Hi, I am Nadja, so good to e-meet you!
I’m from Switzerland, 44 years old, and I currently live in Miami. I have a curious mind and a lot of different interests. I have never been able to lead a conventional life with a nine-to-five or settle in one place. And most of the time, I had no idea what I really wanted apart from living an interesting life and learning something new every day. It has always been hard for me to settle, focus, and be persistent - in Ayurveda this is a typical air or Vata energy (you can do your Dosha test here)! The upside of being Vata is that we are also creative and super flexible.
I have no kids, because I am too much of a freedom lover. But I am a puppy mum - see them below! I had lived all over the world before I came to the US in 2015 for my first husband who I had met in Bali. My extreme curiosity has made me travel along the front line during the conflict in Kashmir to get to the Dalai Lama’s exile in the Himalayan mountains, it has lead me to work for Apple in Silicon Valley, participate in a Zar ceremony in Cairo, take Turkish gypsy dance and language lessons in Istanbul and so much moreh. I have been dressed in Latex at the biggest fetish party in the world, at Torture Garden in London, and almost naked at a wedding in the desert of the American West, I have seen how they burn the dead in Varanasi, India, and was advised to not sit in the back row of the bus in Tel Aviv to be less harmed in the event of a bombing…
My passion for languages and cultures have led me to complete an MA in Bilingual Translation in London and an Exec. MA in Intercultural Communication in Lugano, I have learned (some more, some less fluently) six languages along the way, got married again, have built several businesses in different countries, the last one being the Social Impact Marketing Boutique plus305 where I still work as a Diversity&Inclusion and Sustainability/Purpose Brand Strategist. Over the years, we have come close to bankruptcy and burnouts, have been said NO to more than I can count, and have had to deal with a lot of disappointments, but: we are still standing! And I am proud of that.
All my life, it has been super important to me to share my blessings with others which is why I also serve on the Board of the Casimiro Global Foundation for their Entrepreneurial Ladies Leading with Action Program where I mentor brilliant young women in the Caribbean and LATAM who want to build an NGO or Social Enterprise, the Greenpeace spin-off Solafrica which promotes solar energy in Africa, and on the European Standards Advisory Board of B Lab which helps companies around the world to implement Sustainability and Diversity and Inclusion standards.
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I am also mentoring this wonderful young lady: Audrey lives in Haiti and supports the underprivileged population there through her NGO Poujenyo.ht which she had set up at age 15(!!). Haiti has been suffering from gang violence and natural disasters. Please follow her journey!
On my quest to living a more fulfilled and healthy life, I studied to become an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor at the Kerala Ayurveda Academy in California, a Yin and Asthanga Yoga teacher, and a Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Performer and Choreographer. I have also dived deep into mindfulness, meditation, and mystical traditions. Especially as a business woman, I am finding these ancient traditions very helpful to stay healthy on all levels, or at least try.
In my free time, I love cooking and baking healthy and happy meals (#nofoodwaste), enjoying nature, and doing research to find the best life hacks - which I will all share with you here. I also love #upcycling my wardrobe and finding flea market treasures - the jacket on the picture is an oversized Giorgio Armani blazer I found at this flea market here in Miami.
Now that I am in full mid-life swing and after a major health crisis, I am even more interested in how to stay happy, healthy, and fulfilled. But above all, I have decided that I want to be brave enough to live a creative life. Beyond pursuing my social impact journey, I also want to enjoy fashion, arts, colors, cosmetics, and just create beautiful things.
And I want to share my journey along with all the amazing things the women in my life have built with all of you so you can also give yourself permission to live a full life - whatever this may look like.
