ALB Connection

Today's thoughts.

She had been taught to push through. To keep going. Not to complain. Not to be weak.

After a motor vehicle accident in 2001 and the years of depression that followed, Loreta Doga () began questioning the definition of strength she had carried her whole life. That questioning became the foundation for UMATTERCARE (), a psychotherapy and mental health practice in Etobicoke, Ontario, built around one simple belief: you do not have to wait until things become unbearable to deserve care.

As a Registered Nurse and Psychotherapist, Loreta works with people facing addiction, trauma, relationships, anxiety, depression, and the struggles that often go unspoken. Her message to the Albanian community and beyond is one she learned the hard way.

You can be strong and still need help.

Read the full feature at the link in our bio.

Laser 4 You is an advanced aesthetics and laser clinic in Boca Raton, Florida, founded and operated by Gentiana Rucaj, an aesthetician and laser specialist of Albanian descent. She began her professional skincare career in Greece before moving to Florida, where she graduated from the Boca Beauty Academy and opened her own practice in 2022.Services include laser hair removal, laser tattoo removal, electrolysis hair removal, tightening and acne facials, hydrofacial and hydrodermabrasion, cavitation for face and body, microneedling, cooling HIFU and cooling CO2 treatments.

MDRN Design House is a wedding stationery and event design studio in Westchester County, New York, owned by Albanian-American designer Njomeza Rugova, whose family comes from Rugovë, Kosova. Founded in 2016 as MDRN Calligraphy, the studio grew from calligraphy and hand-lettering into fully custom and semi-custom invitation suites, event signage, and day-of details, and rebranded as MDRN Design House to reflect that broader range of work.

The studio specializes in bilingual Albanian and English wedding invitations, adjusting the wording to match the Albanian dialect of the region a family comes from. Design and proofing are handled virtually and finished suites ship nationwide, so MDRN Design House works with couples across the United States as well as locally in Westchester. The studio was named a 2024 Best of Westchester winner for Wedding Invitations.

.healing.llc Aurora Healing LLC is the hypnotherapy practice of Aurora Shele DeAngelis, an Albanian-born hypnotherapist based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Born in Albania in 1988, she trained as a telecommunications engineer in Tirana, earned an engineering degree and a master's in computer science in France, and worked eleven years as a data and business analyst before moving into hypnotherapy full-time in 2021. She has practiced hypnotherapy since 2013 and has completed more than 2,000 sessions with over 1,200 clients across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the United States.

She works almost entirely in Albanian, serving clients in Albania, Kosovo, and the Albanian diaspora, and is trained in QHHT (Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique), Life Between Lives (LBL) hypnotherapy, and ThetaHealing. Sessions and classes are held online. Classes run at 9:00 PM Tirana time, which is 9:00 AM in Honolulu. Her work focuses on self-development, spiritual growth, and the blockages people bring her around relationships, money, and work.

Aurora Healing does not diagnose and does not promise results. Clients with serious illness, active psychiatric conditions, or heavy trauma are referred to licensed medical and mental health professionals. Anyone in acute crisis should contact mental health services or emergency care.

Today's thoughts.

Meet , founder and CEO of .app, a mobile app connecting Albanian speakers with licensed Albanian-speaking therapists through video, audio, and text. Built with no savings, no technical background, and months of silence before the first booking, Mendje is now active in nine countries with more than forty licensed psychologists covering more than fifty topics.

Her story is one of resilience, purpose, and a founder who refused to translate her own life just to be understood.

Read the full feature at the link in our bio.

is a modern dental clinic in Tirana, Albania, providing high-quality dental care for local and international patients. The clinic specializes in impianti dentali, All-on-4 and All-on-6 treatments, corone, zirconia restorations, veneers and prosthetic dentistry. ANDENT also provides personalized turismo dentale services for international patients seeking professional dental treatment in Albania, with dedicated support throughout their dental journey.

.al is an Albanian digital bookstore and ebook marketplace created to make Albanian books easier to discover, purchase and read from anywhere.

Readers can browse licensed digital books from Albanian authors and publishers and purchase ebooks online in PDF and EPUB formats, with instant digital access after payment.

Libra24 also provides authors and publishers with a dedicated digital sales channel, helping Albanian literature reach readers across the diaspora and international markets.

Our mission is simple: make Albanian books more accessible worldwide while supporting the authors and publishers who create them.

Some journeys are easier to walk when we walk them together.

This Sunday, September 13, marks its fifth anniversary with Hope on the Move, a free 5K walk supporting cancer patients, their families, and mental wellness in our community.

In her latest piece for ALB Connection, , PsyD, Clinical Psychologist and Director at Chicago Psychologists, reflects on this milestone and what it truly means to support both cancer care and mental health, from acknowledging emotional shock to building a trusted circle and seeking professional support early.

📍 Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL
🕙 10 AM
📅 Sunday, September 13, 2026

Join the walk, bring your family, and stand with our community.

Read the full piece at the link in bio.