Sandra Dias Da Cunha is the Owner of Sundance Ranch Portugal, a unique retreat near Lisbon offering immersive riding courses that blend horsemanship, personal growth, and harmony with nature. Previously, Sandra ran one of Portugal's largest urban riding schools, delivering up to 1,400 lessons per month, before founding Sundance Ranch to align her business with her values — prioritizing horse welfare and authentic human connection. An INSEAD graduate, Sandra is known for creating a safe, restorative environment where guests and volunteers from around the world can learn, connect, and return year after year.

Some businesses feel less like enterprises and more like breathing ecosystems — places where people slow down, reconnect, and remember how they actually want to live. But what does it take to build something that honors well-being and genuine connection rather than speed, pressure, and profit at all costs? And what happens when you let those values lead?

For Sandra Dias Da Cunha, the answer begins with flipping the traditional hierarchy of business priorities. According to Sandra, an equine educator who has spent years observing how humans and horses learn from one another, everything works better when you honor the well-being of the beings at the center — equine and human — before you ever think about money. She describes how, after running a packed riding school that left her depleted and her horses constrained, she rebuilt her work around freedom, presence, and emotional safety. At her ranch, people learn by slowing down, syncing their breath and movement with the horses, and rediscovering a more grounded version of themselves. The result is a business that not only functions but also transforms everyone who engages with it.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Christiane Witt is joined by Sandra Dias Da Cunha, Owner of Sundance Ranch Portugal, to discuss building a values-driven business rooted in connection and well-being. You'll hear how Sandra created a unique teaching experience that attracts deeply aligned clients, why her natural horsemanship programs inspire lasting community, and how slowing down becomes a strategy for success.