My unexpected transformation

… and the path to more mental health and resilience

What happens when you achieve everything – and still remain empty inside?

In the world of numbers, strategies and status symbols, everything seemed clear to me for a long time: success is measured by results, discipline and external recognition. But at some point, the feeling that this calculation didn’t add up became overwhelming.
The internal balance sheet was in the red – despite external success.

The courage to question everything – and discover new resilience

In 1990, I took a step that many considered radical: I left the banking world behind and followed my inner call to Asia. What began as a search for know-how became a journey to myself.
In Indian ashrams, Japanese Zen monasteries and with masters in South East Asia, I learned that
meaning does not come from achievement, but from inner connection, presence and – sometimes – from letting go of control.

30 years as a yoga teacher – back to the roots for mental health

I have been teaching yoga, meditation and qigong for three decades – not as a hobby, but as a way of life. During this time, I have experienced how profound these wisdom teachings are:
– It was not the perfect asana that took me further, but the stillness in which I could observe my restless mind.
– It was not more knowledge, but trust in what was perceptible “between the thoughts” that became my anchor.
– It was not striving for the next goal, but the experience of really being fully present in the here and now that changed my life.

During this time, I discovered that the challenges of the modern world – burnout, exhaustion, loss of meaning – can be solved with the tools of wisdom cultures. But not through blind actionism, but through pausing, self-awareness and conscious energy.
Mental health comes from clarity, mindfulness and consciously directing your own energy.

Back to my roots – with Smiling Wisdom: resilience for modern times

Today, after more than 30 years as a yoga teacher and coach, I am consciously returning to my roots with Smiling Wisdom.
I combine the best of Eastern wisdom, modern neuroscience and decades of coaching experience – to guide people in our complex, performance-oriented world back to more clarity, energy and inner joy.

The result:
A unique 4-pillar system that enables mental health, resilience and sustainable performance for managers, entrepreneurs and all people who want more from life.

What my journey has taught me – and what mental health and resilience really mean

– You don’t have to control everything to be successful.
– You can pause and ask: “What’s really missing?”
– You can learn to rediscover yourself – beyond roles, expectations and performance goals.
– Mental health and resilience arise when body, mind and heart are in harmony.

Where are you on your journey right now?
What do you listen to when it gets loud on the outside?
Let’s start a conversation – perhaps now is the moment when your search for meaning can also become a source of strength.**

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PS: The 4-pillar system of Smiling Wisdom is the result of this journey – and combines everything I have learned in three decades between East and West, business and wisdom teachings. For more resilience and mental health in modern everyday life*.