Celebrating vision, leadership, and the women shaping Lisbon

Cities are not only built through architecture — they are shaped by vision, discipline, and the quiet persistence of those who commit to long-term impact.

This International Women’s Day, Ando Living celebrates The Alchemy of Women Who Build — women who are redefining how we create culture, community, and spaces for living.

Alchemy is transformation. It is the art of combining distinct elements – structure and intuition, strategy and empathy, discipline and creativity – to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Through culture, hospitality, and design, Brooke Waterhouse, Co-Founder of POR:TA Association; Carolina Melo Duarte, CEO of Club 7; and Margarida Carnall Feio, Founder and Creative Director of Maggie Interiores & Eventos, are each building ecosystems that extend beyond their industries, shaping how Lisbon gathers, creates, and lives.

Brooke Waterhouse

Building Access, Not Just Opportunity

Brooke Waterhouse co-founded POR:TA Association with a vision that mirrors Ando Living’s ethos: nurturing creativity while building community. Recognising Lisbon’s extraordinary artistic talent alongside the structural gaps that limited visibility and opportunity, Brooke created a platform that combines cultural infrastructure with personal connection. What began as a collective impulse has grown into one of the city’s most thoughtful and enduring cultural ecosystems.

Q: Through POR:TA, you are actively shaping Lisbon’s cultural landscape. How would you describe what you are currently building?

POR:TA was born out of real need. When I arrived in Lisbon in 2020, I found extraordinary talent everywhere. I felt inspired, but I didn’t want to build something alone. I wanted to create something collective, something we could build together.
What was missing was not creativity. It was access to funding, visibility, and opportunity.
We have supported over 236 artists, mostly emerging and Portuguese-based. But what matters most is the trust, the long-term relationships, and the belief that art matters.

Q: Many of the most impactful initiatives happen quietly. What is an aspect of your work that is rarely visible, yet essential?

Most of it is invisible. Building the association took nearly a year, creating structure, forming a board, navigating banks, raising funds, and being told no often.
The work to keep it alive is relentless. Fundraising, producing Art Talks, managing open calls with integrity, all of it takes care and constant energy.
It has been a heavier lift than I expected. But I believe art heals, art liberates, and a world without a thriving creative ecosystem is out of balance. That belief does not waver.

Q: Alchemy is rooted in transformation. What has been a defining shift in your journey as a cultural connector and advocate for artists?

Moving from momentum to something more considered.
In San Francisco, I built through instinct and energy. Lisbon asked for patience and structure.
I realised that building something real takes longer than you want, and that slow work is often the most meaningful work.
Giving emerging artists a real platform, the freedom to express themselves on their own terms, that feels like activism.

Q: What kind of long-term impact or legacy do you hope to contribute to Lisbon’s arts and creative community?

What we are building is meant to outlast all of us.
I hope POR:TA becomes a lasting gift to Portugal; sustainable, art-forward, and always serving artists first.
Not a monument. Something living. Something that matters. Something that lasts.

Q: In your view, how are women redefining the way we build, whether in culture, business, or community?

Women lead from the heart. They listen. They move through intuition and imagination, and they make things happen.
People often ask how I built POR:TA and the honest answer is: you just do it, with heart. Even when others don’t understand, you keep going. If the work is good, it comes together.
The women I know in Lisbon are extraordinary. There are shared belief and forward motion. That is how women build. And it lasts.

Carolina Melo Duarte

Building Community, Not Just Connections

Carolina Melo Duarte, CEO of Club 7, shares Ando Living’s vision of creating spaces that inspire connection and belonging. By blending wellness, sport, and social experiences, she is turning Club 7 into more than a club, a living, vibrant community where people feel at home and thrive together.

Q: As a connector across lifestyle, wellness and business, what are you currently building that feels most meaningful at this stage of your journey?

I am proud of how we are transforming Club 7 from a sports-focused venue into a hospitality-led members’ club. Every detail, from scent, music, and décor to new classes and social events, contributes to a sense of community and belonging.
In 2026 alone, we will host over 90 club events designed to strengthen connections among members. What excites me most is translating vision into processes and consolidating a strong, consistent Club 7 culture.

Q: Behind every successful initiative lies work that often goes unseen. What is one dimension of your role that is rarely visible, yet fundamental to what you create?

With a team of 200 across six business areas, clear communication is critical. Much of my work involves building bridges between teams, resolving conflicts, and ensuring everyone understands our mission and values.
It is behind-the-scenes work, but essential to sustaining a healthy culture and delivering a seamless hospitality experience.

Q: Transformation is rarely immediate. Looking back, what decision or turning point most shaped the way you lead and build today?

My leadership comes from a combination of experiences — from law, European institutions, and investment sectors to NGOs.
These roles taught me to navigate complexity, value motivated teams, and understand that meaningful change happens when people believe in the project and feel part of it.

Q: What kind of lasting impact — in business, lifestyle or community — do you hope to leave through your leadership and partnerships?

The complex geopolitical, economic, and social context we live in today has reinforced my belief in the values that shaped me deeply: kindness, integrity, and a spirit of service, toward investors, teams, and all stakeholders.
I truly believe these values are stronger than their opposites and create a deeper, more lasting impact on businesses and society. As leaders, we have a responsibility to create positive value, now more than ever, and to build teams capable of carrying this mindset forward into every community they touch.

Q: How are women redefining community, leadership, and connection in business and lifestyle?

Women now have the stage to demonstrate their impact, though their influence has long existed behind the scenes.
Having had to prove their value consistently, women have sharpened their commitment, analytical rigor, and discernment over decades. Supported along the way by family, peers, mentors, or teams, they have developed leadership grounded in empathy, shaping how they build teams, make decisions, and navigate complexity.
Empathy becomes part of daily leadership: how people are listened to, trust is built, challenges are addressed, and long-term value is created. In today’s fast-changing world, combining analytical rigor with human awareness is redefining leadership. Women are building organisations that are not only resilient and high-performing, but also deeply human and sustainable.

Margarida Carnall Feio

Elevating Living, Not Just Interiors Margarida Carnall Feio, founder and creative director of MAGGIE Interiores & Eventos, designs spaces that go beyond aesthetics to create meaningful experiences. Aligned with Ando Living’s philosophy of thoughtful, human-centred design, Margarida transforms interiors into environments where people connect, feel at ease, and can fully live and enjoy every moment.

Q: As founder and creative director of MAGGIE, what are you truly building when you design a space, beyond aesthetics?

I do not limit myself to aesthetics. We create experiences and environments that translate dreams into reality, spaces where people connect, feel seen, and can be their authentic selves. Our approach balances architecture, functionality, and beauty, designing spaces not just to be seen, but to be lived.

Q: You speak often about understanding your clients’ habits and emotional rhythms. How does listening shape the spaces you create?

Understanding clients’ habits and emotional rhythms is essential. Through observation and dialogue, we learn how they move, interact, and live, guiding choices in materials, lighting, furniture, and layout. Listening is the foundation for spaces that are intuitive, coherent, and emotionally resonant.

Q: Alchemy is about transformation. What is the most powerful transformation you witness when a space is thoughtfully designed?

The most powerful transformation we witness is the shift in how people relate to themselves and to the space they inhabit. 
When an environment is thoughtfully designed, aligning function, scale, light, materiality, and identity, it ceases to be merely a setting and begins to influence behaviour, well-being, and even productivity.

A well-designed space organises routines, improves flow, reduces the invisible frictions of everyday life, and creates moments of pause and connection. The true alchemy happens when the client steps into the space and feels that it makes sense, that it represents them, supports them, and sustains their lifestyle. At that moment, the space is no longer just physical; it becomes a natural extension of the person. 

Q: Your background blends design, architecture, Feng Shui, and artistic studies. How do these different disciplines influence the way you build environments?

Architecture is always the foundation of everything. It provides the structure, the proportions, and the spatial logic, the blank canvas that must also be respected in its pre-existence.

Design interacts with this architecture, introducing function, materiality, and atmosphere, shaping spaces that respond to how people live and move. Feng Shui brings another layer, influencing the flow of energy and the subtle dynamics that affect how a space feels. When architecture, design, and energy are not aligned, the space never feels complete.

I have always been sensitive to the energy of spaces, noticing whether they feel heavy, light, welcoming, or tense. This awareness drives my intention: to create interiors where people feel comfortable, authentic, and at home. Adding art and bespoke pieces gives each space personality, emotion, and narrative, turning design into an experience.

By combining architecture, design, Feng Shui, and artistic sensibility, I aim to create environments that are functional, beautiful, and truly human-centered. 

Q: How are women transforming the way we experience and inhabit spaces?

Women are reshaping the way we build by combining professional expertise with emotional intelligence. This allows us to approach projects holistically, considering function, flow, and aesthetics, while also paying attention to how people experience and interact with a space. With this perspective, we create interiors that are practical, comfortable, and adaptable, yet still reflective of the client’s personality and needs. By bringing this balance of empathy and rigor, women in design are helping to set new standards for spaces that support living, gathering, and everyday life.