At the beginning of her career, someone told Marie that she should not be defined by her job, but by a verb. She knew instantly that her verb was 'to create’. Originally from Montréal Canada, Marie-Pierre Blanchette is a self-taught perfumer with a background in anthropology, art direction and design. Turning 40 made her reconsider what would truly make her happy in the next 20 years of her career. So she started shaping her process of becoming an independent perfumer based on the method of trial and error. From the lead role as the Head of Design at Zalando to starting her own company MISKEO an independent, handcrafted & small-batch perfume company - in this episode we learn from Marie about the industry ethics, what continuously inspires her in creating her own perfume line, and how she overcame the barriers before going fully independent.
Starting at a young age, Layla Qassim sought financial freedom and worked at cultural institutions that celebrated Arab heritage. During her university times and while making her first steps at the trading desk at an investment bank in London she faced a life-changing health scare that made her put the brakes on all her endeavors. She took a leap of faith, moved to Paris to live every day as though it was her last. Not long after, she eventually settled in New York for 7 years where she quickly moved up the ranks at Wall Street. Now, as SVP of Operations at lemon.markets, Layla embraces this new opportunity to build something from scratch and strives to create more balanced and diverse leadership within the FinTech industry. In this episode we reveal Layla’s unique trait of resilience, we speak about toxic work environments and why she wants to see more leaders like her mother who are distinctively feminine yet extremely strong.
After inheriting her family's jewelry business at a young age and experiencing its bankruptcy, Guya Merkle embarked on a personal quest to produce high-end jewelry. Inspired by a trip to a gold mine in Peru and witnessing the industry's problems, she founded VIERI in 2015 with a focus on using urban mined gold and ethically sourced gemstones. Despite challenges in the industry and retail hesitancy toward ethical jewelry, Guya is on the mission to make a difference and inspire others to prioritize sustainability. Through her storytelling and activism, she aims to reshape the perception of luxury and create a new standard for the industry.
Celebrated as a versatile actress, presenter, voice-over artist, and author, Annabelle Mandeng opens up about her multicultural upbringing in Germany, Togo, and Pakistan. She describes herself as a “professional autodidact”, where in 1994 she became the first German person of color to be a television presenter. In this conversation you get to hear how she navigated obstacles, including surviving multiple serious accidents and how she emerged from those experiences stronger than ever. Get ready to be inspired by Annabelle’s extraordinary story, as she shares insights on the film industry, structural discrimination and the power of never giving up.
Driven by a clear mission to make intimate health a socially acceptable topic and improve the well-being of women, Dr. Vivien Karl has built a brand that offers natural and science-based intimate care products for women. From the emotional rollercoaster of financing rounds and to winning over Tina Müller, the former CEO of Douglas, as one of her angel investors - Vivien turned her entrepreneurial dream into a reality. In this episode she speaks about the challenges she faced as a pharmacist transitioning into an entrepreneur, navigating the startup scene in Berlin and how she acquired the business skills to succeed in her founder journey. How do you become a founder without the typical business background? How do you break taboos surrounding intimate health and build a brand that women, doctors, and pharmacists trust? Listen to this episode to hear the answers.
Dr. Nakeema Stefflbauer is a software delivery expert with over 15 years of experience leading corporate digital transformations in the US and Europe. Today she is the Director of Digital Client Services at ERGO and the founder and CEO of FrauenLoop, a Berlin-based non-profit computer programming network. Among FrauenLoop's graduates are many women with a migration background, working mothers and women who never previously considered working in tech. According to the Gender Pension Gap Report, women receive on average almost 60 percent less pension than men. In this episode Nakeema shares her take on how women can build financial independence and protect themselves from poverty in the post-retirement years.
With a background in solar technology, brand strategy consulting, and digital business development, Samira's journey is a testament to her adventurous and curious spirit. Today Samira Ann Qassim is the founder of Pink Salt Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to supporting female-led technology companies. We discuss her journey from entrepreneurship to starting Pink Salt Ventures, capital funding challenges faced by female founders and solutions that can foster change. We also speak about feminine leadership. We hope you enjoy hearing about Samira's vibrant approach to life and her commitment to creating an impact.
Today we are welcoming Gesa Mayr to the show! A self-proclaimed pop culture fan who is in charge of campaign formats, platform strategy and innovation at Netflix. As an expert in storytelling and audience development Gesa's career spans over a decade, including positions at renowned publications like Spiegel and the German franchise of watson. In our conversation, we delve into Gesa's transition to social marketing at Netflix and speak about what the future holds for social community development. Join us for this fun conversation and make sure you leave a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or any other streaming platform of your liking.
Nina Trippel is the founder of Cee Cee Berlin media platform and a Cee Cee Creative, interdisciplinary agency with a focus on content and design. Alongside her co-founder Sven Hausherr, Nina launched Cee Cee Berlin newsletter in 2011 as a fun passion project that has since become the go-to resource for locals and visitors alike interested in exploring Berlin's cultural scene. In this episode, Nina shares the early days of Cee Cee Berlin, how to build up a strong founder relationship as well as the challenges and the successes of the brand. We speak about the developments in Berlin's cultural scene over the past decade and what impact Cee Cee is making in the way people experience and engage with the city. This episode offers an insightful look into the world of entrepreneurship, creativity and community building.
Born and raised in Germany, her childhood in classical music education set the scene for her entry into DJing. Today you can find Susanna Kim playing house music in Berlin's top clubs like Renate and Katerblau, and festivals all over the country. Parallel to the night scene, by day Susanna is leading brand and PR efforts at exciting projects like KitschKrieg expanding their brand to new markets. Today we discuss her journey in the music industry and how she balances her day job with her passion for music. We speak about all the hard work behind the scenes and ponder about vulnerability, self-love and forgiveness. So what do you do when your heart is beating for 2 things? Tune into this episode to find out!
For this episode we invited Roos Jansen, women's hormonal health expert, born in Amsterdam and currently based in Berlin. For years Roos led HR teams and implemented Period Leave as a health benefit in a local startup. One thing that has shaped Roos, is her very own post-pill experience which she shares on this podcast. She is passionate about removing the stigma surrounding women's health, empowering women to take control of their hormonal balance. Join this conversation as we learn about women’s hormonal health and myths surrounding it. If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or simply share it with a friend.
Today's guest is one of the most thought-provoking and inspiring voices in the contemporary feminist movement. Mirna Funk is a writer, journalist, and cultural critic based in Berlin. She offers a refreshing perspective on what it means to be a self-determined, independent woman in the 21st century. In this episode, we discuss Mirna's latest non-fiction book in German translated as: "Who cares! About the freedom to be a woman", which challenges traditional feminist narratives and inspires women to take control of their lives. Mirna shares her take on what holds women back from achieving their full potential, and how we can all work towards creating a better world for ourselves and future generations.
My guest today grew up surrounded by Hip Hop. And back in the days she didn’t really have many role models, and she had to figure out how to turn her passion for music into a profession. Today Sehriban Cirik is a living example of how to turn your wildest dreams into a reality. Before becoming the Head of Hip-Hop at Amazon Music, Sehriban worked in the music industry as a label manager. Today she gets to bring artists closer to their fans in new, creative ways. In this conversation you will learn about the single "If I Want" which Sehriban produced with six German female Hip Hop artists, how to foster change in male dominated music industry and how aspiring artists can make their way to the top.
Naïs Graswald is the Head of Executive and Digital Communications at the Volkswagen Group, she is a systemic coach and simply a loving human. Today we reflect on her family past, as we discover the roots of her value system where she embraces opposing views and continuously questions the status quo. We discuss how she transitioned from her communication work at the German Parliament and the Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure to embracing change in the German industry. We speak about finding life's meaning and how communication can become a brave space for unleashing creativity, change and a new era of human-centric businesses. If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share it with a friend.
Our guest today Johanna Keimeyer is a multimedia artist who creates immersive experiences. This can take the form of large scale art installations where she works with video, light, objects, scent and sound. She invites the audience to explore deeper questions about identity and the core fundamental values that make us human. David Bowie, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol - just a few of the names in her Iconic Portraits series where Johanna slips into the shoes of icons like these. As you explore the series you get to ask yourself: What role do I play, what is my true identity and what masks people are hiding behind? Today we speak about Johanna’s mission as an artist, which emotions she tries to evoke in people and how she manages to build financially sustainable life as a creative. If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share it with a friend.
You probably heard of the Lemonaid and ChariTea before, delicious soft drinks that contain only organic ingredients that also support fair trade. The project was born in the bohemian district of Hamburg called St. Pauli with the intention to change the world drink by drink. Beyond fair trade, every bottle purchased supports the Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation which is managed by our guest today Aileen Puhlmann. Today Aileen shares her story as we speak about identity forming experiences and what it means for her to support the underdog. We talk about her recent trip to Rwanda and learn about projects that Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation support.
Alexandra Bondi de Antoni is a writer, director and occasional photographer born in Vienna and based in Berlin. She is the former editor of I-D Germany and former Executive Editor at VOGUE Germany where she was in charge of all things digital. Today she gets to explore the intersection between social political issues, pop culture and fashion in her freelance life. In this episode we speak about her late grandmother Gerti and how her sense for fashion made an influence on Alexa’s decision to explore her career in the fashion industry. We also get to speak about Alexa's burnout experience, a very challenging period in her life where we get to reflect on that time period in this conversation. We wrap up this interview with an outlook on what the future has in store for Alexa.
Our guest today, Martina Rink, grew up between Germany and the UK. She landed her first job as a personal assistant of the late Isabella Blow, a legendary English muse, stylist and magazine editor. After Blow's death in 2007, Martina released a coffee table book portraying the impact of her mentor on the fashion industry. Fast forward to today, Martina is releasing her fourth book called People of Deutschland. For Martina this publication is much more than just a book. It covers the controversial subject of racism in Germany, where 45 people get to share their experiences that deal with pain and rejection but also with assertiveness and civil courage. Hear this interview with Martina. And if you think someone should hear this conversation, make sure to share the episode with them.
From the start Nadine Michelberger together with her co-founder and husband Tom, wanted to create the first hotel in Berlin which replaced the typical lobby, with an open space that invites guests and visitors for encounters. This idea was born back in 2003. As years went by, the hotel has evolved as well. Today the Michelberger team is running the renowned restaurant Ora, they are producing the most sought after coconut water the 'Fountain of Youth', and are practicing regenerative agriculture at their Farm in Spreewald. Today I asked Nadine about Berlin in the late 90’s, how the idea of Michelberger came to be, and why we see more and more restaurants in Berlin working with local producers and farmers from the Brandenburg area.
