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“When you’ve seen a massacre, you can’t carry on living life as normal.” Enrique Steiger, cosmetic and war surgeon
Enrique Steiger is a cosmetic and war surgeon. They sound like two parallel universes, but they actually create a useful symbiosis. His network is helping him create a humanitarian hub for war zones.
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In memory of Andrew Fairlie.
January 22, 2019, Michelin-starred chef Andrew Fairlie has died following a long illness. Last summer we met for an interview. I was deeply moved by the story of this man.
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“I’ve got an extreme drive for perfection.” Jan “Seven” Dettwyler, soul singer
Love, rice and thin air were the only ingredients Jan Dettwyler, aka “Seven,” had to live on when he started out, performing in front of crowds of nine people, all of whom he knew by name.
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“2019 is facing major change.” Beni Huggel, 41, former soccer player and coach
Although Beni Huggel didn’t start out as a professional soccer player until he was 21, he did it right: he was a seven-time Swiss champion with FC Basel and earned 41 caps for the Swiss national team. Now 41, he is embarking on a new career in executive coaching.
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“My life is serious enough!” Silvia Meier-Jauch, ambassador Rheumaliga Schweiz
She’s a woman who catches the eye—attractive, intelligent, funny. And living proof that even when you’re ill, you don’t have to look it.
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“And suddenly, I was scared to death.” Marco Büchel, 47, former ski racer
He wasn’t the most talented, but his fighting spirit took him to the top. Until one morning, when he could hardly get out of the starting gate.
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“I never felt the need to blame anyone.” Priska Ming
She suffered two miscarriages, lost a baby immediately after giving birth, and one of her three sons was born with Down syndrome. And yet, despite all this, Priska Ming, 49, believes that everything happens for a reason.
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“What happens when we’re gone?” Renata Heusser, mother to severely ill Romeo
Renata Heusser Jungman’s 10-year-old son suffers from Dravet syndrome, a rare form of severe epilepsy which is thought to be untreatable.
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“No, I don’t want to be a Federal Councilor.” Walter Thurnherr, 55, Federal Chancellor of Switzerland
As the “eighth member” of the Federal Council, Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr acts an advisor to the Swiss federal government. He does his job so well that he’s being considered as a successor to Doris Leuthard, a departing federal councilor for the political party CVP (Christian Social Party).
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“People often envy me because of my wife.” Piotr Beczala, tenor
At age 50, Piotr Beczala is one of the biggest opera stars, performs on the world’s biggest stages as a lyric tenor, and counts Anna Netrebko among his circle of friends. He modestly attributes his success to his wife Katarzyna, a fellow Pole who gave up her own opera singing career for him. An interview with the two on the power of love, the strengths of taking it slow, and why Mrs. Beczala dreams of goats.
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“People boo and whistle at the opera, just like on the soccer field.” Andreas Homoki, 58, artistic director
Andreas Homoki, curly-haired and perennially clad casually in jeans, is an artist through and through, modern and wild in his ideas. Even if he sometimes ruffles feathers, or hears the odd boo now and then.
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“Opera contains deep feelings you don’t experience in life.” Sabine Appenzeller, music teacher
As a five-year-old, Sabine Appenzeller played opera with her Lego. Today, the fifty-year-old plays a key role at the Zurich Opera House as its right hand. How the auditorium personnel manager handles “opera groupies” and why she didn’t follow her dream of being a professional opera singer.
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“Kim dying was simply not an option for me.” Chris,* 35
On New Year’s Eve in 2017, Chris’ girlfriend Kim died of breast cancer. She was just 30 years old. As the cancer progressed through her body, the couple shared their ups and downs on social media, and discovered a different side of Instagram – one in which a community of total strangers unites around you in your darkest hour. #kimscrew was and continues to be a source of support and strength for Chris – and a way for Kim’s legacy to live on.
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“He won’t make it!” Joachim Schoss, entrepreneur and investor
He stands out. With his elegance and his eloquence. His suave appearance is evidence of many years spent in the world of successful entrepreneurs. As the founder of Scout24 (Immoscout24, Autoscout24, etc.), Joachim Schoss, 55, is well acquainted with success.
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“We need a political sea change!” Carolina Müller-Möhl, investor and philanthropist
She thinks fast, she talks fast – and she’s funny, too. When I sit down to interview Carolina Müller-Möhl, I find a relaxed and fun-loving woman who makes me laugh again and again, despite the seriousness of the issues she fights for as an entrepreneur.
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“I had the painful realization that something was missing.” Nina Ruge, presenter and author
The former presenter of German TV channel ZDF Nina Ruge, 61, on her difficult start in life, on having to struggle alone, and on the pain of not having had children.
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“I want to suffer a little.” Michael von Hassel, photographer
His pictures are just like his life: extreme and intense. How he takes them, too: in Siberia, North Korea, and the Caucasus. Why he goes in search of isolation rather than taking photographs of people, why he could no longer meditate after his father’s death, and what frightened him on his trip to North Korea.
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“I was ready to give my life up for freedom.” Leslie Mandoki, musician and producer
At 22, he fled Communist Hungary and became an enemy of the state dictatorship. Today, Leslie Mandoki, 65, has links with both Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and works to build bridges.