcement and confirmation of my guiding vision. Contributing to wildlife conservation through field work, experiences, and people I meet
• Great discoveries in Southern Africa, Papua New Guinea, and the Caribbean
• Discovery of many wild animals, terrestrial and marine
• Understanding ecosystems as a whole, and how everything is interconnected
• Discovery of different cultures
• Experience in wildlife conservation, especially with cheetahs and rhinos
• Hands on conservation experience
• Using conservation tools like telemetry, EarthRanger, camera traps, and dealing with carcasses
• Advanced Rifle Handling Certificate and handgun competency, which was very difficult for me
• Meeting inspiring people and their initiatives, and building a new network
• Nature Field Guide diploma and Apprentice Trail Guide diploma in South Africa
• Scuba diving, again 😊
• Driving a motorbike and an ATV on uneven terrain
• Anti-poaching skills, especially snare sweeping
• Wildlife photography and post-editing
• Video editing, still a starting point, and I want to get better
• Developing my social media skills, and creating newsletters with Mailchimp and Kit
• Creating and designing the foundation website with Wix Studio, I love that tool, and yes, I embrace my nerdy interests
• Experiencing the savannah on foot with dangerous game, knowing key calls, and building situational awareness
• A strong understanding of keystone species in Southern Africa, thanks to training and field experience
• Managing tourist groups and volunteer groups
• Birding skills
• Zebras are still my favourite animals 😊, but elephants, rhinos, and sperm whales are close behind

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s vision

Last year, in June, I read Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book, Be Useful, 7 Tools for Life, which I really liked. It resonated with me, even though I am not sure I followed all his advice. This is the moment for me to share his advice, how I understood it, and reflect on it.

He encourages us in the following way.

• Advice 1. Have a vision, and do not be afraid to define it with ambition. Try to define it more precisely. Create space and time for it. Work towards it or take time to think about it. Look at yourself in the mirror, physically and conceptually, as a way to be honest with yourself, and to check whether you are on the right path
• Advice 2. Do not think small. Dare to dream big. Once the decision is made, commit to it and go for it, no matter what. Ignore naysayers. Avoid backup plans, because the only limit is the one you create for yourself
• Advice 3. Work hard. Track your project. Define objectives. Use the time you have to move forward. Save one or two hours a day for your goal. Prepare and rehearse
• Advice 4. Sell,sell,sell. Talk about your vision and share it. Explain it clearly, because you are the best ambassador for your project
• Advice 5. Sometimes shut up. Learn from others, and keep moving forward
• Advice 6. Break your mirrors. Stop being self-centred. Help others. Give back time, energy, or money to something beyond yourself
• Advice 7. See things from a positive angle, always

So, let’s reflect on it.

Advice 1. If I am honest with myself, I think I have the vision. Working for wildlife conservation, and most importantly having an impact while helping local communities.

Still, I have no clear idea of how I will get there, or how to define the small steps that will lead to that outcome.

I believe it is a matter of competence, timing, willingness, human encounters, and, coincidence (which does not really exist but let’s park this topic 😊).

So, I go with the flow. I try to make sensible decisions that make sense today. Then I see where it takes me. I also try to enjoy every step, so this journey remains meaningful.

Advice 2. I am not sure I agree. I think my vision is already big enough, and there are many ways to achieve it. I believe every action matters, and small actions can build a powerful outcome.

The foundation is now my way.

However, I have no backup plan. I am all in, and I quit everything to follow this dream.

Advice 3. With this vision, and this means, I worked whenever I could at the end of the year, to publish the website and start the first actions of the foundation. But I also value my health and respect my rhythm. I believe the experiences I live, even when I am not directly contributing to the main outcome, still feed it, but I will be able to understand it in the future.

Advice 4. This vision, and this means, really help me talk about what I want to achieve, and how I want to achieve it. I need to get better at it. I am trying to step up and share my vision more.

Advice 5. Probably my strongest skill. I am a good listener, and I like it. I am genuinely interested in people, and in what I can learn from them.

Advice 6. I give my time, my money, and my energy to the causes I believe in.

Advice 7. Being positive is second nature to me. Of all the English I learned, I remember this expression in particular. “Every cloud has a silver lining.” Seeing the magic in everything and trusting that delays and hurdles will make sense later. I also want to add that I have a great family, and strong support from them, and from friends. It helps a lot.

I realized that before this decision in 2024, my life was great and interesting. Now, I am moving forward to become my vision. I am walking towards it, proudly, step by step.

It feels like I am fully alive, after years of being dormant. For the people who have been part of my life, please do not take this personally. I am talking about myself, and how I feel. There is nothing wrong with what I lived before. Everything is a construction, and every experience shaped who I am today. So, you are part of this journey.

If I died today, which I clearly do not want, I would be happy with where I am. I tried, and I experienced the beauty of this world. Of course I want more, and I will keep going as hard as I can.

What now?

So, what is lining up for me in 2026, as of today, if no force majeure happens, and if everything goes according to plan.

That is a lot of ifs…

For Q1 and aligned with my vision.

• Going to Zimbabwe to contribute to the cause I believe in
  https://www.hwangecommunityrhino.com
• Going to South Africa, to Ashia Cheetah Conservation Centre, to understand their work and gain hands on experience
  https://ashia.co.za
  I chose this centre because Athena, the female cheetah I monitored, was released from there. They did an amazing job, and Athena is a very successful cheetah. I have been following their work on social media and reading their website, and I want to understand their process
• The voluntourism trip in July 2026 in Zimbabwe. All profits will be given back to the initiatives in Zimbabwe, to contribute even more through the foundation

Here are the competencies I want to keep building at this stage. They are social media oriented, and I believe they are key to achieving the impact I want.

• Fundraising skills
• Improving my learning curve on social media, and building a strong community
• Hands on conservation experience
• Discovering additional initiatives that contribute to a better world
• Continuing to develop my network
• Photo and video editing
• Photojournalism
• Creating a brand
• Organizing sports events to raise money through personal achievement
• Sell my vision

Funny enough, I changed my lifestyle because I wanted to stop being behind screens and be more outdoors and hands on. It seems my path still uses my software engineering skills, and time behind a screen remains part of it. Somehow, I also like it. But, I am organizing my own schedule. I try to be healthy, and I work out.

I also try to create new experiences and travels that feed my outdoor needs, and my vision.

I guess it is a balance I am working on, and I manage to achieve it as long as I give my life the meaning I want.

This is an honest and authentic review of my situation, my goals, and what I want to achieve.

“I know I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one…”

Some of you might recognize John Lennon, and one of his greatest songs.

To conclude, I wish you a wonderful 2026. Become your vision, as I said earlier, and do not hesitate to share your thoughts. What happened for you in 2025, and how you want to move forward today.

And if by any chance you want to join the voluntourism trip, which is close to my heart, please reach out to me. And as someone I really admire says.

“Don’t be a stranger.”