Hello! I’m Charmian

The Joy Coach, Researcher, Business Consultant,
Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher, Mother, Friend, Partner, Athlete

I was born in 1966 in Hamburg, Germany to Scottish parents, who quickly saw to it that I got a British passport and a British education back in the UK. I’ve spent the most years of my life living in Germany but I’ve also felt at home living in Paris and California (LA and San Francisco) as well as London.

My heart has always remained in Hamburg, thanks to my wonderful “second” German mother who looked after me here throughout my childhood.  This strong emotional connection to Tante (my name for her) helped me grow up bilingual and bicultural, and understand that love, not nationality, is what really matters.

Understanding what connects us and reaching out to others with an open mind and an open heart is a core driving value that gives my life purpose – and it all started with what I learned from Tante in Hamburg all those years ago.  Anxiety and depression plagued me as a child in the UK but whenever I came to Germany I felt better – loved and accepted for who I was.

This started a lifelong quest for emotional well-being and a curiosity about what really drives health and happiness.  I feel I am the best example for showing that it is possible to  learn how to become joyful and live a meaningful life that inspires you and others, no matter how hopeless things seem or how anxious you feel.

I have spent most of my career as a brand strategy consultant and qualitative researcher. I’ve loved the opportunity of understanding people, going into their homes for in-depth conversations or running focus groups all over the world.  Connecting to people with curiosity and then leading workshops with marketing departments and cross-functional teams to develop “fresh thinking” for brand strategy and innovation has been a wonderful adventure.

I realised that the skills of connection, curiosity and courage I developed over the years running my own business MilesFurther as a single mother could help others in their lives.  Especially combined with my coaching, mindfulness and yoga teacher trainings, not to mention many books, seminars and research into psychology, spirituality and neuroscience I have done over the years. It all comes together in my passion to help others become more joyful and find their purpose in life.

I live in Hamburg with my son Miles (born 2001), my British boyfriend Andy and our crazy Corgi-Terrier rescue dog Teddy.  I do triathlons, half-marathons and Hyrox events for fun in my spare time.

Passionate about daily exercise and healthy food, I seem to spend a lot of time running, doing workouts and chopping vegetables 🙂