The short bio of my mother is this: When my brother and I were born, she took over the classic role as housewife. It was not fulfilling to her and she got unhappy. As a result, my father left her for a younger woman. Although the stay at home moms in Germany in the nineteen eighties got a lot of financial support by their ex-husbands my mother is affected by old age poverty today.
With the story of my mother in mind, it was never an option for me to become financially dependent on a man. So I started earning money. But apart from that, I was really clueless about money. How to negotiate my salary, let alone to earn as an entrepreneur. I spent all money I had. I was a financial avoider - perfectly normal as a woman! In fact, I was proud of myself on not caring. Money? Not important, I'm fine, thanks!
My husband and I had a dream: we wanted to do a world trip! But we had no idea how to finance this trip. Nevertheless, we continued to believe in it, planned, prepared, and managed the unbelievable: In 2002, we drove our old Landrover towards Africa. We spent two years traveling around the world. To this day, I don't know how we paid for the trip. But I learned something: A big dream is the first step to living the way you want to live, not winning the lottery.
Back in Germany, I worked in tourism PR. By chance, I read a book called “Investment Punk”. The author, German Gerald Hörhan, is a self-righteous and arrogant middle-aged white male, but in his book he describes how the middle class in Germany is ripped off without noticing it. And I immediately felt being part of it. That was my first trigger. I don’t like being ripped off.
I decided to be interested in money, but I had a tough start. I wanted to learn more about it, but at that time I only found this stony looking white males at the book covers of money books and it really turned me off. Having read the Investment Punk, I had enough of that.
In 2010, my son was born. While trying to manage child and career, I realized that we are a long way from gender equality. My career stagnated, and my husband's boss rejected his request for part-time work. I struggled through the daily routine of care work and job and reached the limits of my resilience.
We made a radical cut and went to Bangladesh in 2015, where I worked with garment workers to represent their interests. The conditions in the factories were one thing. But what I also saw was that not only were these women now sitting in the factories for 50 hours a week, they were also responsible for care work at home while their husbands continued to be the boss. The self-determination that earning one's own money normally allows did not occur. Gradually, I understood that the social norm and the role it assigns to women are in need of revision if we want gender equality - whether in Germany or Bangladesh. – ob in Deutschland oder in Bangladesch.
Finally I discovered the money blog of German youngster Natascha Wegelin. This time it was sparking. I read everything I could (yes, also the books with the stony looking men at the cover) and started my own money journey. The effect was amazing! I realized that it's not about money at all. It's about knowing how I want to live and what I want to achieve. My realization of the world trip had been swallowed up by the everyday noises around family and job. Slowly, I allowed myself to dream again. I decluttered my life, developed healthy habits, and learned to focus on what was really important to me: Women's Empowerment!
Als Projektmanagerin in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit habe ich Frauen dabei unterstützt, wirtschaftlich auf eigenen Füßen zu stehen and on access to finance. For some time, I was the breadwinner of my family with my full-time job, that brought us to Bangladesh, Cambodia and Sudan. I have invested in real estate and at the stock market. Ich habe mein eigenes Business als Mentorin für Frauen, Finanzen und Feminismus gegründet.
Seit 2024 bin ich außerdem Gender Commissioner der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH und damit in meiner Traumstelle angekommen.
Mein nächstes Projekt: Gemeinsam mit einer Journalistin und ehemaligen Mentee von mir schreibe ich ein Buch darüber, warum Frauen oft überfordert sind, wenn sie Geld erben, und was sie dagegen tun können.
