Dear friends,
It’s time for another quarterly update on our personal lives: what we’ve experienced over the past three months (July–Sept 2026), what we’ve learned, and what we’re looking forward to in the next three months or so.
Hormones are very powerful
Monica started this quarter with very little energy and the need to be left alone. She only realized what was going on after a thorough investigation and many meetings with multiple doctors. The conversation with each doctor started like this: “I’m not here to take any treatment yet. In this conversation, I want to educate myself and learn about this issue.”
After digging and investigating, she discovered the cause: the hormonal changes that come with perimenopause. They can dramatically affect your sleep, headaches, menstrual pain, sexual appetite, mental clarity, irritability, all the way to how much you want to live. Yes, it’s that serious!
So, if you’re a woman and you’re doing everything right (time for sleep, diet, exercise, sun exposure) but something still feels wrong, you may want to look into hormones. Unfortunately, there is very little support in this area, and many doctors don’t know enough about hormonal treatment.
We have a dear friend in her thirties who was misdiagnosed with severe depression and given heavy medication for it. Two years later, she discovered the real problem: a hormonal imbalance. Imagine taking drugs that confuse your brain for two years without giving the body what it really needs. Terrible!
Also, the literature in this field is scarce. One of the best books about hormonal changes during menopause is written in German, and it hasn’t been translated into English yet (thank you, Stefanie Mielert, for recommending this book!).
Woman on Fire: Alles über die fabelhaften Wechseljahre (German Edition)
Tip: If you don’t speak German, you can buy the electronic version of the book and translate it into your language with an AI like GPT or Claude. And of course, you can look for other books that are available in English.
Two new books
Speaking of books… we started writing two new books this summer. They are on the same topic, but one is a novel and the other is non-fiction. We’ll keep you curious for now, but we’ll only say this: this is our most important contribution to humanity so far.
It is an amazing topic.
It is very aligned with us.
You are going to love it.
:))))))
Did we make you curious? 😇
Working on public speaking skills
At the beginning of August, we tried to escape the heat in Spain and went to Western Ireland to work on our public speaking skills with another couple. We love learning, and public speaking is an area where we still have a lot to learn.
We are still together as a couple today because we learned together. We’ve seen many couples divorce because they simply grew in separate directions. Most likely, we would’ve parted ways too if it hadn’t been for learning together.
In Ireland, we had a castle from 1450 just for the two of us. We had never stayed in a castle before. Very cool experience!
We had never been to Ireland before either, and we fell in love with the nature there. The Burren is an area we highly recommend if you want somewhere that isn’t too hot during the summer.
Kenya with Elena and Bart
After Ireland, Monica went to Kenya with her daughter, Elena, and her boyfriend, Bart. One thing about Monica… she loves animals. When we were in London, she would jump like a child every time she saw a common squirrel or a fox (yes, there are foxes in London!).
So, the real reason she went to Kenya was to see the Great Migration. They went on safari every day and saw all kinds of animals.
Our first short film
We worked with a team of pros to produce a short film about… Well, it’s a surprise. We filmed in London and in the UK countryside. Here is a one-minute teaser. The film will be released within a month, together with a new website. Can’t wait!
New home
For the last four years, we’ve traveled full-time. Two months here, three months there. We visited all six continents + Antarctica. But this lifestyle also has many drawbacks. Just imagine having everything you own in a suitcase!
For more than a year, we’ve wanted to be more stable and spend more time in one place. And now we’ve finally found the place: a nice traditional house in Ibiza, in the countryside. We plan to spend more time here over the next four years. After that, we’ll see.
The Alchemy of the Shadow
This quarter, Monica delivered a very special program for the first time: The Alchemy of the Shadow. We received amazing feedback from the attendees, and many perceived it as life-changing. We wrote a short article about “the shadow” here. Here is what a few people said:
“It was the most powerful program I ever did.” – Lia M.
“Initially, I thought it was nonsense to work on the traits of the Sun. After I did the exercise, I was amazed at the power of it.” – Marc D.
“I never felt one with everything. I heard about this, but I never experienced it myself. Now it was the first time I felt that. I felt expanded.” – Maria C.
What is NEXT
Retreat in Vietnam
We are leaving for Vietnam in a few days, where we will meet with 30+ amazing people. The retreat is sold out since we only organize one or two per year. But if you want to spend eight days with us, the next retreat is a great way of doing that.
We are planning one in Ibiza (women only) in May and one in Costa Rica next year about this time.
In a few days we will be in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, called Ha Long Bay. It’s an archipelago with more than 2,000 little islands, and we will have a private traditional Vietnamese cruise ship, navigating between them and working on advanced stuff. Dream!
Settling into the new home
After Vietnam, we’ll go home and settle into our new house. It’s been a while since we had a home 😇 Yey!
Surprise project
In December, we are planning to start a secret project. It will be a YouTube show, but not a podcast. We plan to do something very different from anything you already know. Did we make you a little curious? We hope so! 🙂
That’s it from us. We hope you found something inspiring reading about our challenges and wins this quarter.
And again… Thank you for being an important part of our life and following our journey.
Monica and Stefan