Panta Rei: A journey in motion

The Greek phrase Panta Rei, meaning “everything flows,” reminds us that nothing is static. An EMBA alumnus shares how he rides the currents.
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A man and a woman in between two boys at opposite ends.
Pablo (middle left) and his family at his EMBA convocation ceremony in 2023.

By Pablo Brenes ’23 MBA

Although I was born and raised in Costa Rica, my story begins long before. In 1910, my grandmother “Yayi” left Greece by boat, and unexpectedly found herself in Cartago, a small city just outside of San Jose. I inherited the belief from her, and later from my father, that dreams matter — even when the path toward them feels improbable.

Growing up my father encouraged me to keep a notebook with life goals, so I did:

  • Study abroad
  • Become a stockbroker or mergers and acquisitions professional
  • Live in the United States
  • Earn an MBA
  • Run a 10-kilometer race 

Only one came to fruition early in life. I left Costa Rica at age 15 to study at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. The experience gave me structure, humility — especially while working for my scholarship — and lifelong friends.

Later, at Tulane University, life reminded me of its quiet truth: we are not in control of everything. My father was diagnosed with cancer, and our family’s plans shifted. My brothers stepped in, my mother never left his side, and my father — my best friend — wrote to me every single day during the eight years I studied in the United States. I still have every letter. He eventually passed away after being in a coma for four years.

Fast forward to 2015, when I told my wife that I wanted to eventually build a company. I explored small ventures, became an angel investor and learned the ecosystem piece by piece.

But one of my dreams remained: Earn an MBA. One of my friends that I met in Pennsylvania whom I admired attended Kellogg, and he was very clear about how the Executive MBA (EMBA) had changed his life — including meeting his business partner. I applied thinking it was a long shot. It wasn’t. I was accepted, so I was determined to use the opportunity with purpose:

  • Build a network.
  • Deepen my understanding of entrepreneurship.
  • Start a company — ideally with partners from Kellogg. 

Casual conversations turn into business  

Through a mutual friend, I met Alvaro Mata, a humble researcher from the University of Nottingham, who told me — almost casually — that he could recreate tooth enamel. After months of conversation, we decided to build a company together. That decision came with another: leaving my global 10-year tenure role at GSK and investing in myself and my new company. It was a memorable conversation at home. My wife, also in finance, listened, asked questions and said, “I will help you.” I’m still grateful for that moment, although that meant we sold my car, amongst other things, to raise funds.

I approached my time at Kellogg with intention — stretching beyond my introverted nature. Week after week — Zooms, coffees, hallway conversations — I met extraordinary people, especially in my cohort: 129! Since graduating from EMBA, 16 Kellogg peers have invested in our company. Armando Zazueta, my first investor, has become a close friend. Two board members have come from my Kellogg network. Mentors such as Professor José Liberti, Tom Morehead and coach Michele Mesnik have shaped how I lead today. The first deposit in our company bank account came from winning the Kellogg VC/PE competition — the amount was small on paper but enormous in meaning.

A group of business school students huddled together in a classroom
EMBA cohort 129 is part of the global community of business leaders who contribute to creating a rich learning environment that transforms careers — and lives.

Courage and perseverance in the face of criticism 

The Healthcare at Kellogg pathway and my program trip to Israel introduced me to successful investors and entrepreneurs who shared helpful and important insights. I walked away with greater clarity: building a company required a strong network and a mindset of pivoting constantly.   

We heard “no” more often than “yes.” A billionaire once told me, “Nobody can recreate enamel” I disagreed — and it was terrifying. But impossibility is an opinion, not a law of physics. To get from one point to another, a straight line might not always be the best option. No book can teach someone how to negotiate a deal.

My family became my anchor. My wife stood by every risk. My son Felipe — now 15 — is fascinated by science and wants to be part of what we’re building. My oldest son speaks entrepreneurship better than many adults I know. Dinner conversations have changed — more complex, always forward-looking.

Panta Rei. Everything flows.

From Greece to Cartago.

From a notebook of dreams to a lab in Nottingham.

From Mercersburg to Tulane to Kellogg. 

From being a sprinter to running a marathon.

From handwritten letters to a company built by belief.  

If there’s one lesson I carry — from my grandmother’s voyage, my father’s perseverance, my family’s resilience — it is this: We don’t control the current, but we can choose how we move with it.

A family of four including two boys, a woman and a man close to each other
Nurturing high achievers. Brenes (right) and his family celebrating his son’s graduation.

 

Read next: ‘Kellogg has saved me millions of dollars’

 

 

The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Kellogg School of Management or Northwestern University.