It all started with an allergy. During the spring months, I couldn’t play football. My head felt heavy, my breathing was blocked, and I was completely drained. It was frustrating to watch my friends train while I struggled through the day with congested sinuses. The medication I took at the time made me drowsy, sapping my energy and leaving me feeling disconnected. It felt like I was drifting further and further away from my football team and my dreams of scoring goals.

Back in the late ‘90s, my doctor explained to me that allergies could appear out of nowhere - even after years of being completely symptom-free. But in reality, the immune system had often been silently preparing its reaction long before the first signs appeared. An allergy doesn’t develop overnight; it builds up through a slow process of sensitization. Only when certain environmental or physiological factors align does the body cross its tolerance threshold - causing the allergy to suddenly erupt.

A moment that still shapes me to this day: I sat in the back seat of the car as my coach drove me from our team trip to the hospital. My body was exhausted, my mind racing. I simply couldn’t keep up. The field, the team spirit, the adrenaline - it had all slipped away from me that day. I felt powerless, disconnected, as if an invisible wall had formed between me and the others.

But then, there was this one moment - a quiet whisper of fate, hidden in a seemingly insignificant gesture. During a brief pause in the game, my team captain, a player with a calm determination, reached into his shin guard. Carefully tucked inside was a small, soft piece of paper, already infused with a few drops of Japanese medicinal oil. Not a coincidence, not a last-minute idea - he had prepared it deliberately, as if it were a personal talisman. He took it between his fingers, lifted it to his nose, and inhaled deeply. For a moment, he seemed completely centered, as if resetting himself with a single breath.

Curious, I asked him about this strange ritual. He barely smiled and said, “It helps me breathe more clearly and focus better.” A simple sentence, yet it echoed in my mind. The scent of menthol and herbs filled the air - fresh, cooling, almost electrifying. It was just a piece of paper with a few drops of oil, and yet, to him, it was so much more. A tool. An anchor. A silent ritual that helped him stay fully present in the most crucial moments.

For me, it was a revelation. A single breath, a conscious gesture - that was the key. Sometimes, it doesn’t take drastic changes, just a small impulse to awaken something within you. And that very moment, on that field, became the first breath of an entirely new journey for me.

This experience stayed with me, and years later I had the idea to develop something new: an accessory that uses the power of essential oils to help us in crucial moments. Essential oils can directly activate the limbic system through the sense of smell - the part of our brain that is responsible for emotions and reactions. Why shouldn't we use this power consciously, whether in sports, at work or in everyday life? Today, this accessory is as much a part of my training as my headphones. mindSET is my companion for sporting challenges and professional moments that require concentration and clarity. Whether you have a limitation like my previous allergy or are simply looking for a vital KICK - the power of essential oils can help you make the most of every moment.

"We strive for more, but once it is ours, the past becomes a place of longing." Yours, Roberto.