I’ve always loved the symbolic fresh start that comes with the end of the year. Turning the page and beginning a new chapter with intention is such a powerful way to shape momentum in our lives. I know it's still a bit premature, but before we all disappear behind mugs of mulled wine and Christmas trees, I'll share my reflections with you. For 2024, my mantra was "long distance"—in both the literal and figurative sense. 2375 km and Counting...
Yesterday, I spent two hours stuck in traffic with three kids in the car. The heavy snowfall (and a ton of unprepared drivers) had paralyzed every road in and around Bern, and I couldn’t help but wonder: How come we keep getting surprised by the obvious? "Snow in November?! Who could have guessed? And now I’m shocked—shocked!—that no car mechanic has time to change my tires." Winter is coming, my friends. So buckle up! And you know what else is coming? (*drumroll - super smooth transition*) Menopause. Yep, also known as climacteric (look at me learning fancy new words). Like it or not—about 50% of the global population will experience it directly, and the other 50% will feel its ripple effects. And boy did I...
It is said that we become the average of the five people we surround ourselves with most often. Whether that is scientifically proven or not, I do believe deliberately choosing your close circle is a wise act. One of the traits I value the most in my favorite people on earth is their honesty. Some of them are really good at standing their ground when you cross a boundary, some of them have a built-in bullshit radar and will call you out as soon as you lose your authenticity, some are great at coaching you into uncovering your own truth, and some offer a combination of all of the above. Feedback is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other in life. Being...
“All of my favorite underpants are gone!” my son exclaimed in frustration last week. And rightly so—they were indeed all missing. Confession time: I’m a squirrel. (Some of you might remember my newsletter about packing strategies…). I start gathering items weeks before any trip, stashing my family members’ favorite socks, t-shirts, and trousers right from the laundry, and piling up games and equipment in different stacks. At times, various upcoming trips simultaneously occupy different corners of our house… “Why on earth would you do that?”, you might ask. It’s simple. I’m a precrastinator. We all know procrastinators: They wait until the last minute to submit their taxes, buy a gift, book vacations, hand in their reports at work—you name it. For some, it works out quite well...
"Sometimes, a person reaches a point in their life when it becomes absolutely essential to get the fuck out of the city." (A Psalm for the Wild Built)I had reached that point last week. I was so fed up with everything lately that at first I thought I needed at least six months to break free. That's how long it takes to walk the Pacific Crest Trail. And some day I might - but not right now. Then I thought, I needed at least four weeks to do some meaningful pro-bono work down in Africa to reconnect to a purpose. And one day I might - but not yet. I was convinced I needed 11 days in silence to help me recharge. Turns out all...
In my last newsletter I wrote about unaltered truths, parts of us that never change and that form the core of our essence. But you know what else shapes us profoundly? The narratives woven by others about who we are, often repeated until they become ingrained in our identities:“You’re so funny, your jokes are hilarious.”“You’re such a sweet girl.”“You’re so good with words.”"You never talk about your feelings."“You are so responsible.”"You're not the romantic type."“You are just not able to be in a steady relationship.”“You always overspend.““You’re the type of girls guys like to hang out with, you’re just not girlfriend material.” Some of these affirmations can be empowering, boosting our confidence. But others, if we let them sink in and take root, can be constraining. And...
Today’s my birthday, and birthdays are a great moment to reflect on life. (Last year I shared a bunch of deep learnings with you, remember?) I usually take some time to think about what has changed in the past year, what I want more or less of in my life. However, this year I somehow put more emphasis on thinking about all the things that have not changed. All the ways in which - deep down - I have always been the same person. Sometimes we deviate from our core believes for a while (I sure did when working in a somewhat shady startup…), we manage to mask our true colors and take on layers of learned behavior or multiple identities. But the most nurturing connections in life are...
Shall I tell you about one of the greatest fears in my life? It's to feel boxed in and get bored. To stop growing and to run out of firsts – in my job, in my marriage, in my life. Luckily, in the last couple of months, I have been busy with a lot of “firsts”: I took a salsa class with Tobias. Actually, I have done a lot of salsa dancing back in the days, but dancing for the first time with your partner who is just taking his first salsa steps forces you to let go of your expectations and embrace this new beginning. It was a really interesting challenge to let him take the lead, and the course definitely felt a bit like couples...
If I told you that I drank an entire bottle of whisky before lunch to drown my sorrow several times a week, I guess I would get quite a few messages from people concerned about a potential alcohol addiction. Luckily, that is not the case. I do, however, do sports almost every day and don’t feel at ease when I can’t move my body. I do catch myself taking out my phone several times an hour to look at it for no particular reason. I do feel FOMO when I don’t visit Linkedin for a day. Hardly a day goes by without me eating several servings of chocolate or sweets. Now, does this make me an addict? As someone who has gone through an intense phase of...
I have a thing for expressions that are almost intranslatable. That only exist in one language. Like bagnasciuga. L’appel du vide. Gluggaveður. Saudade. (Go ahead and google those, I’ll wait :-) Or my all-time favorite word: Serendipity The Cambridge dictionary defines it as “the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance”. To me it’s a life philosophy. It’s my safety net against boredom. My antidote to being boxed in. And although chance is a defining element in it, to me serendipity is the opposite of “blind” luck. Blind luck is something that happens to you without your influence. Serendipity is what I define as smart luck. And I'm not the only one. Christian Busch, author of Serendipity Mindset (see box below), thinks of serendipity as “unexpected good luck resulting from unplanned moments, in which proactive decisions yield positive...