About Me
I was born in Vienna in 1956. Together with my elder sister and younger brother, I grew up in a harmonious environment. Our family’s background is in manufacturing, and from a young age we were taught traditional values such as honesty, modesty and consideration for others.
After leaving school I went on to study medicine at the University of Vienna, where I received my medical degree in 1982. I then gained my initial experience as a doctor working in various departments at Vienna General Hospital, and trained as a specialist in two separate disciplines – oral and maxillofacial surgery, and dental medicine. Seeing at first hand the most severe examples of facial illness and the impact this can have on people’s well-being fundamentally shaped my understanding of my profession. As a doctor, I take a holistic approach to treating patients, always seeing the person as a whole – body, mind and spirit.
For some twenty years I had a general practice for oral surgery together with my first husband, initially in Vienna and then in Salzburg. Our two children Flora and Laurenz, who are now adults, were born during this time.
From an early stage in my 30-year career as a doctor, my interest in people and holistic healing stretched beyond medicine. As such I was keenly interested in the Viennese psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl’s work on logotherapy, and subsequently took courses in this field and existential analysis.
I met my current husband, Stephan, in 2011 through a stroke of good fortune. We immediately found a common bond in our outlook and our love for the beautiful and good things in life, and were married in 2012 in a ceremony attended by our nearest and dearest. Stephan’s outstanding achievements as a businessman, pioneer and philanthropist are a source of great inspiration for me: he has made our world a better place.
Through Stephan I have met a whole range of interesting people and visited some amazing places, but am still at my happiest out in the great outdoors, and surrounded by our friends and family. Playing music, painting and the silent awareness of Zen meditation allow me to recharge my batteries. Meanwhile, engaging in our philanthropic projects has brought me a fresh sense of fulfilment.
