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About Me Stories

A publication dedicated to bringing out the stories behind the writers themselves. A place of autobiographies. Types of personal stories include introductions, memoirs, self-reflections, and self-love.

About Me — A Child of the Tides

6 min readMar 10, 2025

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Freediving with Nurse Sharks in the Maledives.

I built a career bigger than my wildest dreams. I had far more money than I could spend, status, a career that turned heads.

So why did I feel like I was suffocating?

Leaving behind everything I worked for was not easy. But neither was staying.

Today, I am sitting on the balcony of a tiny cafe, with steaming coffee overlooking a park in Mexico City, having built a life that once felt impossible. Building a new home, opening a wine bistro, and creating a career on my own terms — things I have never imagined when I was drowning in spreadsheets (do not get me wrong, I have a wild adoration for excel).

I grew up in a small German village, spending my days racing with my sister through the fields and falling off half-wild ponies.

To my own and everyone’s surprise, I joined one of the largest investment funds worldwide. I loved the adrenaline, embraced the long hours and rather thrived under time pressure. I learned so much in a few years that felt like a whole lifetime of a career. Yet, I often joked with my friends: One day, I will travel — no plan, just adventure.

My life looked perfect on paper, yet I felt trapped in a cycle that no longer resonated with me. Everything changed when senior management shifted.

What had once been a demanding but fulfilling role spiraled into a cycle of micromanagement and chaos. My working hours ballooned from intense to unsustainable, yet my output remained the same (not surprising, is it?). Drowning in contradicting communication, I started doubting my own sanity. I went from overly excited to silent tears at the mere thought of work. My body felt the toll of relentless stress, and my mind kept running in circles.

[It is remarkable that highly paid investment managers usually do not receive training in people management.]

Disillusionised and during the decision of simply joining another fund, I booked a trip — to clear my head. Somewhere between questioning the whole industry and curiosity of traveling for longer, a wild idea took hold: what if I gave myself some time to breathe? Rethink how I want to spend my life instead of jumping back into the rat race?

So, I set a goal — to become a surfer (quite ironic, considering I was so afraid of the ocean that I used to start crying on my floating surfboard surrounded by tini tiny waves — honestly).

I gave myself three months, then six, then twelve months to return to investments. However, something had already shifted.

Funnily enough, I was supposed to stay one night in Mexico City before heading to the Oaxacan coast. But the city made me feel alive. It felt right to be here. I loved it even though I had no plan what to do there, no support network, and barely spoke the language.

Instead of joining another fund and going back to London, I left the perceived security of a prestigious career. I created a life that blends my ambition with authenticity, a new definition of success that includes a free time schedule while increasing my wealth, and drive with meaning. A career that is aligned with my values.

I had no roadmap. Just a deep need to build a life that felt as good as it looked. Through trial and error, I learned what truly fuels a fulfilling career — and what slowly drains the soul.

That is how Child of the Tides was born.

I coach highly driven minds — people like you — who are questioning the path they have chosen while wondering if the drive that got them here is still the right one.

My work is for those who have spent years chasing external success fueled by existential pressure, only to feel emptier inside.

I help my clients navigate career shifts, identity shifts, and deeper work of aligning sucess with who they really are. I know firsthand what is on the other side of that transformation.

I write about lessons I had to learn the hard way — the mistakes, the fears, the emptiness, the horror of not knowing who I was anymore or what to think about myself. The confusion about my future life.

I know what it is like to attach your worth to a job title, to push through exhaustion, and to wonder if changing course means throwing everything away — all that hard work, that sacrifice.

The fear of the gap in the CV is real. I get it.

However, I know what is possible. I live it right now. The clarity of where I am going, the power of choosing how I spend my time (gosh I love it so much!), the ability of chasing spontaneous adventures. The confidence from redefining success with my own values and terms.

I truly love it. I go on sponatenous surf trips in El Salvador, freedive with nurse sharks in the Maledives, witness eight humpback whales accompanying us in Baja California, or float beside whale sharks in the Riviera Maya.

Every cell in my body feels alive. A feeling no billion dollar deal could have generated before.

Why spend time with my STORIES?

The journey I have been through was tough. Really f* (are you allowed to swear here?) tough. I cried, I lost myself. My mind went through every possible worst case scenario in painstaking detail. My body suffered from all the anxiety that build up in my stomach, my chest cramped from all the sadness inside of me.

If I can help just one person to avoid the pain (not to be confused with the pain to stay in your comfort zone) I had to move through, I am grateful.

I would have loved to read these kind of stories a few years ago, someone who shows me it is actually possible. You are not throwing everything away, you are just redefining your life based on your values and what truly fulfills you.

I am not saying to become a shaman and move to a hut on the Mexican beach (however, if this is your dream, go for it). There are millions of different scenarios to live a better life for yourself — without selling your Porsche or give up hot showers. Define it on your own terms.

I write for high achieving skeptics, the ambitious souls who feel something is missing but are terrified of exploring what that might be. The ones who know they are meant for more but do not know what more looks like yet.

My stories are here to spark inspiration, provoke reflection, challenge the status quo and help you take steps toward a career and life that actually feels as good as they look.

If any of the above resonates with you, you are at the right place.

If you are at crossroads — unsure if you are running on ambition or just existential fuel, questioning if success still feels like success— I see you. You do not have to navigate it alone.

Explore www.childofthetides.com, where I share more insights, coaching opportunities, and tools to help you navigate your own career evolution without having to walk the tough path I went through.

Let us redefine success together — not based on society’s terms or our partners, or parents, or friends — but on your own.

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About Me Stories
About Me Stories

Published in About Me Stories

A publication dedicated to bringing out the stories behind the writers themselves. A place of autobiographies. Types of personal stories include introductions, memoirs, self-reflections, and self-love.

Child of the Tides
Child of the Tides

Written by Child of the Tides

As a coach, focusing on high performing minds, I spill the real talk on "work-life" balance, purpose, and building a coaching biz while adding my love for surf.