In today's episode, East-German born, New York based artist, Cornelia Thomsen shares her story of finding her way into becoming an artist. She gives insights into her socialistic upbringing in a small village near Dresden, and how she managed to get accepted to be trained as a porcelain painter at famous Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Cornelia (a humble powerhouse!) shares how she had believed that the world she lived in would be it, until the Fall of the Berlin Wall, when she stormed into the big world and embraced it. Her worldview became liberated by the discovery of abstract art. Cornelia talks about resilience being her super power, and how she persistently worked as an artists, went to art school near Frankfurt (with two small children at home), moved to New York and started a gallery together with her husband (and meanwhile 3 children). Cornelia and I have known each other for almost 20 years, sharing experiences and emotions, raising children in Manhattan - an East German and a West German united on neutral grounds. Her work has been shown internationally, and is in collections of world renowned museums like LACMA in LA, museum of fine arts in Houston, the Parrasch Art Museum in Watermill, New York and others. AND: In August, just briefly after recording this episode, her newest series of works, the complete sets of Golden Ratio Series have been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Trish Glowacki shares her journey and what lead her to founding the Glowmedia Project and its work on youth mental health awareness. Trish, a screenwriter, playwright and producer, mother of three, lost her son Charlie in 2011 to an accidental overdose. In his honor, she started to create a musical, films and resources on youth mental health topics. The Glowmedia project has produced a musical "Warning. Take Only As Prescribed." and 9 short films on various mental health issues, with curriculum and expert input, reaching millions through partnerships with i.e. "Discovery Education". Glowmedia works with organizations, schools, educators, parents and youth. Trish emphasizes the importance of student input, self-care, and persistence on continuing the mission to reduce mental health stigma.

In my conversation with New York based, American-Pakistani artist, Tanya Minhas, we explore the invisible in art. Tanya shares her fascination for nature and the tiny moments, that inspire her thinking and her work. She shares the moment, that made it inevitable for her to commit fully to a life as an artist. It had to do with facing challenges, grief and searching for a language to be able to truly express herself and her emotions. As she quoted from a book she once read "Life is not all HiHi-HaHa". Tanya's Pakistani heritage strongly influences her work, particularly her current show on view at Winston Wächter Fine Art in New York City " A Tapestry of Dreams". Tanya integrates and balances her artistic practice with family life, working when possible in a meditative state.

Today I am in conversation with Dr. Anino Emuwa, a former corporate banker, managing director Avandis Consulting and founder of the global community 100 Women @ Davos. Dr. Anino is tireless in her effort to advocate for gender equality in leadership across all sectors, and to speak up for parity policies. As she did last year at the United Nation General Assembly. Listen in and hear how Dr. Anino is on a role and how she herself never felt as a minority in her time growing up and studying. Her focus is always lead by reflecting on "What the World needs."

Today I am sitting down with life long stand up comedian Carole Montgomery. Carole is a classic in show biz, a Brooklynite through and through, she has performed all over the United States. Being a stand up comedian has been her fulltime job. Until she turned 50. Her environment signaled her silently but clearly, that her time is done, over, chapter closed. She shifted and worked as a producer, comedy teacher, and writer to stay connected in the business. At 59 she had a break through idea: Funny Women of A Certain Age. A stand up comedy show featuring older comedian women. With a talent pool of about 100 artists, Carole has been producing shows for the past ten years, TV channel SHOWTIME made three Comedy Specials with Funny Women of A Certain Age. Listen to a conversation about ageism, about how funny never gets old, and about facing the truth. Carole loves playing for younger audiences, she is not afraid, as they look at her as though she's Yoda. Anything is possible really. Nothing is a matter of age, but of spirit and choice. Season 5 is supported by eponymous London based jewellery brand TILLY SVEAAS! Go to www.tillysveaas.com and use my code SHIFTHAPPENS at checkout for 15% off your first purchase.

In my conversation with Rachel Cook Northway, Rachel openly shares not only her passion for skincare, but how it evolved into a career in clean beauty, culminating in her own business after overcoming breast cancer. The Northway Edit offers personalized clean beauty consultations, focusing on efficacy and plant-based alternatives. Rachel emphasizes the importance of clean products, particularly for lips, eyes, and underarms, as key entry points to the body. Personal rituals, including prayers and exercise, play a crucial role in Rachel's ongoing recovery and business approach.

In the first episode of Season 5, I am in conversation with Dr. Jody Carrington, a powerhouse speaker and psychologist. We talk about human connection, family secrets, and emotional regulation. We also talk about grief and her father's passing, just a few days before this recording. Dr. Carrington points out, how humans are neurobiologically wired for connection, yet struggle with looking each other directly. She emphasises how technology has created unprecedented disconnection, impacting mental health and emotional regulation. Family secrets can have profound impacts across generations, as illustrated by Dr. Jody Carrington's discovery of her biological sister at age 36. Emotional regulation starts from within and requires conscious effort to counteract constant stimulation.

In this last episode of Season 4, Ryan Haddon, author, life coach, hypnotherapist, mediation teacher, and sound & breath work facilitator, discusses the importance of learning to sit with disappointment, loss, and setbacks, and to "get right with what is". She shares tools like breath work, meditation, and self-analysis to help process difficult emotions and find contentment. Ryan's pivotal moment unfolded when she decided to leave the fast-paced life of LA for a farm in Pennsylvania. This transition involved shedding her old identity and embracing a simpler more grounded existence, which was both challenging and transformative. Ryan and Claudia had this conversation in early November of 2024, by the end of December her mother Dayle Haddon, passed away. In this episode Ryan talks about her deep admiration for her mother, who has repeatedly reinvente herself and never let others limited perspectives define her. Season 4 has been dedicated to Dayle Haddon.

In today's episode of SHIFT HAPPENS Claudia is in conversation with former Canada's "de facto" First Lady, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. Sophie is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, mental health advocate. In this episode Sophie reflects on how self-knowledge and authenticity are crucial not only for mental health but our relationships. She talks about societal pressure and that attachment to roles and identities can hinder personal growth. Claudia and Sophie discuss how understanding our childhood attachments helps explain current relationship patterns and how vital creativity and self-expression are for overall health and preventing illness. Simple practices like breath work can significantly impact mental wellbeing - and at the end of our conversation, Sophie guides us through a short but impactful exercise to relax our vagus nerve.

In today's conversation, Claudia and her guest, Gabriela Jaeger, Co-Founder and Programmes Director of the international non-profit "Global Changemakers" speak about, how important it is to take a leap of faith and trusting in your goals. In 2013 she was living in Mozambique as a diplomatic wife with a 5 year old girl and working remotely on a successful youth program that was originally devised to bring talented teenagers to the World Economic Forum. The organisation that hosted the program was undergoing a deep redesign and despite the success of the program it was decided that the goals, international development through the work of youth, did not align with the organisation’s core mission. She had met young people with devastating life stories who despite all odds, or perhaps, because of them, were truly changing for the better the lives of those around them. At that point Gabriela, was convinced that she needed to find a way to continue this work and how crucial it was to support those young people who are actively working towards a fair, peaceful and sustainable world.

In today's episode, Claudia and Sheena Yap Chan talk about how self-confidence is not a trait but a skill, and how she maneuvered this discovery. Her pivotal moment was when a friend asked her "What do you really want?" This seemingly simple question sparked her journey of self-discovery and led her to write her first book "The Tao of Self-Confidence". Sheena shares her experience of growing up as a 7 year old having just arrived in Canada from the Philippines and how humiliating it was not to see one person who looked like her on TV, in magazines, on streets. She emphasises how important representation is, she describes how she pushed through self-doubt and conquered her imposter syndrome.

In today's episode of SHIFT HAPPENS on "How To Balance Freedom And Entrepreneurship with Katie Anderson", Claudia and her guest speak about how it is to be within a pivotal moment. Katie Anderson, is a multiple entrepreneur driving impact with a vision. Her first company, Save Water Co., has received much recognition, i.e. as one of Forbes 30 under 30 Game Changers in Energy, as the winning laureate of North America by the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards. Katie talks about her transition from traditional employer - employee relationships to explore new ways of collaboration based on trust and individual empowerment. She emphasizes the importance of balancing business outcomes with healthy internal dynamics, personal growth and personal freedom. Her drive for creativity has its roots in her growing up in wild and pure nature.

Ida Beerhalter is a sought after international, financial advisor and investment powerhouse. Since 2012 she has been the Co-Head IOME, a private investment partnership of women in the Gulf region. Ida and Claudia are talking about the importance of saying "yes" to opportunities, even if you feel unqualified, as others see potential in you that you may not see yourself. We further discuss, how women investors tend to ask harder questions and focus on concrete metrics like cash-on-cash returns rather than getting carried away by projections. Ida advocates for women to exercise the power of their money and not delegate financial management without understanding. Sustainability is a key focus for Ida's future projects. Ida feels relaxed approaching 60, with the mindset that she can do anything but doesn't need to do everything. She values small moments of happiness, like appreciating new trees in her garden. Ida shares her admiration for her parents for their resilience in overcoming war trauma and building their lives. About her experience in the Middle East Ida says, that the Saudi culture is particularly welcoming and gentle, allowing for cultural mistakes and learning. Here she truly learned the importance of timing and context when addressing sensitive topics, and she developed more patience and discretion in conversations, applying this globally.

Sahar Hashemi OBE talks about pivoting careers and her entrepreneurial journey: Sahar is a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, who became an international thought leader on the entrepreneurial mindset. Sahar shares how her parents actually laid the groundwork for her to trust her capabilities and to become the founder of two disruptive businesses, keynote speaker and bestselling author. The Covid-19 lockdown sparked the idea for "Buy Women Built", a movement providing a supportive community for women founders, addressing challenges in female entrepreneurship. We talk about the importance of a day's routine, creativity, purpose and allowing things to unfold rather than rigid planning. Season 4 is supported by the iconic Danish shirt brand BRITT SISSECK Please use my code SHIFTHAPPENS at checkout for 20% off of your first purchase.*Valid on full price items only.

Welcome back to Season 4. In today's episode Claudia is in conversation with Sylvia Yu Friedman, an award winning author, journalist, tv host and advisor to ultra high net worth families, based in Hong Kong about becoming fearless. In 2007 she hit rock bottom. Sylvia discusses two major pivotal moments in her life - her near death experience investigating the human trafficking underworld, and her divorce. Both of the experiences led her to to deep inner work, develop more empathy and compassion, and find her true purpose in life of helping marginalised and exploited people. Sylvia emphasises how embracing one's own identity, to love oneself and to be authentic is the way to set yourself free and overcome fear. Based on this journey, she wrote her recent book: Fearless: A Guide To Freedom and Fulfilling Your Fullest Potential.

In this episode, Milena Moser, one of Switzerland's most acclaimed authors, living in San Francisco, shares how she unexpectedly overcame her fear of spiders, a deep Arachnophobia, through a special therapist at the Zurich Zoo. After four hours, she was able to hold Sophie with her bare hands: a big, fat, red furred Tarantula . This was a moment of truth and recognition, that if this is possible - anything is possible. Milena shares about her life on two continents, the question of where is home, how writing over and over creates and deepens a sense of belonging - and she has published 24 books! Listen in to a wonderful conversation about age and hope, and finding joy in the little things in life.

Busie Matsiko-Andan, a global strategist, serial entrepreneur and founder and president of the New York African Chamber of Commerce, shares two significant life changes, that drove her to shift her life completely. Her father's sudden death, 2 months before her graduation walk, made her an workaholic in order to deal with grief, trauma and unexpected loss. Busie had a full time job and on the side, she founded one of the first fashion tech companies, which then was twice acquired. When er second child was born, she came with severe food allergies, Busie, the workaholic was forced to entirely focus on being the primary care giver of her daughter. She was suddenly a stay at home mom - but then moved into being a work from home mom. But in this time, she realised how mother's careers suffer most. Ever since she has been advocating to bringing more women to the policy tables.

Daisy Sindelar made the decision to leave her high-ranking position as Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of Radio Free Europe after 20 years, with no specific plan for what is next. It was a difficult, yet necessary transition - her job had become all consuming, and she was dealing with personal challenges with the onset of menopause and her only child going through a gender transition. Daisy, who has had a long and distinguished career in journalism, discusses how her rapid rise through the ranks at RFE was both rewarding and challenging, as the high-pressure environment took a toll. She talks about the danger of the on the ground work, especially for women journalists. Daisy also shares insights into how the war in Ukraine is being experienced in neighboring countries. She emphasizes the importance of staying informed and the value of creating communities, now that she is in her next phase of life.

Claudia and Canadian model and actress, Dayle Haddon speak about beauty, age, self-care, resilience, self-worth and the beauty of sharing. Dayle has had a several decades long career in the fashion and beauty industry. She is the only professional in this field to secure contracts with all the big beauty houses for multiple years and ongoing. Dayle shares how she grew in to herself by showing the industry the worth of ageless and the beauty of women beyond 36. She actively helped to shape the narrative of the aging model. She also talks about the importance of self love and sharing this love with others, about necessary and joyful selfcare measures, from being mindful with your time and energy, to dancing around in the kitchen. The rich conversation with Dayle is a deep lesson on how to grow in to self by being in service to others.

Dr. Christina Enzmann, gynecologist, functional medicine practitioner and book author, talks about shifting through early onsets of peri-menopause, a straining marriage, a job situation that stopped meeting her needs yet robbed her of energy, and excruciating back pain. She shares her way out of this complex and draining situation. She talks about the limitations of traditional medicine, how important the question "WHY?" is, and how she feels she can best help women (and men) in the transitional phase called midlife.