I got to know Nonviolent Communication by chance in 2011 when I accompanied my parents to an introductory seminar and was immediately impressed: everything about NVC seemed so beautifully clear and simple to me, and it was very easy to grasp intellectually. In the years that followed, I gradually came to realize that Nonviolent interaction is simple but far from easy when you have lived for decades in a society where rewards and punishment are the order of the day.

Especially with my children, but also as a manager, I had incredibly high expectations of myself and was hard on myself if I didn’t succeed in making my fellow human beings "happy." I was often insecure because I wanted to do it "right" at all costs and lost my sense of proportion. Deep down, I believed that it was more important to take responsibility for others and their needs than to take responsibility for myself and my needs.

I longed for self-love and acceptance. But it took a marital crisis and the great pain it caused to finally enable me to stand up for myself and my needs. Along the way, I learned that anger enables me to love myself if I recognize it in time and transform it into clarity. My relationships – with my husband, my family, and my fellow human beings – have become more lively for me since then, and I have gained a lot of security.

As an NVC trainer, I want to inspire other people to take themselves seriously, to stand up for themselves without violence and to take the risk of being imperfect. I want to contribute to an empathetic and lively community – not just between us humans but in connection with all living things.