From Corporate Banker to Digital Wine Storyteller

How Joana reinvented herself—one no-code tool at a time.

Meet Joana Saramago

Storyteller. Wine lover. Always chasing what’s next.

Joana, a spirited 40-something from Oeiras, is the kind of person who reinvents herself without losing the essence. After 16 years in the banking world—spanning strategy, marketing, and commercial roles—she did what many only dream of: she quit.

Swapping boardrooms for vineyards, Joana launched Saramago Wine Marketing, blending her love for storytelling, digital communication, and, of course, wine.

A mother, a yoga enthusiast, and an Alentejo dreamer, Joana joined Descodifica-te with one clear goal: bring her new vision to life—independently and creatively.

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“The program gave me confidence. Investing in digital transformation was a huge value—not only for my personal growth but also for expanding the range of services my brand offers.”

Joana Saramago

Student from Descodifica-te #3, 2025

The Challenge

Joana’s story has a natural elegance and purpose.

She bridges tradition and innovation beautifully: from banking and structure to creativity and storytelling, now empowered by no-code.

Sixteen years in banking.

Strategy, structure, results.

But somewhere inside, a storyteller was waiting to be heard.

So, Joana created her own company, Saramago Wine Marketing, to help wine brands tell stories that connect emotion, strategy, and technology

But she wasn’t a tech person and she knew that if she wanted to grow her brand, she needed digital autonomy.

I wanted to build my own website—the one for Saramago Wine Marketing—and gain the autonomy to create simple and effective digital solutions for my clients.

She first heard about Descodifica-te through Jéssica, an alumna from Descodifica-te #2, at a female entrepreneurs’ meetup—and felt immediately inspired.

Between motherhood, a recent postgrad in storytelling, and a business in the making, time was scarce. Confidence? Even scarcer. But Joana didn’t let that stop her.

The Transformation

Week by week, challenge by challenge, Joana turned doubt into structure, ideas into screens, and fear into focus.

She surprised even herself:

Realising I was able to learn something completely new—overcoming my initial fears and doubts.

Not only did she build her own website from scratch, she built her confidence back.

She discovered tools like Softr, Involve.me, and Airtable, learning how to create automations, interactive experiences, and customer-centric digital journeys.

Today, I can integrate no-code into my clients’ storytelling and digital marketing strategies, delivering more complete solutions.

Her proudest moment?

Seeing her brand’s website come to life — designed and built by her own hands.

What started as a dream became proof of capability.

Behind the scenes

Favorite
Tool

Involve.me

Favourite mission

The Involve.me mission! There were two exercises—I did both because I had so much fun applying everything I learned.

Biggest challenge

Managing time to learn new tools and complete the missions—some long nights, but totally worth it.

Most valuable learning

When we really want something... we can make it happen.

What’s next for Joana?

Joana is now focused on making Saramago Wine Marketing a reference in storytelling and digital transformation within the wine industry.

Alongside that, she’s growing as a Digital Consultant — helping other entrepreneurs simplify, automate, and create without needing to code.

Creativity. Autonomy. Soul.

That’s the blend she’s crafting.

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Project Highlight

In the final stage of the Cohorts, students have the opportunity to create a Capstone Project to showcase what they have learned across the journey. They have the liberty to use whichever tool they want or even explore new ones, promoting their critical thinking and proactivity. Always with the support of our Mentors.

Joana’s Capstone Project was creating a professional digital home for her brand, blending storytelling + wine: Saramago Wine Marketing.

She used tools like Softr, Airtable, Calendly and Zapier for automation.