Death and illness were more present in my life this year than before. My father died, as did the father of an old friend and two of my neighbours. Colleagues and friends became seriously ill, and some people took their own lives at a young age.
Life and health seemed more precious than ever. I began making decisions based on questions like: “Will I regret it if I don’t do it?” “Is this maybe the last time we would spend time like this?” Therefore, this year, I invested even more in the things that I enjoy and that keep me healthy: traveling, spending time outdoors, exercising, and enjoying quality time with friends. In addition to my generous thirty days of annual leave, I took two and a half weeks of unpaid leave.
Since most of my family members lived into their late eighties and nineties, it is likely that I will live to be 100. That’s enough time to do a lot of things. But how can I know if I will live another 49 years? I can’t. That’s why I started counting backwards. I want to enjoy life more and leave something good behind.
Here’s what my 2025 looked like:
My Most Important Topics in 2025
Being a valuable person
I don’t remember when I realized that I wanted to be a valuable person. It must have been during one of the coaching sessions when I asked myself what was important to me. In any case, it became one of my life goals. Some might say that everyone is already valuable. You don’t need to do anything to be valuable. Perhaps it was my upbringing that taught me that you have to earn your worth.
Thinking about becoming (or being) valuable reminds me to be helpful and make the world a better place. This mindset helps me decide which task to do next and motivates me to do work that I don’t find enjoyable.
One of these projects in 2025 involved designing a nearly 400-page report on our institute’s research over the past six years. Our institute is evaluated every three years by a scientific advisory board. I contributed to the successful evaluation process by creating a visually accessible and appealing report and refining more than 30 posters for the poster session at the event.
Of course, I also worked on projects I enjoyed:
Little steps in my side-business
At the beginning of the year, I decided to practice my training skills by offering poster design trainings within the Max Planck Society. Training coach Franzi Bickle gave me feedback on my poster training concept which made me feel much more confident. Thank you so much for the great ideas!
The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology was the first to invite me to conduct a two-day training on poster design at their institute in Plön, a small city surrounded by water at the northern tip of Germany.
It felt so good to be invited to do what I loved: travel, meet new people, and help others improve—and what I wanted to get better at—train people and improve my public speaking skills.
Also, thanks to my former colleague Katharina, I was commissioned to give a workshop on redesigning their chemical association’s members’ magazine. It was great to draw on my many years of visual design experience and provide advice on making content of any kind more visually accessible.
I took advantage of various opportunities to hone my training skills, such as leading a session on accessible website text at the Judith Peters Content Society’s Barcamp.
On the other hand, I didn’t follow through with offering regular design sessions once people stopped showing up. I also didn’t redesign my website, nor did I write as many blog articles as I had planned. This was partly because it took me some time to adjust to working with AI tools.
By the end of the year, however, I felt that I had found my way. And the many healthy breaks I took throughout the year gave me fresh energy for the challenges ahead. I enrolled in Laura & Gretel’s business coaching program to help take my business to the next level.
Showing my son his heritage
I have long felt the need to visit my relatives in Taiwan and Hong Kong with my son. But for many years, I didn’t have the energy: a new job, job loss, an Executive MBA program, separation, job search, and the pandemic kept me busy. When I checked a chat with the photos of my last visit in Taiwan, I was startled to find out my last visit had been 10 years ago.
My son wasn’t thrilled about the plan to visit his grandmother and relatives on the other side of the world. The last time he visited was when he was still a toddler. Now, he was afraid to travel to such faraway places. What if he got lost? He can’t speak the language, and he would never find his way back home. What if the plane crashes? I told him how important it was to me that he visit his roots while he was still a child.
I did my best to make the trip as comfortable and exciting as possible for him (and thus for me!). I booked flights that weren’t too early or late, chose shorter travel distances, and selected rooms with private bathrooms (I wouldn’t need that).
I asked him about his fears afterwards. My son replied that he felt very good. When I asked him why, he said he felt “like he belonged.” 🥹
Healing from my father’s upbringing
My father’s health deteriorated after his fall in the beginning of 2025. He was brought to hospital and then discharged to home, where he tried his best to do everything himself. One day he was found lying on the kitchen floor by his friend and our neighbour. He was brought to the hospital again. Then, he agreed to go to a nearby nursery, where he died after refusing to eat or drink for almost two months.
During this time, my brother’s emotions pingponged between sorrow and annoyance. Mine were a bit more stable. Whenever I met with my father, I felt a sense of sorrow. Most of the time, however, I felt anger. I was angry because he refused to prepare better in advance and because of his usual mistrust, even toward his own family.
When I asked him to sign the power of attorney so that we could use his account to pay his bills, he refused, saying, “Why are you putting such pressure on me? That will only harm our relationship!” What relationship could be harmed more than it already was? When I told him I was paying his bills, he said, “You still haven’t paid back the €500 you borrowed from me.” After that, I needed a break and to vent to my colleagues (thanks to them for listening).
After he passed away, I was saddened by the fact that we hadn’t had a good family life. Life seems wasted if you treat your family badly. Painful memories still overshadow the positive aspects of my father: valuing education above all else, being self-sufficient, adapting to life circumstances, living frugally, and working until it’s no longer possible.
Since he didn’t specify how he wanted us to handle the sensitive topic of being dependent on others for care and his death, I decided to use the preparation of his funeral as an opportunity to do things in a way that would suit my brother’s and my needs. Instead of asking myself how our father would have wanted it, I also asked myself, “How will this help me heal?”
Can I ever refrain from nagging?
As I reviewed my notes, I was reminded of the many great moments I have had with my son in 2025, such as meaningful conversations, great runs and hikes, and relaxing walks. Overall, I feel that my son and I have grown closer. However, I regret how much time we spend studying and arguing about screen time. How can this be improved?
I constantly tested ideas on how to make studying less stressful and more enjoyable, such as studying in the park on a picnic blanket, practicing English conversation while walking and eating ice cream, using sketch notes and funny examples, and creating a story or a rap song to memorize certain terms.
I tried to stay calm during discussions about screen time and when I asked my nagging child to join me for outdoor activities. But too often, I lost my temper. I wish I could be more forgiving and balanced. Life is too short for bad relationships and focussing on the bad moments. I don’t want to be remembered as my father was—the constant nagging, degrading comments, and many other communication styles that are considered toxic today.
Surprisingly, when I asked my son to rate my performance, he gave me an 88 %. When I asked him how I could improve, he told me not to interrupt him when he was talking to his friends on the phone. He also mentioned screen time but agreed that his health was better off as it was. 😂
More Special Moments in 2025
My conclusion for 2025
My first times in 2025
My Norwegian colleague Daniel introduced me to orienteering. I loved finding another way to exercise outdoors. Because it was like a treasure hunt, I also found a fun activity to do with my son.
I visited the underground settlements in Cappadocia with my son and checked off one item from my bucket list.
I visited Warsaw for the Ecsite Conference.
I joined a prompt battle at Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation, the largest science communication conference for the German-speaking diaspora.
I started taking ice skating lessons to improve my skills so that I could go on an ice skating vacation somewhere in the future.
I visited Skopje to join the bachelorette party of my friend Ana
I visited the medieval city of Goslar over new year.
What gave me energy in 2025?
Spending time outdoors was where I recharged my energy.
Also, precious time spent with friends and meaningful conversations are priceless:
Delicious food is the source of my well-being:
Learning about new things also fuels my energy!
What drained my energy in 2025?
Sometimes I wonder how I became so emotional when thinking and talking about politics. A few years ago, politics was not a topic I could discuss because I simply had no clue. We never discussed politics at home, and my mother would shake her head whenever the subject came up. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t a political person. I just never followed the news, and if I did, I wouldn’t understand a thing.
That changed dramatically in the last two years. With the rise of the far right, the way how the German media covered the Gaza genocide, and my years of frustration with the lack of support for women’s and mental health issues, I became someone who binge-watched the news.
In 2025, I went through an important learning process: learning how to deal with people who hold different political beliefs. And it cost me a lot of energy.
It started before the federal elections in Germany in February. While I feared the outcome, which would likely lead to more inequality and racism, people whose views I thought were similar shocked me by viewing “migration” as the most dangerous threat to German society, or by voting for the conservative party because “everything is dominated by leftists.”
An acquaintance of mine who is Black told me that she was at a bakery before the election. The employees were talking loudly about how they couldn’t wait for election day so they could vote for the far-right extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party with a big, fat X.
And the idea that they thought it was okay and acceptable to speak like that at work where they are dealing with diverse customers shows where this society is going.
Change in the disposable annual income of a model household* according to party program (in euros)”
A non-American friend told me she would vote for Trump if she could, because he would bring the necessary changes. When I told her that people would die (thinking about the USAID retreat) she said, these were just side effects.
While waiting in line for the buffet at a German conference for internationally well-deserved members, a white, elderly woman turned around and asked me where I was from. She wasn’t satisfied with my answer, “Frankfurt,” and said, “In Frankfurt, people aren’t called like you.”
At the same conference, my attempts to strike up deep conversations talking about my concerns regarding the rise of the far left failed due to the reserved and less reserved reactions (“Please don’t spoil the mood!”).
A middle-aged white German woman at another network event told me that she has had enough of people wanting to change terms and names. She used the word “Mohr,” an old German term for Black people, as an example. The term has been deemed inadequate because of how it has been used in the context of racism and colonialism. “This word doesn’t at all have any negative and racist meaning!”
All these remarks left my naive me disillusioned. I felt alone with my worries and was sure that no one would stand by me if I were discriminated and forced to leave the country.
I changed my strategy. I tried to understand the people I was talking to. I tried to be less judgemental, more listening. I try to influence talking about my own experiences (“The partners who threatened and tried to dominate me were named Peter and Stefan and no, they weren’t Muslims.”)
I signed petitions to influence policies I cared about and started donating to organizations and initiatives that supported causes that I found were important to fight for humanity and equality.
Whenever I found time, I showed up at major demonstrations in Frankfurt:
What other important lessons did 2025 teach me?
Listen to your tiredness
In a world of entrepreneurs, I often feel pressured by business coaches—and myself—to finally take the next step and grow my business. I feel like a lame loser if I “just enjoy” my easy life as an employee and take care of my family and well-being. I tend to forget that I struggled a lot in the past and that I deserve to rest.
I have learned that if I take care of myself and rest, even for an entire year, I will have the energy to take on bigger goals in the coming year. Listen to your tiredness. It will lead you the way.
What am I particularly grateful for in 2025?
With the situation with father, I was grateful that I didn’t have to face it alone. I’m thankful to have a brother to share the mental and workload with.
I’m grateful to have a great boss who has so much trust in me and gives me freedom, confidence, and support to do my work.
I’m grateful to have a workplace with great colleagues, who are very smart and love what they do.
I’m grateful to be healthy, as well as for the health of my family.
I’m grateful to have supportive relatives around the world.
I’m grateful to live in peace, in a safe place with a high quality of life.
I’m grateful to live in a very nice place with low rent.
What am I leaving behind in 2025 and not taking with me into 2026?
People’s political opinions don’t shock me easily anymore.
An acquaintance borrowed 600€ from me. After promising me for more than 3 years she would pay me back soon, I eventually decided not to bother anymore. She needs it more than I do.
My 2025 in humble numbers
- 2,066 website visitors
- 12 blog posts published
- 8 blog posts unpublished
- 538 follower on Instagram
- 56 sports courses joined
- 7 orienteering runs participated
- 21 long distance train travels done, including to Warsaw
- 10 plane trips done
- 6 car rides done
- 80% toilet paper saved at home by using water instead of paper
- 44% of my salary saved for my pension
- Many petitions signed (it would take me too long to count them)
- 16 causes and organisations supported financially
My outlook for 2026
What I will do differently in 2026
I breathe deeply and stay calm when my son says, “In a moment,” after I have reminded him for an hour and a half to put down his phone. (How am I going to do this?)
How you can work with me in 2026
Book me for design consultation, on how to make your important cause, your message more accessible and impactful.
Book me for scientific poster design and job application design trainings.
My 7 goals for 2026
1. Continue building bridges
I will continue to build bridges through my work, personal conversations, and volunteer activities. I will at least double my financial support of organizations working to make the world more just and inclusive, and I will continue to sign petitions in support of these causes.
2. Scale the Institute’s outreach activities
3. Learn and implement inclusive outreach activities
4. Make the best out of my business coaching
Develop a scalable side-business concept.
5. Maintain my healthy routines
And implement daily exercise by the end of the year.
6. Reduce screen time to 4.5 hours per day
My private screen time is currently around 5.5 hours. Over the last few years, I have reduced it by one hour. My goal is to limit myself to one hour per day.
7. Declutter my living room and hallway
I started working on part of the kitchen during Christmas. Since we were doing this with my father’s office, I suppose it made doing it at my own place easier. After all, it’s all about getting used to it.
