I would like to use my diverse professional and life experiences to make a contribution to a greater whole and support individuals, groups and communities in their development. Over the last few years, I have developed a desire to get involved in sustainable and regenerative development in my village and region and thus make a small contribution to transformation. I consider it particularly important to establish a healthy relationship between people and nature and to recognise people as part of nature. This leads to a mindful, accepting and giving approach to the environment in the respective ecosystem.
I also have the everyday task of making sure that my loved ones in the family and other close people are doing well, and I support them in overcoming sometimes very difficult situations.

I see myself primarily in the role of process facilitator. Having spent the last 20 years supporting individuals as a social worker and career counsellor and often being involved in projects and organisational development in social organisations, I now see myself increasingly as a facilitator for the benefit of larger systems around me, such as the community and region in which I live.

Last year, I founded the group "Kaufdorf im Wandel - nachhaltige Entwicklung im Dorf" (Kaufdorf in transition - sustainable development in the village), in which I want to live the regenerative approach. The group is just starting out and there are many ideas and visions, such as promoting biodiversity, car sharing, a repair café, a community garden, large solar roofs on farmhouses, a village shop with more local produce, strengthening social networks for a caring community, and organising events for "Education for Sustainable Development", etc.

I want to continue to learn to recognise and integrate my own constructs, personality traits and inner processes. I strive to judge things less and to judge and partially judge others less. I also want to improve my ability to deal with conflict, especially in close relationships, and address things more constructively. As a committed person both professionally and personally, I could learn to take on less and deal with stress better. In addition, I can further develop my leadership and facilitation skills and become more confident in taking the lead.

As a career counsellor, I deal with very different people, whom I support in developing their potential, finding their calling and overcoming career transitions. In addition, I am often involved in the further development of the organisation and its range of services. I am also repeatedly involved in the planning and implementation of internal training programmes for employees. I am currently also involved in the project "Living sustainability at work". I could also imagine changing careers again as a generalist in the field of sustainable development. Unfortunately, I don't have the solution yet. Many specialists with in-depth environmental knowledge in a specific area are being sought in Switzerland - there are fewer generalist positions.

It is in my nature to approach tasks intensively and with passion. I am also a seeker, eager to learn and open to new experiences. I have developed a wide range of interests and skills and have completed various practice-orientated training and further education courses. Here is a list of my activities: Apprenticeship as a machine mechanic, technical college studies in mechanical engineering, "fairplay worldwide" course, postgraduate studies in business administration/general management, intensive theatre course, various mediation courses (ZEN, MBSR, etc.), adult education course, social work studies, photography courses, leadership training, training as a professional and career advisor, course in nature/environment/sustainable development as well as various commitments in sports and cultural associations and local politics.

I believe that many areas of learning have made me who I am today. I grew up in a rather middle-class, conservative environment in the countryside. My family was characterised by the fact that I have a brother with Asperger's syndrome. I worked in mechanical engineering for 18 years, a male-dominated field where many things are very clear, precise and standardised - a domain that believes it can shape the world rationally and purposefully. I then switched to social work and came into contact with people in challenging life situations and social sciences, a more female-dominated field, as well as left-wing circles, where nothing was clear and many things were questioned and social structures were challenged. I learnt to work with people and psychosocial systems in a process-oriented rather than goal-oriented way.
There are numerous thinkers who have inspired me along the way: When I was young, I had a great affinity with Hermann Hesse or Mahatma Gandhi. For a while, I studied psychologists such as Erich Fromm and C.G. Jung. Mystics from different religions and eras fascinated me for a while, especially when I experienced depression at the age of thirty and went through the "dark night of the soul" myself. Particularly important figures were Willigis Jäger and Hugo Enomiya Lassalle, two Christian monks and Zen masters from Germany, with a transconfessional perspective. Developmental psychology models such as Spiral Dynamics by Don Edward Beck/Christopher C. Cowan or by Jane Loevinger or Susanne Cook-Greuter also inspire me. In recent years, I have also been inspired by ecological thinkers and their concepts, e.g. Kate Raworth (donut model), William Rees (ecological footprint), David Holmgren and Bill Mollison (permaculture) or Joana Macy (deep ecology). I have long been fascinated by thinkers with integrative, holistic approaches.

I myself regard every living being, including humans, as part of a larger whole. This can perhaps be expressed metaphorically as follows: every living being is one of many leaves in a large tree that grows, withers and is returned to the cycle of life. Spirituality or a connection to transcendence are fundamental feelings and, in addition to relationships with other people and nature, give me a firm foundation in which I am anchored. This foundation gives me strength and support and transcends my limited life.
A person is characterised by their genetic disposition, but is constantly shaped by their environment. At the same time, they can also actively shape their environment. People are integrated into social systems, there is constant interaction and people have to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Humans have more or less free will and can therefore shape their lives, always taking into account the great interdependence with their environment or ecosystem.
Humans and all living systems are constantly in a process of change; development is always taking place. At every stage of life, people have specific tasks to master, which are set for them both from within (psychological/physical) and from without (social). I assume that people fundamentally strive for positive growth. At the same time, internal or external circumstances can prevent growth or steer it in an unfavourable direction. As a result, people can consciously or unconsciously harm themselves and others.
My core values are transparency, authenticity, integrity, compassion and respect for all living beings, a sense of community, equal opportunities and justice. I recognise that there are natural hierarchies that need to be respected. I often talk about systems and differentiate between natural, living systems and man-made systems. All systems are constantly in flux, changing and influencing each other. Individuals, groups, organisations, nations or humanity as a whole are in a constant state of consciousness development, which also changes the way we perceive ourselves and the environment. Humans bear the greatest responsibility in the Earth's ecosystem. Unfortunately, we have plundered the earth's resources to such an extent over the last few centuries, to the detriment of the entire ecosystem. Like any living creature that plunders its habitat, this will lead to a negative feedback loop and have very unpleasant consequences that we will feel in the coming decades.