After reporting as a fashion journalist and later running her own content agency, Stephanie Neumann changed course to become a certified yoga teacher and illustrator - now with her own line of hand-painted affirmation cards. She’s lived throughout Europe and loves to explore, and she shared a bit of her incredible story with us below.
Curiosity. I am always open to trying something new, and I’m always looking for the next adventure.
“I’m always looking for the next adventure.”
In the summer of 2018, I was very ill. I was undergoing cancer treatment and travelling on public transport. My bald head was covered with a turban when some random guy spotted me. He smiled at me and said, “peace to the hippy!” He hadn’t noticed that I was ill. That made me so happy. The Happie Hippie project for a positive approach towards cancer was born.
I have two: the first one is from my childhood; If somebody talks badly about you, let them, and then live your life so that nobody believes them. The second is from Leonard Cohen: There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.
Pizza, pasta and a bottle of red with friends at Cecconi’s.
At Café Daluma on Weinbergsweg, delicious and healthy.
I have been meaning to try Kreuzberger Himmel for ages. It’s a restaurant project where Syrian refugees are invited to cook, and a beautiful example of how integration can work.
I love how Berlin is international. There’s a start-up buzz, and there’s a unique mix of things in the city. You can lead all sorts of different lives from very remote and humble to outgoing and wild. Along those lines, I don’t really have a typical day. I start with meditation and yoga, and take it from there. Sometimes I go to my office, sometimes I work from home, sometimes I write, sometimes I draw, sometimes I meet somebody for lunch, sometimes I cook for myself. I try not to get caught up in routine, and Berlin is the perfect place for this.
I’m currently writing a book about my journey through cancer. I am about to go on a trip to South Africa for a travel article, and soon I will begin to give yoga lessons to cancer patients which I am particularly excited about.
London is certainly the most inspirational city I have ever come across, there is something new and unexpected behind every corner. Paris is simply beautiful, I particularly love the cute, narrow streets of the Latin Quarter and the chic old ladies from Saint-Germain-des-Prés. In Berlin, I settled down because of the people. I found the best friends ever here and the love of my life.
Marrakesh is the place I keep going back to. Getting lost in the Souk and being woken up by the morning prayers is part of the magic. Next on my list are the Dolomites. I have a friend from there, and her stories and pictures are so amazing that I need to see it for myself.
“Marrakesh is the place I keep going back to. Getting lost in the Souk and being woken up by the morning prayers is part of the magic.”
The Grand in Ahrenshoop. A gem by the Baltic sea run by a lovely couple, it’s the perfect weekend getaway if you want a break from Berlin.
In the early 2000’s, I was invited to do an interview during New York Fashion Week. It happened to coincide with Christo’s art project “The Gates” in Central Park. The other journalists and I went ice skating in the middle of all of this, which was pretty special. Another amazing journey was a road trip in an oldtimer to Portofino following the jet set glamour of the 1950s.
Thanks so much for sharing your amazing story with us, Stephanie! Your Berlin list has inspired us to plan a trip there ASAP.
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