Felipe grew up in Copacabana, son of a beach vendor who sold beer from a cooler. By fifteen, Felipe was helping his pai, learning that beach business is storytelling business—every customer wants conversation with their cerveja. He enrolled in psychology at UFRJ, fascinated by how people communicate, but quit after two years. The classroom felt dead compared to beach life.

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At twenty-two, he got a job at a beachfront bar where locals and tourists mixed. He discovered his gift: making everyone feel welcome through stories. Tourist struggling with Portuguese? Felipe told yesterday's funny customer story slowly, naturally teaching past tense through gossip. Regular wanted conversation? Felipe shared beach drama, demonstrating every tense without trying.

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His manager noticed something unusual: people stayed longer at Felipe's bar, ordered more, learned Portuguese faster. They weren't just drinking—they were absorbing language through natural conversation. When Don Joaquín Rio opened their beach club, they recruited Felipe specifically: "We need someone who teaches Portuguese without teaching."

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Now Felipe tends bar where every shift is language immersion disguised as beach culture. He believes Portuguese lives in stories, not textbooks. His dream? Write a book called "Learn Portuguese at a Bar" proving conversation beats conjugation. Until then, every caipirinha comes with a story, every story teaches a tense. "Gramática é chata," he tells students. "But stories? Stories make Portuguese delicious."