ABOUT
THE REAL STORY
I was on a plane, midway to my destination and needed to use the restroom. As soon as I entered, I pulled out my phone. Taking out my phone became part of the restroom experience. Although I knew that there was no internet on the plane, and although most of my apps didn't work offline, I still ended up with an unlocked phone in my hands.
I remember myself scrolling from one home screen to the other… without doing anything at all. I opened a couple of apps, just to close them within seconds as they were useless while offline. There was simply nothing to do on my phone. But still, there I was, tapping and swiping.
It made me realize that my phone was controlling me. I needed to touch it, to hold it in my hands and use it. At that very moment, I decided that I needed to untether myself, to find ways to remove and reduce some of the urgency I was feeling around my smartphone. I didn't want to give up on it, I wanted to upgrade my own relationship with myself and the technologies in my life...
WHY AM I DOING MY WORK?
I believe that in times where the average American spends 12.5h per day connected to media, we only have a limited amount of time available to take care of ourselves. The online world requires us to be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared, otherwise we will drown in the addictive spirals created by algorithms designed to keep us engaged. Understanding how we can create a healthy relationship with our devices is the most critical skill of this century. Without it, we will waste our lives into the ether of the internet. With it, we will achieve our dreams and live fulfilled lives!
My services are all centered around the theme of human connection, understanding yourself deeply and creating the base that is needed to cope with our lives spent online. Mentally, physically and emotionally, we need to be prepared to spend more time connected than we spend in the real world. As of 2020, we already are doing that...
01
LIFE
I grew up in Austria where I fled to after my country of birth - Former Yugoslavia - was becoming unstable in what would become a long, multiyear civil war. I learned to rely on other humans early on in my life. And I also learned how to trust in others and what life has prepared for me.
I became obsessed with playing tennis and also with computers. I built my own PC as a teen, played computer games for hours every day and couldn't do anthing else except spend most of my time thinking about the games. My dream became to one day, move to Silicon Valley and be at the heart of where technology is created.
After 10 years of working on electric cars, brain stimulating devices and Apple computers, I decided to take a break from tech and refocus on what truly matters, living a fulfilled live in harmony with a purpose. I started exploring myself more deeply and came to the conclusion that technology has the power to bring me joy and happiness or take that away from me. And it is not always clear what it does and when, unless I give it my fullest attention.
02
EDUCATION
In my personal and educational life, I was always fascinated by two subjects: human behavior and technology. Today, I combine the two in my work as a Product Manager, Coach, Advisor and Tech Author.
My first step in my educational life was obviously finishing High School, but after that I got a Bachelor's and Master's degree in behavioral economics in Austria. A few years later, I was accepted into the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, where I got my MBA. My focus, naturally, was entrepreneurship and tech, before continuing my career in Silicon Valley.
A year later, I decided that it was time for me to study again and so I went through a coding bootcamp. Will I ever become a great coder? Probably not, but I learned the mindset of programmers, which differs significantly from the thinking process that I had experienced at hardware companies. Learning quick, failing quick and being imperfect is not only human but also how many of the best programmers create their code... but it is not what most educational institutions teach us to do.
03
EXPERIENCES
I have been lucky and privileged to work at, and work with some of the most successful companies in the world. As a product, project and program manager, I have:
- Helped BMW introduce the first line of electric vehicles
- Oversaw Mac product introductions at Apple
- Led product marketing at Lucid Motors and helped organize their public reveal
Today, I work with clients, mostly startups, to make their visions visible and become reality. Companies range from neuro-tech to education and growth. I am proud to have a 100% satisfaction rate with my clients and the Vision Quest workshop. Hit me up if you want to know more!