Two Poles pushing human limits: one running marathons in nearly every country on Earth, the other summiting the world’s highest peaks; both pushing human endurance for personal strength.

What drives a person to test the limits of body and spirit? Wojtek Machnik and Magdalena Skawińska,both Polish-born adventurers have redefined what it means to explore the world and the inner frontiers of discipline and resilience.

Wojtek Machnik: Running the World, One Country at a Time

Wojtek Machnik is a man in motion: he’s visited 193 countries and ran 238 marathons in 181 of them.

After 12 years in corporate banking and insurance, he left it all behind in 2016 to create a company combining travel and running, aligned with his own life’s mission.

Wojtek founded a travel agency for marathon enthusiasts, became a dive instructor, and then, in 2018, launched his life’s defining challenge: the 249 Challenge, to complete a marathon in every country and territory on Earth.

From December 2018 to December 2019, he ran 66 marathons in 66 countries, setting a world record for the most marathons completed in different countries within one year.

When COVID-19 halted global races, Wojtek’s creativity continued despite confinement due to quarantine: he famously ran a marathon in flip-flops around his bed, completing 5,626 loops of a 7.5m circuit. This viral act of defiance inspired runners worldwide.

Later that year, Wotjek broke another world record for the shortest marathon loop — just 5 metres, requiring 8,440 laps and 13 hours of sheer determination.

By 2020, Wojtek had become the first Pole in history and only the 16th person in the world to complete marathons in 100 countries. His goals remain as ambitious as ever:

“I plan to reach 300 marathons in 200 countries by my 50th birthday, on June 20, 2027.”

Beyond his personal achievements, Wojtek has also brought marathons to nations that had none, including Syria, Guyana, and Suriname, creating platforms for unity, health, and peace through sport.

In 2022, in partnership with the Syrian Olympic Committee and Ministry of Tourism, he helped launch the Damascus International Marathon, the first major international sports event in Syria since the war. The following year, runners from 30 countries participated.

Next stops: Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia as part of his planned Horn of Africa Marathon Challenge (2026).

“Running connects people beyond politics, borders, and beliefs,” Wojtek says. “It’s the simplest way to explore, and to understand, our shared world.”

Magdalena and her Mountains

If Wojtek runs across the world, Magdalena Skawińska climbs it.

Magdalena Skawińska’s father was deeply attached to the mountains and from as early as was possible, Magdalena and her mother joined him on these expeditions in Poland, getting up at 2am to hit the mountain tracks before any trails got ‘busy’ or, more notably, bad weather set in.

As a young child Magdalena didn’t always realise the power of this time together, bonding as a family, nor the power of extremely tough self discipline which was instilled.

Since then, Magdalena who, by the way has a demanding day-time job as a lawyer in Luxembourg, has summited several of the worlds highest peak:

Mont Blanc (4,808 m)

Kilimanjaro (5,895 m)

Elbrus (5,642 m)

Aconcagua (6,962 m)

Kazbek (5,047 m)

Mera Peak (6,476 m) – her first Himalayan 6,000er

Lenin Peak (7,134 m) – her first 7,000m summit, conquered in 2024

For Magdalena, mountaineering is more than sport — it’s a spiritual and philosophical act of empowerment.

She has travelled to Yemen, Syria, and Armenia, combining her expeditions with photography and cultural immersion, using her lens to capture both landscapes and the human stories within them.

“Climbing and travelling to unconventional destinations is about reclaiming your own individuality and quiet courage,” she explains. “It’s about defying expectations, especially as a woman, and believing deeply in your own strength, perseverance, and dreams.”

Her story embodies balance between ambition and courage plus reflection and wonder.

Sex, love, and attachment affect our health, happiness, and identity. How are love and intimacy affected by our biology, our backgrounds, and how can we develop an environment for it to flourish?

I’ve done a lot of reading about how long ‘love’ lasts: the being ‘in-love’ part, how that fades, but might, if you’re lucky and work at it, evolve into another form of long-term love. Or it ends. Well, apparently desire isn’t doomed to fade after three years, but could actually deepen and transform across a lifetime. It’s still a little taboo and certain aspects of this remain unspoken, often due to feelings of shame or inadequacy.

So, with my hope to bring clarity and courage to difficult conversations, I was joined by three wonderful voices:

Professor Francesco Bianchi-Demicheli, Associate Professor at the University of Geneva and a world-leading sexologist, whose work spans neuroscience, literature, and the psychology of intimacy.

Guy Brandenbourger, health advocate and founder of Health A Gesondheet Luxembourg - CAP ʰOR™️, who has made it his mission to put sexuality and longevity at the heart of public health debates.

Marie-Adélaïde Leclercq-Olhagaray, Editor-in-Chief of Elle Luxembourg, who understands from her readers that love and relationships are among the most pressing questions women, and men, are seeking answers to today. 

Attachment: The Blueprint of Intimacy

Attachment is the architecture of how we love as adults. Professor Bianchi explained that our early bonds set patterns of intimacy: secure, anxious, avoidant, or disorganised. These invisible scripts influence how we choose partners, navigate desire, and respond to closeness or conflict.

Now as children we don’t have much agency over the situation of family we’re born into. But the good news is that these patterns are not fixed. Encounters with secure, loving partners, or the deep work of psychotherapy, can reshape attachment.

Love Beyond the Myth of Three Years

Perhaps the most liberating truth revealed in this conversation is that the so-called “three-year limit” on love is a dangerous myth. Using brain imaging, Bianchi has shown that love can ignite neural networks across a lifetime. Passion can evolve into intimacy, companionship, and shared purpose.

Love can metamorphose and grow if we nurture playfulness. Couples who play together regulate stress, fuel creativity, and keep joy alive.

“Play is not frivolous,” he said. “It’s a survival skill for love.”

Sexuality Across Life’s Stages

Sexuality is not confined to youth. From puberty to pregnancy, perimenopause to andropause, hormonal transitions profoundly shape desire, mood, and connection. Too often, these changes are dismissed or medicalised without acknowledging their impact on intimacy.

Marie-Adélaïde highlighted how women, in particular, are reframing midlife. Financial independence has shifted dynamics: women no longer remain in relationships out of necessity, but from choice. Increasingly, they seek companionship without obligation: “not a nurse, not a cook, but a partner,” as she put it. Marie-Adélaïde also spoke about the clear shift for financially independent mid-life women to choose, possibly even marry, a partner but not live with them. 

Guy underscored why addressing these realities is urgent for public health. Longevity without quality of life, intimacy, and purpose is incomplete. His CAP hOR™ framework argues for prevention across the first 1,000 days of life, adolescence, adulthood, and senior years, and of course sexual health is part of overall health. Guy also spoke about the often very fixable issues of erectile dysfunction, which many men are too ashamed to speak about. And yet a large percentage of these issues can be treated. 

Intimacy and Passion through artistic endeavours

Professor Bianchi observed that society still divides pleasure into acceptable and unacceptable forms. We applaud someone for practising violin eight hours a day, but stigmatise the same dedication to intimacy. This double standard silences us, when in truth pleasure is not indulgence but evolution: our way of learning, connecting, and discovering meaning.

“We don’t just receive passion from the sky,” says Bianchi, “We create it, and we can recreate it.”

Beyond his scientific work, Professor Bianchi-Demicheli has also created TIAMOFORTE - a groundbreaking fusion of science, poetry, and music. In these poetic-scientific recitals, his words as a sexologist, poet, and storyteller intertwine with the artistry of a pianist, blending knowledge with emotion. The performances explore desire, love, and human bonds not only as biological or psychological forces, but as deeply cultural and creative ones.

Music, literature, and art, he argues, are essential in sustaining intimacy, rekindling passion, and expressing what neuroscience alone cannot capture. In this way, TIAMOFORTE is a living, real-time experiment in how creativity deepens connection, playfulness, and the shared ecstasy of being alive together.

And so hopefully you can sit back, relax and enjoy this show, learning that love can become a lifelong energy to be reshaped, reignited, and deepened. Attachment styles can be redrawn and redeveloped. And sexuality, in all its phases, is not a shameful secret but a powerful thread in the tapestry of health, happiness, and purpose.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-bianchi-demicheli-a5177535/?originalSubdomain=ch

https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-brandenbourger-5b586228/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marieadelaideleclercqolhagaray/

https://www.elle.lu/fr/

When a sizeable section of his students told Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour they want to die, he changed his life to help heal their trauma.

This week I had the honour to share space with Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour, founder of the Alrowwad Cultural & Arts Society located in the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, Palestine.

Abdelfattah Abusrour was born into a refugee family after the 1948 Nakba. His parents lost ten of their fourteen children to poverty, displacement, and disease. Despite their enormous losses, they raised him with compassion not hatred.

“Even with a just cause,” his father told him, “if you carry hate, you lose your humanity.”

Abusrour won a scholarship to study in France, where he completed a PhD in biological and medical engineering. However, he always wanted to return home and did so firstly as a teacher.

It was when teaching that he realised a large proportion of his students had no hope at all - they told him they wanted to die; a stark reflection of life under occupation.

And so he stopped teaching and founded Alrowwad, a community arts centre that uses theatre, dance, photography, and storytelling to transform despair into dignity. He calls this work “Beautiful Resistance.”


“Art is not just therapy,” says Abusrour, “It’s a creative process that allows people to auto-heal, to find peace within, and to become peace-builders in their communities.”

At the heart of Alrowwad are children and women. Through performance and expression, these children find confidence, purpose, and joy. The women’s programmes focus on economic independence and the idea that ‘women change the world’ beginning in their own homes.

Abusrour refuses to show images of Palestinians as helpless.

“We are not objects of pity. We are people of creativity and imagination.” His mission: to build peace with respect and dignity, not charity.

Touring with Alrowwad’s theatre troupe across Europe and the US, he has seen audiences deeply moved as we share our humanity.

“Differences are gifts that should enrich us, not divide us.”

https://alrowwad.org/en/?lang=en

https://www.linkedin.com/company/alrowwad-cultural-arts-society/?originalSubdomain=ps

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdelfattah-abusrour-822a048/?originalSubdomain=ps

From Madrid to Luxembourg, BMX legend Viki Gómez and his wife Alexandra share their story of the sport, sponsorship, artistry, resilience and dreams for the sport’s future.

When you think of BMX, images of ramps, flips, and adrenaline-fueled stunts may come to mind. But for Viki Gómez, the Spanish-born, six-time World Champion in BMX Flatland, the sport is art form on two wheels. For over two decades, Viki has pushed the limits of what’s possible, carving out a career of creativity, athleticism, and global recognition.

That’s what Red Bull spotted and why, since 2003, Viki has been a Red Bull Athlete - one of the very first BMX riders to gain such a sponsorship. This partnership also helped to catapult BMX Flatland to be seen as a serious international sport, requiring skill, creativity and practiced technique.

Red Bull’s backing gave Viki the chance to travel all over the world, inspiring so many young people, some who had never seen a bike before.

“It meant credibility,” Viki reflected. “It gave me the chance to keep innovating.”

Behind the titles, trophies, and TEDx talks, there is also a working and loving partnership off the bike. His wife, Alexandra Gobran, originally from Luxembourg and raised in Sweden, has been instrumental in steering his professional journey. With a background in law and sports management, she co-founded GG.M. Gobran Gomez Management.

In Luxembourg, they’ve brought international projects to life — from the Red Bull 3EN1 events at Péitruss Skatepark to cultural collaborations with UNESCO and ESCH2022. In 2024, they spearheaded the UEC European Championships in BMX Flatland at Rotondes, in collaboration with the Luxembourg National Cycling Federation, the Sports Ministry, and the City of Luxembourg.

Of course, as with all sports at the highest levels, injuries are ever-present realities. This has helped Viki and his wife develop their latest venture, VIKING Cykles, which merges sport, design, and sustainability, producing premium titanium gravel and BMX parts.

Follow Viki & Alexandra:

Instagram: @vikigomezbmx | @alexandra.gg

Projects: @vikingbmxtitanium | @letzridelu | @ggmmgmt

Website: www.ggmimage.com

Get in touch 

Contact Lisa here.

Tune in to The Lisa Burke Show on Today Radio Saturdays at 11am, Sundays at noon, and Tuesdays at 11am.

Watch the full interview on RTL Play, join the conversation on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

How media helps to shape the conversation around innovation and social good to create global impact.

This week my guests are:

- Pierre-Yves Lanneau Saint Léger, CEO of Forbes Luxembourg and Silicon Luxembourg

- Jess Bauldry, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Luxembourg

- Genna Elvin, co-founder of Tadaweb and President of Pulse, Luxembourg’s largest startup association.

- Anne Goeres, founder of Philantree

Why Forbes Came to Luxembourg

For Pierre-Yves Lanneau Saint Léger, the arrival of Forbes in Luxembourg was a recognition that our success stories deserve a global stage. Forbes embodies the values of celebrating entrepreneurship and Luxembourg is now part of the global Forbes family (49 editions).

Pierre-Yves also highlights the continuing importance of Silicon Luxembourg, launched 13 years ago as a blog and now a vibrant community of 40,000 followers.

“If you create your startup, you are in Silicon; when you sell your startup, you are in Forbes,” he quipped, neatly capturing the lifecycle of highly successful entrepreneurship.

Storytelling and Connection

Jess Bauldry knows that in Luxembourg, connections and jobs are often fostered through in-person engagement, especially in the startup sector.

“So many business deals and jobs here are still made through face-to-face encounters, not just applications.”

Storytelling is business necessity. Nonetheless, Jess and her team at Forbes and Silicon Luxembourg are highly attuned to spotlighting innovators who may not be the loudest in the room but are making transformative contributions without the self-promotion. She feels it is their job to shine a spotlight on people like this, rather than the ‘same faces’ constantly.

Building a Startup Nation

Genna Elvin has become the pin-up girl for entrepreneurial tech success in Luxembourg. From modest beginnings in Brussels to developing Tadaweb in Luxembourg, the team has grown from nothing to 150 employees, raised €40 million in capital and expanded internationally with offices in Luxembourg, Paris, London and the United States.

Recognised as one of Forbes’ Top 100 Female Founders in Europe, Genna now also leads Pulse, Luxembourg’s largest startup association.

Elvin recalled being told a decade ago that Luxembourg could never attract top talent. “That’s not true,” she insisted. Instead, her company recruit globally, offering newcomers an instant community and support system. From an in-person welcome to apartments on arrival, to thoughtful gestures like helping employees navigate supermarkets,  Tadaweb put people first.

“At a human level, you need to get the base right if you want to execute at a high level,” she said, referencing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Her perspective also touched on Luxembourg’s risk-averse culture, often cited as a barrier to innovation. While family-run businesses might make caution understandable, Genna knows that progress requires calculated risks.

Philanthropy: Love for humanity

Anne Goeres, who previously ran Luxembourg’s children’s cancer foundation, has now founded Philantree, an organisation designed to help businesses and families channel their wealth into meaningful impact.

Goerges explained that while terms like charity, foundation or non-profit differ in structure, their essence is the same: love of humanity.

“It always starts with a group of people committed to a cause,” she said, noting that even the largest organisations begin with small acts of compassion.

Today, she sees a shift toward long-term partnerships rather than one-off donations. “Companies want to integrate philanthropy into their culture, aligning their values with those of their employees,” she said. This approach not only deepens impact but also helps unite generations around shared purpose.

ESG: Beyond Box-Ticking

Of course, philanthropy and sustainability are not immune to scepticism. Regulations can sometimes feel bureaucratic, and companies risk treating ESG commitments as box-ticking exercises. Yet Pierre-Yves and Bauldry agree that in today’s job market, values-driven business is non-negotiable.

Millennials and Gen Z want purposeful careers. Without them, companies will lose talent, and no amount of AI can replace that.

That is why Forbes Luxembourg continues to highlight stories that blend profit with purpose. From entrepreneurs innovating in health and space tech to executives shaping green finance, the magazine seeks to showcase leaders who both earn and spend wisely, with an eye toward long-term wellbeing.

The Future: Voices That Matter

As Luxembourg prepares to unveil its Forbes Under 30 list, the challenge is not just to identify the loudest voices but to find and elevate those who deliver true, lasting impact. There is still time to apply or nominate someone!

“Some founders don’t have time for self-promotion,” Bauldry admitted. “Our job is to find them, investigate, and shine a light on their work.”

This inclusive approach reflects the broader Luxembourg ecosystem: diverse, international, ambitious, yet grounded in a sense of community.

https://philantree.lu/

https://www.tadaweb.com/

https://www.gennaelvin.com/

https://www.forbes.lu/

https://www.siliconluxembourg.lu/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pylsl/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-bauldry/?originalSubdomain=lu

https://www.forbes.lu/under-30/

On the latest episode of The Lisa Burke Show, host Lisa Burke spoke with Rhea Wessel, an American journalist and strategist who founded the Institute for Thought Leadership.

Rhea Wessel is an American journalist, author, and educator based in Frankfurt. For many years, she has written reports for well-known media giants such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC. Through this time, having spoken with thousands of experts in their field, Rhea noticed the difficulty in getting them to figure out what their main idea was, and how to write about it, delivering their unique understanding and knowledge to a much wider audience. And so she decided to map out her process so that we can all learn.

Rhea has written a book, Write like a Thought Leader, and also founded the Institute for Thought Leadership to share her process for bringing clear, engaging thought-leadership writing to a wider world.

What Is Thought Leadership

According to Rhea, thought leadership isn’t something we bestow unto ourselves but is a status acknowledge by others, earned by generously sharing unique, actionable ideas that help solve real problems. In Wessel’s words, a true thought leader “gives away their best ideas to help people” and builds trust through both generosity and consistency.

What makes a good idea?

Wessel identifies five essential qualities:

- Novelty

- Usefulness

- Clarity

- Brevity

- Zinger / wow effect

These attributes provoke the reader’s interest, solve a genuine challenge, and spark an ‘Aha!’ moment.

The Three-Step Process: Find It, Frame It, Flesh It Out

Rhea has developed an easy, three-step writing model, outlined in her book. 

First, ‘Find It’: pinpoint your niche where deep expertise, true passion, and a unique viewpoint overlap. It has to come from the heart: intellectual curiosity matched with a drive to make a difference.

Second, ‘Frame It’: this is about journalistic story-framing, zooming in on the most original, relevant angle for your audience and knowing what to leave out, so the core idea shines. Wessel teaches a five-step story-framing system to help experts map their field and surface compelling, headline-ready story topics.

Finally, ‘Flesh It Out’: here, the focus shifts to execution. Wessel stresses writing with clarity, authenticity, and a conversational tone. 

Short, Sharp, and Generous

In the shifting media landscape, where everyone from global corporations to solo-preneurs can shape conversations through digital articles (especially on platforms like LinkedIn), podcasts, and even short-form posts. Wessel advises budding thought leaders to start with several well-crafted articles (700–1100 words is ideal), focused on a single consistent theme, to build a visible ‘necklace’ of expertise.

Facing the Fears: Confidence, Consistency, and Courage

Sometimes psychological hurdles stop experts from writing: fear of giving away too much, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or risking ridicule. Wessel’s coaching draws on techniques like free-writing, purpose work, and simply starting with a supportive friend or editor. She reframes her work as being a midwife for world-changing ideas that might otherwise stay locked in someone’s head.

The Role of AI: Friend, Not Replacement

While AI tools can help with idea scouting and drafting, Rhea cautions that a human voice, honed through personal experience and reflection, remains irreplaceable.

“AI can’t capture your true voice unless it has a body of work to learn from,” she notes, urging experts to first develop their unique style organically.

Giving Ideas Wings

Rhea’s final clear encouragement: start articulating what matters most, seek out genuine feedback, choose the format that suits your strengths, and do the work of clarifying your message. True thought leadership is about service, not ego—it’s helping audiences navigate complexity through clarity and trust.

In today’s world, those trusted voices are needed now more than ever.

Christine Nehrenhausen and Sven Clement candidly share insights on their partnership from teenage school radio to marriage and political life.

Christine Nehrenhausen and Sven Clement’s partnership is a remarkable life of young love kindled with radio, political ideals and family-centred resilience. Their story, which they share so openly, traces its roots to Schülerradio, where they first met as teenagers.

Elected

Sven was elected to parliament quite unexpectedly aged just 29. For Christine this shock was an abrupt and overwhelming shift into the public eye. Overnight, expectations piled up on her: strangers assumed wealth and addressed her as "Madame la Députée." Despite outside perceptions, their inherent values remained unchanged.

Transparency and Cybersecurity

Transparency defines Sven’s work with the Pirate Party, especially on digital security and government accountability. He championed public awareness by exposing vulnerabilities like the Medico Sportif data breach, emphasising the importance of whistleblowing and the dangers faced by those who reveal systemic flaws. His political career has increasingly focused on using his technological expertise to ask crucial questions about Luxembourg’s digital infrastructure, pressing for genuine reforms amid the emergence of hybrid warfare and cyberattacks.

Facing Miscarriage Alone

Yet, the couple’s journey has not been without its deeply personal trials. Christine spoke candidly about suffering a miscarriage while Sven was abroad for parliamentary work, highlighting the isolation and lack of emotional support in Luxembourg’s healthcare system. Her experience spurred both public advocacy and personal healing, including Sven’s article in Lëtzebuerger Land and Christine’s podcast, "YODO—You Only Die Once," which tackles grief and mental health. Their openness has brought comfort to many, shining a light on taboo struggles faced by countless families.

Baby Mia

Navigating family life alongside their careers, Christine and Sven encountered unique challenges: the birth of their daughter Mia, administrative obstacles in accessing early childhood education, and Christine’s own recovery from a severe injury while on maternity leave.

Self-Employment in Luxembourg 

Self-employment has also shaped their path. Both have faced the complexities of Luxembourg’s tax and social security systems, with Christine crediting Sven’s support and encouragement for her entrepreneurial ventures. Their story brought attention to the urgent need for reform, advocating for simpler processes and greater protection for independent workers who too often face sudden, heavy financial burdens.

Open conversations on Mental Health & Vulnerability

Christine and Sven argue for a society that embraces vulnerability, mental health openness, and gender-inclusive empathy. Their openness on these issues is a powerful call for the destigmatising of mental illness, recognising the humanity behind both public office and private struggle. Their hope is for a Luxembourg where more people are empowered to speak up and political leaders listen to those whose voices are too often quieted.

Physical movement + mental stimulation combined, plus food, sleep and motivation.

I know you’re all busy and might only read the first paragraph so I’ll summarise what I can from the interview here, but of course, please do listen / watch the interview as you’ll get so much more from the conversation between my guests. 

The core takeaways from our experts for boosting both lifespan and healthspan:

- Challenge your brain: Aim for tasks you succeed at 70 - 80% of the time.

- Move with purpose of thought: Combine high-intensity bursts with cognitive challenges.

- Food: Favour a Mediterranean-style diet rich in plants, healthy fats, and quality protein.

- Sleep: Aim for 7 - 9 hours nightly, prioritising quality as much as quantity.

- Stay motivated: Choose activities you actually enjoy; consistency is key.

It’s one thing to live a long life. It’s another to live it well: physically sharp, mentally agile, and emotionally engaged. This week on The Lisa Burke Show, my guests are three leaders in neuroscience, nutrition, and biohacking who share the latest, evidence-based ways to extend your health span.

Professor Thorben Hülsdünker is a performance neuroscientist and sport neurophysiologist at LUNEX. His research bridges the gap between how the brain and body adapt to training, with practical insights for everyone from elite athletes to ‘normal’ adults looking to stay sharp.

Myriam Jacobs, a sports and clinical dietitian, now works full-time with the Luxembourg Institute for High Performance in Sport. With a career spanning hospital work in diabetes and obesity to elite sports nutrition, she knows what fuels what is needed for each individual body and at what time of day.

Manlio Lo Giudice is a mechanical engineer turned human potential coach, trainer, biohacker, and co-founder of MobiGym: Luxembourg’s first longevity fitness studio. He’s hosted longevity meetups around the globe, spoken with pioneers like Bryan Johnson and Aubrey de Grey, and tested countless self-optimisation strategies on himself.

Professor Hülsdünker starts by reminding us that, evolutionarily, our brains weren’t designed to last beyond 50. That’s why natural cognitive decline is so common in later life, but not inevitable. Just as we strengthen muscles, we can train the brain.

Thorben does not like most of the “brain training” apps as they rarely translate into real-life benefits. He believes in a blend of movement and mental challenges. That’s why ball sports, dance, or running whilst solving mental puzzles are best to produce the growth factors that keep neurons thriving.

Sleep is another silent superpower. Beyond memory consolidation, deep sleep clears away toxins that can accelerate dementia risk. Shift workers and those with irregular schedules face added challenges, making sleep quality crucial to their health.

From the kitchen, Myriam made the case for the Mediterranean way of eating which is not a diet but a lifestyle rich in plants, nuts, olive oil, fish, and limited red meat. On wine, the advice is still moving. Protein does matter, but so does the timing of its intake. As we age we should spread it across the day for optimal absorption.

Manlio brought the biohacker’s perspective, drawing on the Pareto Principle: 80% of the benefits often come from 20% of our actions. He suggests to focus on the minimum effective dose of exercise to trigger adaptation, avoid chronic stress, and use short, sharp challenges to strengthen both brain and body. Fasting, done wisely, can act as a beneficial stressor, stimulating cellular ‘clean-up’ processes like autophagy, but should be tailored to individual needs and lifestyles.

When it comes to the whole array of technological devices we can use or wear, Professor Hülsdünker suggests that even if they’re not accurate, they might be able to show trends.

The whole industry around longevity and all of the apps available to us to track, monitor alter are there if this aids your motivation, but motivation is another large part of what we need it order to develop habits.

If you can find a way to physically move whilst using your brain, and eat ‘well’ for your body and its needs, do this with a supportive social circle… then you’re on your way to living a good and long life.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thorbenhuelsduenker/

https://lunex.lu/

https://lihps.lu/what-we-offer/sports-nutrition/

https://lihps.lu/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manlio-lo-giudice-a8b7773/

The Thrilling World of horseback archery combines trust and precision as Nico Thielen and blind rider Nadine Schumacher share their dynamic, niche sport.

Horseback archery isn't your typical weekend sport. Imagine galloping at 50 km/h, letting go of the reins, holding onto your horse with just your legs and swiftly releasing arrows at a moving target. Now imagine doing this with no sight.

Nico Thielen, a horseback archery coach based in Luxembourg, knows precisely how exhilarating and demanding this ancient martial art can be. Having competed internationally, from Hungary to Jordan, Nico champions this revitalised discipline that requires profound trust between rider and horse.

Yet Nico’s most remarkable coaching challenge is Nadine Schumacher, who became blind two years ago due to complications from Type 1 Diabetes, exacerbated by severe and chronic stress. Despite this life-altering event, she is determined not to let blindness define her limitations.

Nadine's journey into horseback archery began through a friend’s introduction to Nico and his fiancée, Sarah Elmquist, who embraced the unique challenge of trying to teach someone who cannot see.

Both certified coaches trained in Hungary, they adapted their training methods ingeniously. Nadine shoots by the rhythmic sound of a metronome placed on targets, proving sight is not the only means of achieving pinpoint accuracy.

The synergy between horse and rider is profound, especially given that horses, highly sensitive prey animals, mirror human emotions. For Nadine, whose connection to horses was already strong from years as a riding therapist, horseback archery became a natural extension of her understanding of non-verbal communication.

Nico highlights the emotional intelligence required in horseback archery, emphasising harmony rather than dominance.

"Horses prefer a softer, more intuitive energy," he notes, pointing out why women often excel in equestrian sports.

He also shares a fascinating insight about herd dynamics: it’s typically the oldest female horse leading through wisdom and experience, a concept he humorously suggests humans might adopt in leadership roles.

Both Nico and Nadine stress the therapeutic aspect of their sport. For Nadine, horseback archery represents a remarkable physical and mental challenge, providing immense satisfaction with every arrow hitting its mark. Her resilience serves as an inspiring testament that obstacles, even blindness, can become gateways to extraordinary achievements.  You can also hear the perspective of Nadine's son, Sam, in this show who came to accompany his mother. 

You can find both Nico, his finacée Sarah and Nadine competing in the Limpach Open Horseback Archery Festival this weekend. 

More information can be found here:

Find Nico on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/bow.rider/

And Nadine here: https://www.instagram.com/souls_in_balance_hobscheid/

Join D'Arc Angels here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/224446304261833/

Trauma in rural France; leadership through equine coaching: Isabelle Constantini and Christine Hansen share how horses, an innate willingness to try new things and adapt has built resilience and reinvention.

Isabelle Constantini’s life has taken her from Parisian theatre stages to the rugged countryside of the South of France. A former actress, film director and casting director, Isabelle also competed in amateur equestrian championships. However, she had always harboured a dream to live in the south of France in nature with her beloved horses. And so she did it.

This bold move to rural France with her 10-year-old daughter changed everything. Seeking a simpler life in nature, Isabelle instead faced harassment from hunters, which cost her her prized horse’s career, and bullying from some neighbours which ultimately forced her to move.

One method of overcoming the pain endured was writing. Isabelle, through introspection, and an abiding commitment to non-violence wrote a novel about self-discovery and endurance.

"Empathy," she said, "is one of the few things left to us as humans." It’s a theme she now champions, alongside energy healing, vegetarianism, and a life led by connection to the natural world.

“Where leaders learn from the herd”

Joining Isabelle in studio was Christine Hansen, who came to horse riding at the age of 38. A former teacher turned coach and entrepreneur, Christine now offers corporate leadership training through equine-assisted learning. This course is co-owned and co-run by Anne Ludovicy who owns Centre Équestre Kehlen, where the course takes place.

At the heart of her approach lies one truth: horses don’t lie. As prey animals, their survival depends on reading body language and energy.

"They are honest, intuitive mirrors," Christine explained, "and they’ll react to your presence, not your title.”

The result is a powerful feedback loop that can transform leadership styles, challenge self-perceptions, and foster authentic communication. And you don’t have to be able to ride a horse; in fact, most participants rarely mount a horse at all. Instead, they engage in grounded observation, interaction and reflection.

“The smallest pony can change the way you see yourself,” she said.

Both women emphasised the profound healing horses can offer. For Isabelle, they’ve been a spiritual anchor through life’s upheavals. For Christine, they are tools for insight, calm, and self-regulation, even helping to teach breathing and mindset shifts in moments of high stress.