When I was a kid, I could lose myself for hours in adventure stories. It didn’t matter whether they took place at sea, in the desert, at the North Pole or deep in the jungle.
But what captivated me most were the safari stories. Hemingway-style. Africa. Kilimanjaro.
I dreamed of standing out there in the wild. Watching elephants roam. Hearing the distant roar of a lion. Maybe one day seeing the majestic Ngorongoro crater. Or climbing Kilimanjaro.
Years later, that dream came true.
I found myself planting coffee around my own lodge, right on the edge of Kilimanjaro National Park. Returning from trips to remote bush camps. Sitting with guests at sunset, drink in hand, while elephants came to bathe — trumpeting joyfully into the dusk.
I couldn’t believe that this had become my life.
what I hadn’t learned yet
And then things fell apart.
My business in East Africa crumbled. Promises were broken. Partnerships dissolved. Everything I had built slipped through my fingers — and I was left with questions I didn’t yet know how to answer.
Looking back now, I can name the two biggest lessons that changed the course of my life:
First: You need to know who you are.
It wasn’t until 2012 that I truly gave myself permission to ask:
Who am I?
What do I want?
And what if I stopped calling these things “just dreams”?
Once I stopped trying to be who I thought I should be — and instead aligned with who I really was — things started falling into place. Not through effort. But through clarity.
Second: You need to be able to communicate that truth — and protect it.
I made the mistake of thinking others were as clear and honest as I was trying to be. I listened to their words. I wanted to believe. But I didn’t pay attention to what didn’t match.
And I didn’t know how to ask the kind of questions that uncover what’s really going on — behind the polite phrases, behind the empty reassurances.
It’s one thing to know what you need.
It’s another to say it — and be understood.
And it’s something else entirely to find out what someone really means, not just what they say.
why communication became my foundation
Since then, these lessons became the foundation of my work.
It’s what I now call the alignment journey:
→ Clarity
→ Identity
→ Expression
→ Congruency
→ Sustainability
Because when your thoughts, words, and actions align — something shifts.
Communication becomes less about persuasion, and more about clarity.
You don’t have to convince people anymore. It’s about being true to yourself.
That’s also why I created the MASTERMIND communication workshop.
A 6-month journey.
A small, trusted group.
Real practice. Real feedback. Real shifts.
We meet once a month, online.
We learn to:
– say what we actually mean
– hear what’s actually being said
– uncover the quiet misunderstandings that create the biggest pain
– set boundaries without building walls
– make ourselves understood without proving anything
if this resonates
There are 2 seats still open.
We start July 16.
The Mastermind will be in German.
If this sounds like something you’ve been needing — or if you know someone who might — just reply to this email or send them this link: https://simplicity-of-happiness.com/mastermind/communication/
Thank you for caring enough about truth to walk this kind of path with me.
Did you ever screw up big time, only to realise much later that this was a learning that is shaping your life for the better?
Comment down below or send me an email if you like, I read every email.
All the best & stay awesome – Floh
