From Salzburger Nachrichten to Die Welt: My Media Highlights of 2025

As the year draws to a close, it feels like the right moment to pause and reflect. Looking back, 2025 was also a meaningful year from a media perspective. Not because of visibility alone, but because many of the topics that have shaped my work for years were explored in depth across respected media outlets. From leading Austrian newspapers such as Salzburger Nachrichten to internationally recognized German publications like Die Welt.

What connects all of these contributions is not the stage itself, but the substance behind it. Topics such as corporate culture, leadership, customer enthusiasm, storytelling, and personal impact formed a common thread throughout the year.

Corporate Culture, Rituals, and Leadership Values

One of the central themes of 2025 was the role of rituals within organizations. Major Austrian newspapers such as Oberösterreichische Nachrichten and Kurier reported on how rituals can strengthen employee engagement and long-term commitment. In a guest commentary for Salzburger Nachrichten—one of Austria’s most respected quality newspapers—I took this idea a step further by adding an important distinction: rituals must never become an end in themselves. To truly foster team spirit, they need to remain flexible, relevant, and authentic.

This perspective is also a core element of my keynote speeches, where rituals are presented as tools for orientation, identification, and genuine enthusiasm. Seeing these ideas resonate in leading media reinforced how relevant this topic currently is for companies.

Leadership, Presence, and Personal Impact

Another strong focus throughout the year was leadership and personal presence. On July 30, I was a guest on MACH ES, the career and lifestyle podcast by DIE MACHER, where we discussed authenticity, leadership presence, and how leaders can truly inspire people. A similar focus appeared earlier in the year in my interview on the podcast hosted by Katrin Hill, which centered on communication, impact, and performance in front of an audience.

These conversations also highlight the connection between my work as a keynote speaker and my role as a moderator. In both, the goal is to make content tangible, create engagement, and open spaces for real connection. This perspective was also reflected in coverage of my moderation work in widely read Austrian outlets such as Kronen Zeitung—the country’s largest daily newspaper—and Kurier, another national quality paper.

Customer Enthusiasm as a Growth Driver

In June, Austria’s leading business and marketing publication medianet featured a case study on Pappas Austria, the country’s largest Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle dealer. Together with the Pappas team, a customer journey was developed that focuses on emotional engagement rather than price-driven discount strategies. The result was a measurable increase in customer loyalty and an expected revenue uplift of at least five percent.

This case clearly demonstrates that customer enthusiasm is not a “soft” concept, but a tangible economic lever. It is an approach I regularly support with real-world examples in my keynote presentations.

Storytelling, Careers, and Persuasion

Another topic that gained international attention in 2025 was storytelling in the context of job interviews and career development. On August 11 and September 25, articles appeared in Business Insider and Die Welt—both among Germany’s most influential business and daily newspapers—highlighting my insights on how candidates can stand out by telling compelling stories.

The focus was not on self-promotion, but on impact. Well-told stories are proven to stay in memory far longer than pure facts. Complementing this perspective, Personal Manager, a leading German HR publication, published an article on October 28 examining why storytelling is particularly powerful from a leadership and decision-maker’s point of view. These insights are based on a storytelling framework I have been teaching for years as a coach and university lecturer.

Mindset and Personal Development

The media year concluded with a guest commentary for LEADERSNET Austria, a prominent business and leadership platform, published on November 20. The article explored how unconscious belief systems can limit personal growth in professional life and offered practical impulses on how to recognize and overcome these internal barriers.

A Year with Depth and Impact

Throughout the year, I moderated numerous events and conducted many interviews myself. Yet the moments when other media outlets gave space to my ideas were particularly valuable to me. They offer opportunities for reflection, for sharpening one’s thinking, and for consciously reassessing one’s path.

From a media perspective, 2025 was a year defined by depth rather than volume. And that is exactly what I take with me into the future.