Inspiration Part II
Not many words needed today. She just never fails to inspire. Can’t wait for December 1st

Not many words needed today. She just never fails to inspire. Can’t wait for December 1st
Yesterday I saw this wonderful video featuring my favourite German dragqueen and activist, Barbie Breakout, who found the exact right words about people who want to divide us, lead with fear and do NOT provide a single solution. Watch the video here
I can only say- and I did so in the YouTube-comment-section:
So important from start to finish! I was also the other child who had to go through the hatred of those around me, and I wouldn’t wish that on „concerned“ parents or other children. Thank you @barbiebreakout again
Inspired by Trixie Mattel I would like to add this very simple and clear statement:
There are too many examples of hate and violent attacks against people who are different. In other words: people are being attacked for being their authentic selves. You can have your opinion about that, attacking them is not acceptable and actually criminal in most countries.
Many people survive and turn their experiences into something beautiful. Tom Rasmussen is a survivor, who wrote and performed the powerful song „street violence“, combined it with Shon Faye’s words and I can’t get enough of their performance. I cannot recommend Tom’s Album „body building“ enough- it’s a very strong contender for my album of the year. Until then enjoy two Abbey Road performances here
Last but not least Bjork dropped her beautiful collaboration with Rosalía for a good cause. You can make art AND save the planet at the same time. Watch the video here and consider donating if you can
WHY do we trust ourselves and others?
We know that our brains are full of biases. There are more than 150 of them- depending on your source.
Cognitive Biases can be divided into 4 parts:
Studies show that placebos and nocebos work. We know that our brain is looking for shortcuts to save energy all the time.
Why do we trust our decisions and perceptions anyway? Because we have no choice? Because we are lazy? That’s actually a fact. You can call it efficient, or „trying to save energy“. It’s what our energy-hungry system does.
In other words: we are emotional and irrational short-term thinkers. That explains why it is so hard to think longer about situations, jumping to (wrong) conclusions and not admitting mistakes but staying on the wrong course. It also explains why we are not good at dealing with change. We are very good with excuses, twisting facts to our previous decision(s), ignoring contradicting facts. We even believe things where we have very little proof- our brain believes things just by hearing them repeatedly or if they are written in bigger font.
…data is so important, to correct all these mistakes.
…a diverse gremium is important to see the full picture.
…reminding us to think twice, discuss important decisions with others is essential to correct our many mistakes that we produce on a daily basis. Tiny mistakes accumulate to loosing in the long run. Another thing our brain does not understand: exponential growth.
Let’s make it as easy as possible: what counts are our daily actions. It could be our standard mindset to accept that the majority of our decisions are wrong. Let’s check them with others in order to make the best possible decision. Adopt a Kaizen mindset and improve step by step over time. Fail quickly and learn from your mistakes, that is what lets you succeed in the end.
The best decision-making process could be: asses the situation, test your assessment, gather additional information and decide again. In order to make better decisions: take your time, be open and transparent about your current state, change your mind and decisions. Don’t let anybody pressure, shame or bully you into quick decisions on your own.
Our brain likes it quick and easy. This is represented by Daniel Kahneman’s SYSTEM 1 that can be summarized like this:
Today we have access to a lot of information- correct and fake. Fact-checking alone can be too much for system 1. Today’s challenges that we face like climate change and social conflicts are NOT quick and easy but long-term and complex- represented by SYSTEM 2:
We need time and energy for system 2. Some people say, that you are not responsible for your first reaction but for your second. Remind yourself: what is good for others and for me in the long run- and take your time thinking about that. Prioritise long-term consequences over short-term comfort. Sit with your discomfort for a while if it is worth enduring.
In my humble opinion the 2 most important words for this journey from system 1 to system 2 are: transparency & action.
What counts in the end is that we respect ourselves, others and our planetary boundaries, distribute money and human rights to more people. Part of the solution could be that governments set the rules for social and sustainable decisions and companies find creative ways to make money within those limitations. As time is of the essence and more and more people understand how important social and environmental responsibility is, I see organisations setting those rules proactively and leading the way into a sustainable and inclusive future. And it is the biggest challenge to define your impact in three-dimensions: financial, social and sustainable. That is why some corporations combine their financials either with social or environmental goals.
I also see the opposite- and sometimes the noise that quick and easy dividers produce is a lot. I also see activism and action when people‘ rights and the planet are threatened, and I’d like to see more of it.
My daily actions
That’s where I stand today. What is your input on this little piece? What do you do? Comment below
I understand marketing as securing the long-term success of a company. Communication is the visible result of a strategic marketing process. The definition of success is expanding from a purely financial perspective to include environmental and social aspects.
Sustainability & inclusion are two umbrella terms that everyone defines differently and that change over time. The minimum requirements of these dimensions are expanding and regulation is increasing. Net-Zero is the current minimum requirement for sustainability IF you reduce sustainability to climate. Is „non-discrimination“ the minimum requirement of inclusion? And does that definition include personality, all internal, external and organisational dimensions?
The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) expands the minimum requirements for documenting corporate performance to include environmental and social dimensions. Reporting will become mandatory for an estimated 50,000 companies in Europe (15,000 of them in Germany) from the 2023 financial year (estimation by KPMG).
As marketing strategists assessing companies for future viability, we need to pay particular attention to sustainability, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI). Now is the time for leaders with a sustainable and inclusive mindset to set up, develop and make companies, processes and products financially successful in a sustainable and inclusive way. 80% of business and product decisions are made in the design phase (European commission).
I am NOT looking for companies that say: we do the bare minimum because we have to.
I am looking for allies with whom I can analyse and transform companies – internally and externally.
I am looking for the big and long-term transformation, a team where we discuss ideas and perspectives. A space where we explore what is possible and design a way to get there. Let’s do this together.
Viele kennen FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE, einige kennen SCIENTISTS FOR FUTURE, und gestern habe ich MARKETING FOR FUTURE kennengelernt. Das Bündnis für klimapositives Verhalten e.V. hat die Mission, Entscheider:innen in der Marketing- und Kreativbranche für ihre besondere Verantwortung im Kampf gegen den Klimawandel zu sensibilisieren. Dafür rufen sie auf, den ersten Veränderungsschritt zu gehen und uns freiwillig zur Einhaltung der 10 Maximen für klimapositives Marketing zu verpflichten.
Natürlich bekenne ich mich zu dieser freiwilligen Selbstverpflichtung. Die 10 Maximen für klimapositives Marketing sind als Leitplanken für Entscheidungen in meinem Verhalten verankert. Für mich ist es eine Selbstverständlichkeit, und ich teile mein Commitment gerne öffentlich.
Wir können die Veränderungskraft des Marketings für klimapositives Verhalten in der Welt sichtbar machen und andere motivieren, sich anzuschließen.
Wir machen den Effekt unserer Produkte auf das Klima transparent und verdrehen keine Fakten.
Mehr über das Bündnis für klimapositives Verhalten e.V. findest Du HIER.
Höre Dir die Podcast-Folge mit Jan Pechmann, dem Gründer von Marketing for Future, an:
Today it is easy for me to inspire with one of Simon Sinek’s podcast episodes „a bit of optimism“.
Listen to the 34 minute long interview with Ana Kirova and do not only think about LOVE without judgement but also about FRIENDSHIP, FAMILY, BUSINESS and SEX without judgement- basically LIFE. Let’s grow together from fearful and fake personas toward authenticity without judgement.
Ana Kirova is the CEO of the dating platform ‘Feeld’, an app that helps people break free from traditional norms, explore alternative relationships, and discover the boundless potential for love that comes with accepting yourself and others without judgment.
I am fascinated by the dynamic changes of the energy market. I can clearly see some of the transitions that we will see in the near future and I have a vision. Read my journey and join the movement 😉.
When I started researching a solution for our roof I was surprised that there was no convincing and available solutions that combined tiles and solar panels- you can read about that in my other story HERE.
After the planning phase we started our personal energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable with the installation of solar panels, battery storage and wallbox around our house- and we did not stop there. We exchanged our combustion car with an electric one and later this year we will change from gas heating to an air-source heat pump. Looks like our personal energy transition is almost complete.
The learnings along that journey were incredible. For example I did not trust the impression that heat pumps are THE solution. You can find every opinion about that online and from people working in the heating-market. Especially for our house from the 1970s I researched EVERY possible solution, formed my own opinion and in the end decided on a heat pump.
The point is that we need everybody to save the world. Part of that journey is decarbonizing the grid and transportation.
It is important to understand that we are now energy consumers AND producers. We produce energy with our solar panels and we have two batteries, one in the basement and one in our car.
Image copyright by „bulletin of the atomic scientists“
As we electrify everything, the three sectors energy, heat & mobility are merging. It is understood that we can produce our own energy from renewable resources and we have to if we want to limit global warming to max. 1.5°.
The situation in our house today is that most of the components do not talk to each other. Every device has an app and is „optimizing“ itself while the benefits of one connected system are obvious:
The reality is that only our solar panels and the battery in the basement are connected. The other devices are not. Of course I have several apps and switching between them drives me crazy. I would prefer a convenient solution for ALL the systems. And that is only my selfish view.
The solution is a home-energy-management-system (HEMS) that links all the components and manages our consumption and distribution for us. There are companies on the market who offer systems like that- so far they are not compatible with our components- I’ve checked, and I have my fingers crossed that manufacturers open their interfaces so that we can work with a HEMS soonish.
The biggest opportunity, the battery in our car, is not connected to the system and not able to provide energy when we need it (bidirectional charging). The car battery is more than 3 times the size of the one in the basement and could make a BIG difference. Maybe one of the future over-the-air-updates can fix that🤞🏼.
Imagine a home where energy, heat and mobility are connected devices in one system. Our solar panels would power our energy consumption and use the two batteries that are in the basement and in the car to store energy. We would consume energy from our 2 batteries and only then we would consume energy from the grid when it is needed. The intelligent management and predictions of AI for all the connected devices would result in a high degree of self-sufficiency and cheap energy consumption from the grid.
Today this is called Vehicle-to-Home (V2H). To learn more about V2H, follow the link HERE.
Our neighbours could benefit from an intelligent and connected system as well. If you imagine that we have energy from solar panels, wind, water and biomass, short term storage in our houses AND cars and we can distribute the energy in a connected grid- this is my dream. This is called Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) or Virtual Power Plants (VPP).
The technology is there for clean energy production, storage, infrastructure for distribution (smart meters, AC and DC wallboxes, home-energy-management-systems with AI and some cars are ready for bidirectional charging).
Do you know how long a private car is parked and can support V2G? Learn this and more HERE.
This video is from 2019 and explains VPP very simple- include vehicles and violà.
THE LONG-TERM FUTURE
This is where the conjectures begin:
Maybe LADE GmbH’s V2G simulator is right, and we don’t need seasonal storage when we reach or overachieve our renewable energy goals and we integrate all our electric cars into the system.
I think that in security-driven countries like Germany we will invest into long-term or seasonal storage solutions for the winter. I don’t know which technology will be the best solution here but at the moment it looks like a battle between different battery storage technologies and green hydrogen- maybe both systems together in different regions. Another clever option is to use the existing power plants until the production of renewable energy is sufficient- and of course to change their energy production to hydrogen.
I know that this is a dramatically simplified view on the energy market in the future and that there are many stages to get there. The technology exists and we need a rollout with speed and scale to achieve this vision of clean energy for everybody. Inventions will support or catapult the system along the way.
Producing our own renewable energy changes everything and lowers our energy-costs. At the same time we adapt the grid-infrastructure from centralized energy production to decentral, connect the components and we are ready for intelligent, clean and cheap energy for an industrial nation that claims to be a leader.
Let’s unite the people that make this energy transition a reality. There are initiatives, pilot projects and companies who are successfully transitioning the energy market already. Still they have the potential to join forces and work on a shared vision together- the more the better for us and for the planet.
It is in our hands to change from dependence to independence! With an international view: we are gaining a competitive advantage because we will be able to export clean energy as the energy market is European. What are we waiting for?
After having a clear vision „the what“, leaders and their teams can focus on „the how“. This includes training people because future skills are needed for the transition to this new market-design. It will be key to find partners and join forces to mobilize as many people as possible to achieve the goal of clean energy for all. Let’s break down the big goal into opportunities and key results (OKRs) and go for them step by step.
Meine „Lieblings-Aktivistin“ Barbie Breakout hat einen Kommentar zum CSD Berlin geschrieben, und ich habe davon motiviert meine Gedanken aufgeschrieben:
Ich schätze Barbie Breakout und Ihre Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema gesellschaftliche Weiterentwicklung SEHR! Sie erzählt die Stories von marginalisierten Menschen, die entweder von anderen falsch oder gar nicht erzählt werden! Und es sind genau diese Stories, die wir brauchen, um unsere Gesellschaft weiterzuentwickeln, denn:
„Niemals hat irgendeine gesellschaftliche Weiterentwicklung für eine marginalisierte Gruppe dadurch stattgefunden, dass sich Leute angepasst haben, sich in die letzte Reihe gesetzt haben und den Mund gehalten haben. Never“
Barbie Breakout
Meiner Meinung nach befinden wir uns in einem gesellschaftlichen Umbruch, in dem die Privilegien des weißen Patriarchats abnehmen. Es entstehen viele neue Kategorien, Labels und Sprache, womit Menschen aus dem, was vorher als „Normal“ oder „Mehrheit“ bezeichnet wurde, ausbrechen.
Zuerst gab es eine Regenbogen-Flagge, heute gibt es je nach Quelle mehr als 50 Varianten.
Während ich Repräsentation sehr gut verstehe, frage ich mich schon: wie klein muss die Gruppe sein, um mit einer extra Flagge repräsentiert zu werden?
Meine Idee von gesellschaftlicher Weiterentwicklung ist, dass wir 50+ Varianten des Regenbogens nicht brauchen, sondern zu dem Punkt kommen, an dem der Regenbogen als Symbol für alle Menschen steht, die Ihre Individualität feiern und dafür gefeiert werden. Wir müssen die Angst und die Vorurteile gegenüber Individualität abbauen.
Die Macht des Regenbogens
Unter diesem inklusiven Regenbogen sind wir viele und haben Macht! Die Macht, die Gesellschaft in die Richtung zu bewegen, in der wir uns NICHT gegenseitig hassen und bekämpfen.
Wenn wir endlich verstehen wie groß diese Gruppe von sich respektierenden Individualisten ist und wie mächtig wir sind, bräuchten kleine Gruppen keine Scheindebatten über kleine Themen führen. Viele dieser Debatten sind unnötig, rauben uns Kraft und führen nicht zum Ziel- und wir wissen, dass genau das vom Patriarchat gewollt ist.
In unseren Bubbles geht es uns gut. Das Problem dabei ist: wir können unsere Bubbles nicht mitnehmen, wenn wir uns im öffentlichen Raum bewegen und dort angegriffen werden. Wir müssen unseren Mund aufmachen und laut bleiben bzw. werden! Solange, bis es kein „anders“ mehr gibt und wir genauso geschützt sind wie Heteros.
Wir brauchen eine öffentliche Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema wohin und wie wir unsere Gesellschaft weiterentwickeln wollen. Durch Verbote für marginaliserte Gruppen erreichen wir nur deren Kriminalisierung. Herausforderungen gibt es genug. Nur wenn wir uns auf die großen und wichtigen Themen konzentrieren, werden wir diese Veränderung schaffen!
Deshalb mein Appell zum Pride-Month 2023:
Sprecht mit Menschen, die nicht in Eurer Bubble leben. Führt Diskussionen, fragt Euch und andere: in welcher Gesellschaft will ich und wollen die nächsten Generationen leben?
Schlagen wir die Brücke von der Vergangenheit über die Gegenwart in die Zukunft. Wir können sie jetzt noch aktiv gestalten. Ich möchte nicht in die Situation kommen, dass ich keine Wahlmöglichkeit mehr habe und meine Handlungen kriminalisiert werden- zum Glück lebe ich in Deutschland. Nutzen wir die Gelegenheiten, die uns CSD und Pride bieten.
Mein CSD-Motto-Vorschlag 2023 ist: HassLiebe.
Allein der Titel macht auf die steigenden Übergriffe auf LGBTQ+Personen aufmerksam und liefert die Beweise für alle, die sagen „ihr habt doch alles erreicht“. Davon ausgehend können wir diskutieren, workshoppen, andere Bubbles kennenlernen, Initiativen anstoßen und hoffentlich Gesetze verabschieden, die sich für einen liebevollen und respektvollen Umgang mit diversen Menschen einsetzen und sie schützen, solange es notwendig ist.
Mein Ziel ist eine nachhaltige Welt, in der Diversität gefeiert wird. Wie erreichen wir das? Eigentlich wie immer, mit Aufklärung und Bildung. Natürlich brauchen wir auf dem Weg Disruption- ohne wird es nicht gehen. Deswegen ist es um so wichtiger zu wissen:
Wer bin ich, und in welcher Gesellschaft möchte ich leben?
Starten wir die große Diskussion- so werden auch die kleinen Diskussionen einfacher.
Ich könnte hier viele Beispiele auflisten, wann Situationen als Krise bezeichnet wurden, und die Herausforderungen wiederholen, die heute und in der Zukunft anstehen. Die Frage, die ich mir immer wieder stelle, ist: warum machen wir das?
Fangen wir vorne an und gucken auf die Definition des Wortes „Krise“:
Eine Krise (lateinisch Crisis) ist im Allgemeinen ein Höhepunkt oder Wendepunkt einer gefährlichen Konfliktentwicklung in einem natürlichen oder sozialen System, dem eine massive und problematische Funktionsstörung über einen gewissen Zeitraum vorausging und der eher kürzer als länger andauert.[1]
Die mit dem Wendepunkt verknüpfte Entscheidungssituation bietet in der Regel sowohl die Chance zur Lösung der Konflikte als auch die Möglichkeit zu deren Verschärfung.[2] Dass es sich hierbei um einen Wendepunkt handelt, kann jedoch oft erst konstatiert werden, nachdem die Krise abgewendet oder beendet wurde.[3] Nimmt die Entwicklung einen dauerhaft negativen Verlauf, so spricht man von einer Katastrophe (wörtlich in etwa „Niedergang“).
Quelle: Wikipedia
Wenn ich diese Definition lese, kann ich sofort sagen, dass die Bezeichnung einer Situation als Krise FALSCH ist. Die Bewertung einer Situation als Krise kann erst NACH dem Abwenden oder Beenden der Situation stattfinden.
Erschaffen wir selbsterfüllende Prophezeiungen, indem wir Situationen als Krise bezeichnen, bevor wir die „Krise“ abwenden oder beenden? Sind wir mit verantwortlich für die Katastrophe?
Die gegebene Entscheidungssituation wird nicht neutral und vollständig betrachtet. Wir limitieren uns selbst und sehen nur die Krise und nicht die Chance. Chancen werden übersehen, eine Abwenden der Krise wird so unwahrscheinlich. Wir verbauen uns den Weg aus einer Situation hin zu einer Anastrophe!
Ich finde es sehr bezeichnend, dass jeder das Wort „Katastrophe“ kennt, und ich erst einmal das Gegenteil von Katastrophe googeln musste:
Unter einer Anastrophe (griechisch Αναστροφή = Kehrtwende, aus aná = um, hinauf und stréphein wenden) versteht man in der Soziologie (Walter L. Bühl, Dieter Claessens) den Gegenbegriff zur „Katastrophe“: eine umfassende oder lokale Wendung zum Besseren.
Quelle: Wikipedia
Warum bewerten wir so viele Entscheidungssituationen als Krise?
Wir können aus dem Krisen-Modus in den Chancen-Modus wechseln:
Nehmen wir das Gute der Krise, die Dringlichkeit, und erschaffen wir jetzt die Geschwindigkeit und das Ausmaß für eine globale Anastrophe.
Unter einer Anastrophe (Kunstwort für eine Umkehrung, aus dem griechischen ἀνά aná = hinauf und στρέφειν stréphein = wenden) oder auch Inversion (lateinisch Umkehr) versteht man eine rhetorische Figur, bei der abweichend von der üblichen grammatikalischen Wortstellung zwei sprachlich zusammengehörende Worte umgestellt werden.
Quelle: Wikipedia
Girl, 2022 was a fantastic year for music and the year when I saw so many artists live as all the postponed concerts finally took place- except Tori Amos and I will see her in April.
One of my 2022 highlights was Sasha Velour’s smoke & mirrors show. The confluence of drag, projections, story telling and lip-synced music is exquisite performance art and a show that is hard to describe. Educational, entertaining and diversity-affirming (I would say). If you don’t know her house, take a look at the house of Velour’s youtube channel.
January 2023 ended with the long anticipated release of Sam Smith’s album „gloria“ and boy, they delivered. „Unholy“ was already one of the songs of 2022 and „I’m not here to make friends“ is how I imagine an unapologetic George Michael song AND video in 2023- let’s go outside and let’s see Sam live in May.
One of the early surprises of the year is Jake Shear’s new song and video „too much music“. This song is in my ear on repeat and I am not getting tired of it.
After 2 fantastic singles RAYE released her album „my 21st century blues“. This beautiful and talented singer with a message is fucking killing it. The Graham Norton show moment is only one of many examples that prove it. Listen to „environmental anxiety“ and you will find the topics I’m talking about in that song. You’re welcome for this rabbit hole.
Queen bey finally gave us the announcement of a tour and I will do a lot to see her in Frankfurt this year after seeing the OTR II tour 2018. Fingers crossed.
This weekend we will have the Grammys, the super bowl halftime show and the BRITS follow later this month and I am already looking forward to those live performances. Enjoy