From Noise to Sound
How do today’s leaders cut through the noise and shape the future?
In each episode of From Noise to Sound, host Dr. Dimitrios Marinos, from the Department of Marketing and Communication at HSLU, dives deep with CEOs, Board Members, and industry innovators to uncover the forces reshaping our world. Through insightful conversations, he explores topics like digital transformation, consumer behavior, and sustainability, revealing strategies and innovations that are driving real change.
Gain actionable insights and fresh perspectives on navigating a complex business landscape. Tune in each month to sharpen your view on leadership, tech-driven success, and what’s next in marketing and beyond.
New episodes every month, brought to you by HSLU, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
From Noise to Sound
#Reinventing Manuela, From City Hall to Influencer
In the episode, Manuela Leonhard shares her inspiring journey of making a significant career change later in life. She transitioned from working as a personal assistant to the mayor of Zurich to becoming a social media influencer. Manuela explains that while she was happy in her previous job, she felt the need for a change and began taking pictures of Zurich and sharing them on social media. Her content gained popularity, leading to her new career. Throughout the interview, Manuela discusses her experiences with social media, particularly LinkedIn, where she received both positive and negative feedback but persisted in sharing her content. Her efforts were recognized, and she received an award for her engagement on LinkedIn. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Manuela continued to share pictures of Zurich, providing comfort and positivity to her followers. She received feedback from people worldwide who appreciated her posts. Manuela also shares the challenges she faced in making her career change, including the decision to leave a well-paid and prestigious job. She discusses the support she received from her network and the opportunities that came her way. Looking ahead, Manuela expresses her excitement about the future and her plans to continue exploring new opportunities. She emphasizes the importance of networking and being open to new experiences. Additionally, Manuela offers advice to young people, encouraging them to build a strong network and be open to change. She highlights the importance of looking inside oneself and being true to one's passions and interests. Overall, an inspiring amount of Manuela Leonhardt's career change and her journey as a social media influencer, emphasizing resilience, networking, and staying true to oneself.
How do today’s leaders cut through the noise and shape the future?
In each episode of From Noise to Sound, host Dr. Dimitrios Marinos, from the Department of Marketing and Communication at HSLU, dives deep with CEOs, Board Members, and industry innovators to uncover the forces reshaping our world. Through insightful conversations, he explores topics like digital transformation, consumer behavior, and sustainability, revealing strategies and innovations that are driving real change.
Gain actionable insights and fresh perspectives on navigating a complex business landscape. Tune in each month to sharpen your view on leadership, tech-driven success, and what’s next in marketing and beyond.
New episodes every month, brought to you by HSLU, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Useful Links:
[0:01] I made a change, but it took me two years to think over, how do I do this? How do I leave a really prestigious, well-paid job, which I really liked, actually?
[0:22] Hello, welcome to the podcast from Noise to Sound, presented from HSLU. I'm your host Dimitrios Marinos and I hope you have enjoyed the previous episodes from our podcast with what I consider from my perspective very inspiring personalities with their challenging but also very interesting stories I hope you could also download the podcast from Spotify or you can also subscribe in YouTube, Spotify also in our channel and LinkedIn where I have the possibility to share with you information for various topic articles and information regarding current adversity topics in various segments and sectors of social or business perspectives. But without further ado, today I have a very special guest on my side. I have to be honest, I'm not a professional in podcasting, perhaps you have the possibility to realize that as well, but I was a little bit anxious from the beginning for this one. My guest has done a real life change, which was for me very interesting to interview today.
[1:43] She was working on the city of Zurich she has managed to make a huge change in her career in her later life, she will explain it to us and I hope that you all have the chance to get a little bit empowered and inspired from her journey, and perhaps also find your inner strength but also the courage for your own change as well I mean, she is a real example, I can say from my own experience talking to her already.
[2:15] Music.
[2:22] Today with me, Manuela Leonhardt. Hi, Manuela. Hi, Dimitris. Thanks a lot for the invitation. Nice. Very nice to have you here. As I mentioned, for me, it was from the beginning, really strange to invite you because I'm really following you in social media and LinkedIn foremost. I followed your story. I follow your journey. I didn't know where to start. It's really vast. and very broad. So I really will start just for our audience to understand, who's Manuela? Where are you coming from in this journey? Where have you been already before you just do what you do today? We will come to this point.
[3:08] That's very interesting. I know that you just said to me that you are so happy that I actually answered your request. That's true. So to me, that means you were expecting that you never got an answer so and i have to tell you for the last 10 years i'm answering to every question i get from one of my over 100 000 followers and it's a real great journey it's a great journey to learn from other people and thanks to all these people i went my way. This is very inspiring in any way. I mean, you have worked in the city of Zurich. And now, I mean, in a common social sense, what you do is you work as an influencer. Your ability is, let's say, to give more of your impressions of Zurich to lots of people through your channels. So what really did, I just want to come to this inflection point where you were working in the city and then you said, now I need the change. What has really sparked this point?
[4:25] I would have never thought that I would make such a change because I was very happy in my job working as a personal assistant of the mayor of Zurich. It was a real great job because I got to know so many amazing people. I could follow up a real big network through that job. I knew the whole city. A lot of things just I learned always at first moment. A lot of things that I knew that were maybe coming out five years later. My friends and family were asking, hey, did you know that this was coming? I'm like, yes, it started five years ago and I followed all the way. And everybody's like, but why did you never say anything? It's like, well, it's the topic of the city of Zurich. It's not my own topic. So what I actually did for 12 years, I used to be the assistant for the mayor. And besides, I started to take pictures of Zurich on my way to work, during my lunchtime, on my way home.
[5:39] And for many years, actually, I didn't know what was driving me. In the beginning, a lot of people said, well, Manuela, you and your Zurich pictures, what's going on? And then I always said the same. I will only stop the moment everyone believes that Zurich is beautiful. But then I actually knew there's something more behind. And only after a few years, I realized that that has to do a lot with my job, actually, because everyone who wants to complain about Zurich, that Zurich is shitty, the politics is shitty, everything is shitty in Zurich. They called me. Actually, they wanted to call the mayor and talk to the mayor. But of course, I was answering her phone.
[6:26] And then I had days where from morning till evening, people were just complaining about this stupid Zurich. And I left the city hall in the evening and I just looked around and thought, no, actually Zurich is beautiful. It's such a nice place. We're in such a great country and most of us have a real amazing life. So what's wrong with these people? So I realized that the more of this negativity got to me, the more I thought, wow, I have to tell everyone how beautiful it is. And that we should be grateful for where we live and what we have here. Actually, I mean, I can 100% say that, I mean, there is exactly this bipolar part for Zurich. There's people who hate it and who love it and passionately both ways. So yeah.
[7:24] I have to come also to this realization also through your pictures, right? And say, okay, Zuri has a completely different perspective and see it through your eyes. I mean, as I'm a horrible person taking pictures and people who know me, they know that I'm a really horrible person taking pictures.
[7:41] But I came also to spots that you have already taken photos and I was really recalling them and say, okay, I've seen this photo here and it's really beautiful. I could recall it and really connect to you as well. But what I find really interesting, you used a very special channel. I mean, usually when we're talking about influencing and marketing and so on and so forth, all people would think about Instagram.
[8:07] But you came into this field from LinkedIn. Very true. LinkedIn is my most favorite channel, actually, beside Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. because I realized I love social media. I love to connect with people all over the world. But then I knew on LinkedIn, it's a professional channel and I couldn't tell anything about the office because it was political, it was confidential. So there's nothing, I mean, what should I say? Ah, I do the agenda of the mayor. So that's not very interesting for people out there. So then I thought, ah, but Manuela has a really nice way to work. I have a really great lunch break and all that stuff. So I started slowly with that on LinkedIn.
[9:01] And in the beginning, people were writing to me, whoa, go away, you're on the wrong channel. You should go to Facebook. What do you do here? This is professional. And every time I said the same, I answered the same. There is a scroll on button or there is a block button you can choose what you want but I keep on like this it took a little bit of courage to say that to professional people to CEOs to whatever but I thought I love social media but scrolling on and blocking are two really great things to do so I just kept going on and kept going on and then I realized there were more and more people joining my channel and then I got a lot many requests from people they said ah I always see your picture through a friend of mine and I have an open profile so that when somebody likes their contacts can see what they liked and so and then more and more people were following me was really really interesting I mean and why, And one can really see that from your pictures already, that it's so inspiring also from these sites. And it's really, when you scroll through such a professional, let's say, medium like LinkedIn, which everyone really posts its achievements, actually. So everyone posts the positive side of things, what's happening, not the negative sides of things, which is logical in social media, more or less.
[10:31] And at some point you get to see this picture which is really a breath of fresh air on these roles and that's what I also find very intriguing for myself to invite guys well because you said to me as well for me the most important channel I have it's LinkedIn and I personally also use only LinkedIn I mean also due to time constraints but also I'm not in this field, and I find it really that people can be more.
[11:00] Due to the professionality of the channel, more honest on their feedback, but also on their posts, rather than an Instagram role that has a lot of fakes. We know that. We have been already there, and there's a lot of discussions there. So you cannot be that fake, or it's not allowed to be that fake in LinkedIn. At least my perspective. I don't know what you think. No, it's very true. I mean, I'm connected with so many people on LinkedIn as the professionals, but then they also connected with me on Facebook and Instagram. And you know, it's very funny when you know a CEO from LinkedIn and then you see him in the bathing suit on Instagram and you're like, oh, really? I don't know if I wanted to see that. So that's very funny sometimes because when you follow each other on LinkedIn, for most of the people, it's really professional. And then you see them on Facebook and Instagram on the private side and then you're kind of touched and think like, that's too much information for me I actually don't want to know that about this person so that's really funny too but then.
[12:07] Yeah, the journey went on like that. And what I realized all of a sudden, no, not all of a sudden, by time I realized, I start making people emotional. A lot of people in this world, CEOs and other people have studied in Zurich
[12:25] at university or ETH, and then they left somewhere in the world and started their career. So I realized a lot of people have memories about Zurich from their study time, from traveling, from friends or family.
[12:41] And they were so happy to see all these pictures. And then they had all these good memories about Zurich. And then they started to write to me, hey, Manuela, thanks a lot for this memory of the picture today from Polybahn. I studied up there and I took this ban every day. And now seeing this made me so emotional to this. And I had all these memories about my youth. And so I realized, okay, what I do is I start waking up emotions with the people. So actually, that's very nice to have the ability to do that. And it's actually, it's like I talk with my pictures. Actually, I don't even need to say anything. Emotions are coming through my pictures. And then I realized, actually, that's really nice that I'm able to do this. And I get all these many feedbacks of people. But then there was a group of LinkedIn people.
[13:43] I think they were bored during COVID and they started an online challenge on LinkedIn for real people of engagement.
[13:53] They started the content. Who would you suggest to get an award who is really engaged and who's really true and everything?
[14:04] So I was one of the winners at the end and I got a real people of engagement award. Board and even LinkedIn people from Munich came to Zurich and they brought a LinkedIn cake and I was on a cake with pictures with three other people because actually I would have been the winner because I had so many followers like none of the others but they said no we can't do that so we also get three other ones so we were four winners at the end and there my journey went on because people voted for me it's like oh manuela you're the best for me go on like this and actually since then shortly after this award i had an interview um in the miss money penny magazine and i was the cover story i've seen actually from then it never stopped anymore since four years me being in the media and having interviews and podcasts and all that stuff. It never stopped anymore since then. It was so crazy, actually, and it still is. Yeah, but I think that is also the resonance that people see also from your efforts.
[15:13] And I want, I mean, I have you here visible. People know you from your social media. The energy is erupting. But what I want to say is you stopped your.
[15:27] Job at that time, you were at 58, you said, at this time, right? Last year, yes. Yeah.
[15:34] Do you know why I stopped? No. During COVID time, also after this Real People of Engagement Award, about a few cover stories that fall.
[15:45] Some marketing cracks from Germany, they called me and they said to me, Manuela, move on. And I'm like, what move on? I have this job at the city of Zurich. And what I do, I do just as a hobby because I like it. And they're like, no, you have to become a professional on social media, a content creator, influencer, whatever. And I thought, oh, my God, they're crazy. What's wrong with them? And I always knew I don't want to make any money as long as I work for the city of Zurich. I have a 100% job and I don't want to have any problems with the city, me making money with social media. So whatever I did, I did it for free. So I went in all the restaurants and ate and made the pictures and wrote about it. I went to hotels and stayed overnight and wrote about it. I did everything for free. So I was very occupied in my free time, actually. I was more occupied in my free time than at work, actually. It was very funny.
[16:43] But then, you know, all of a sudden thought, that's actually when the stone began to roll. And these people said, move on. And it's like, really, somebody pushed me. I don't know who of them really convinced my inner self, like, why shouldn't I do that? So it never left my head anymore. So three years later, finally, I made a change. But it took me two years to think over, how do I do this?
[17:11] How do I leave a really prestigious, well-paid job, which I really liked, actually? Yeah. Still, I liked it till the very end. And how do I do that? Yeah.
[17:29] First of all, I was like, how do I tell anybody that everything is fine, but I'm still leaving? Because usually you leave when the job is not fine. Absolutely, absolutely. So how do I explain that I leave, although everything is good? So I had a few sleepless nights, of course. I assume more than a few. Yes. And then I got to know one of my followers at a concert at Tone Halle. and he is my boss now. I work for him as an office manager part-time since a year and actually he was my door opener for my change because we got along so well and then we met a few times for lunches and I thought, wow, this is a really interesting young entrepreneur. His life is interesting, the way he does things. He's a really great person.
[18:25] And then one day he said to me, I would love to have an assistant like you are. And I said, oh, well, depends on how much you pay. But then I just meant for fun. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Because I wasn't thinking of leaving the mayor and working for him. But then that's how it started. And we were talking. And then all of a sudden I said to him, you know what? I have a goal now. I want to leave the city of Zurich and do something else. I want to have a part-time job and I want to do social media and I want to do everything together and check it out if it works. So then a few months later, he said to me, okay, I want to hire you as my assistant part-time and you do whatever you need to do beside. And I will be so open and give you all the freedom that you can do that. And I thought, that's one chance in my lifetime, and if I don't take it, I'm a loser. So I took the chance. I mean, of course, I have also this mantra that a lot of, I mean, for good people, good things always come. So when you're open and you're joyful the way you are, things will also always come in your way. So you just, you need the confidence to be.
[19:42] Just to take it sometimes. And that's what I assume is this couple of sleepless nights, as you mentioned before, that you had. I mean, it's about the confidence to change. And especially you were at this time a little bit on the sunset of your career, not on the sunrise of your career. So in the beginning, you have more things, I mean, in your feeling to lose. Oh, I'm going to change. This change might not work and I will be ridiculized and so on and so forth.
[20:09] But when you're in the sunset, what do you have to lose and
[20:13] the chains it's actually not easy very true actually what i did i did the same as i did before i decided to get divorced 12 years ago i had a plus and a minus list and i always said if minus are more points than plus it's time to leave so i had this when i left my husband 12 years ago and got divorced so i did the same list uh with my job and at work At the minus, there were more points than on the plus, and I said, I really have to do that. I told you before how hard it was for me to tell the mayor, all out of a sudden, I told her, I need to talk to you. She's like, what is it all about? I'm like, first you sit down, and then I talk to you.
[21:01] Telling her out of the blue, I'm leaving you. I'm done. I did this for 12 years. one more doodle request and i'm going to jump from a bridge i've seen it i can't do this anymore and really for me it's like about the 10 minus points it's always doodle requests i hate doodle requests i really hate doodle requests i'm like no i don't want to do this anymore in my whole life and and then when she looked at me and said.
[21:34] Why are you leaving, Manuela? Everything is good. I'm like, because I have to go out there all on my own and have to see if this works out. The first time in my life, I truly, wholly believe in myself and I have to go and see if it's true. Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, this is what's actually the most of the fear we have in ourselves is just to touch life so intensively like you do. Because when you change, let's say, a normal job, I would say a normal job, I mean, from hours, and as you mentioned, well-paced, it's a prestigious job, you meet nice people, interesting people, you are in the heart of a city which is actually vibrant, and you really have the possibility to touch life, in a sense, by really people touching you through the channels of LinkedIn, Instagram, and say, hey, Manuela, I like what you do, you're inspiring me.
[22:33] Change for me and so on, it is actually not an easy thing to reach out. And then, of course, it makes every person a little bit stressy. Hey, should I change my life now? It's a lot of pressure. You know, there's a really nice quote and that says.
[22:51] What if I fall, but what if I fly? Yeah. So this is really in my head and I can say for a long time, Nora, since I left now, I'm really flying. To me, it's like I fly through my life and see the world from the top. And it's like, I never really thought I want to do that because I had never, ever the intention to leave. I wanted to stay with the city of Zurich and then get in pension and then enjoy my life, traveling, whatever. But then all of a sudden, a few years ago, I realized, no, I can't do that, actually. I don't want to stop working at 65. And if I want to do something else, I have to do the change now and not at 65.
[23:40] It will be even harder, perhaps, then. Because I founded my company this summer at the age of 59. And I thought, wow, this was such a cool process to do that. My children are so proud of me that their mom founded the company. Perhaps also Julius as well? No, no, they are not because they just, they follow my path. And I think they're very happy that I'm so happy now that I go my way. They...
[24:10] Don't like social media. So a lot of things that I do, my children know from their friends because all their friends follow me. And sometimes they go to my children and tell them, wow, that's so cool what your mother is doing. And my children say to them, oh God, what has she been doing now again?
[24:30] So they're scared a little bit for the next big thing. So they're like, hey mom, where have you been? And what did you do? And anything like this. So it's really interesting. No, and it's really like believing in yourself and that doesn't come at 20 or 30 or 40 it's usually this process of change and thinking life and the world differently usually starts around 50 either something really bad happens to you with health
[25:00] or somebody dies in your life that you just change over in life But usually, if you just go through life smoothly, and then at 50, someone knocks at this door, a door you can't see, and someone knocks there and tells you, half your life is gone. Choose wisely how you live your life for the rest, that you're healthy and that you're here. And that comes automatically with everyone. So, and the same was with me. And I just also realized, hey, I want to discover the world. I want to do so many things. And then, you know, it takes a while. Change always takes time.
[25:42] And I'm glad I took all these years. It took me not a few years until I made the change, but I'm glad I went on the way. I'm glad I looked behind doors and I'm really glad I really listened into myself. That's actually not easy. That's actually not easy. And from any perspective, I think.
[26:03] It resonates very very lively also when someone interacts with you it resonates very happy that it's in in i would say in equilibrium with what you've done and how you feel today but i wanted to go a little bit also on the other side i mean social media have two sides always you know it's the the real social media life uh i mean your picture you show is zurich i mean you cannot fake it that's what it is that's Zurich but social media has a completely different side as well I mean there is a lot of people who are in this business I would say let's call it business and, who is actually promoting themselves but it's not so authentic it's not realistic it's a lot of fake.
[26:47] Which is obviously you're not in this part in any way therefore you have the success and resonance that you have but we cannot neglect the other side that exists and I think therefore a lot of people there today very critical with social media they when you say I'm an influencer or I'm work for social media it's something yet somehow you have to be ashamed of you have the feeling and I'm sure you have a lot of interactions also with those influences but also with people.
[27:18] Who has, of course, a mixed reality. So they are really feeling bad for themselves because they follow such or they see such examples. So what's your take on that?
[27:28] There's two things, Demetrios. There's one thing. When I go to hotels, when I'm invited, hey, come over to our place, stay two nights or a night, and then check out our hotel, and please do something about it on social media. Yeah. Always have to laugh when I go for check-in, because then I stand there at the desk. Usually, it's young people at the reception. And then I say, my name is Manuela Lenhardt. There's a reservation for me. Then they look down, and then they see, for sure, influencer.
[28:00] Then they look at me, and they make this face, really pissed off face, that I exactly know what's going through their mind. And I look at them very sweet. And then I tell them, I'm not that kind of influencer. I will show you that I'm really a nice person. And it's all about you guys and your hotel. So always when I leave hotels, people are so happy that I've been there and we had such a good time together. But there's something about social media. It's very true. There's also a very negative side because I think one day there was social media. Everyone went on social media and nobody had a clue what this is for. Of course. And then a lot of people started doing funny things. Other people were really passive. They were just looking, stalking and all the things.
[28:54] So there was social media and no one had a clue. But social media is something, yeah, you just fulfill something for others. You show something beautiful. You let them be part of something nice. You teach them something. You give tips for travels. Maybe you give tips for further educations, whatever. It's not, social media is not made to show yourself. Totally not. But somehow this started in a really awkward way that it's really just silly. It's all, it's really silly. And I always tell the people, yeah.
[29:34] You have to be active on social media. I think the worst feelings about social media is being passive and watching other people. A lot of young people have depressions who just watch others because they think, I have to look like this, I have to have this, I have to do this, but I can't. I don't have the money. My parents don't have the money. So they think they are wrong. No, nobody is wrong here in this world. So that's where social media was leading to. And I'm totally aware that for young people, it's really, really hard. So I have a lot of young people following me and they ask me, Manuela, but how did you do this? And I explained them, hey, I just had fun. I just liked Zurich. And the more reactions I got to my contributions, the more fun I also had. And I realized people like what I do. It makes them feel good. during COVID when the whole world was at home Manuela was commuting between home in Seyfeld and City Hall I was the only person in the tram I was almost the only person in City Hall and I was the only person having lunch with the swans by the river limit and I posted all these pictures and everybody saw my pictures and then people from.
[31:00] All the continents were writing to me, Manuela, when I get up in the morning, I check if you have posted already. And when I've seen a picture of you or from the city, I'm so happy. And what I did, because I have a further education as a systemic coach, I also underlined my pictures with nice quotes, always optimistic, always positive. And a lot of people said you were the one person who helped me through covid with your pictures and your texts and you know when you get feedback like this then it really really for me it really touched me to get all these feedbacks and sometimes i'm just like oh my god actually what i do is i do a world coaching for people to be optimistic and positive and i can manage this only with the text and my pictures, how cool is that? I should stop doing this because then I really enjoyed that I was able to do that. You shouldn't, you shouldn't stop. I mean, it's for everyone refreshing and I can relate, of course, in the time of COVID, I mean, everyone was, every live real picture that you could snap somehow in social media was really a breath of fresh air for every one of us. But there's a funny story also with you in any case.
[32:18] There is a central restaurant in Zurich, in Opera, who has painted your face in the wool. Sprayed. It's a graffiti. It's a graffiti. Okay, I thought it's... I was just painted, because I said it from a little bit far, where it's in Opera. I think it's Lulu, right? Yeah. Lulu.
[32:36] So, I mean... I mean, in the heart of Zurich, in a restaurant, then there comes your face in a big style, right? It's not a small image, a picture somewhere spread. It's really the entire world. It's giant. It's giant. It's exactly giant in the side of opera. I mean, you cannot pass it, of course, for sure. So how does this come? I mean, every time I see it, how does this come in such a world? I mean, why Manuela?
[33:07] I don't know. I heard I'm the only person alive in Switzerland who has such a graffiti, who has such a mural. So actually, I should be very proud. You should? Actually, I think it's just so funny. So it came like this, that a friend of mine took over that place and turned it into Lulu restaurant. And the logo of Lulu is obviously the signs of a woman with closed eyes, big lashes, and red lipstick. Red lipstick is one of my brand. Everyone knows the woman with the red coat, the red lipstick, the red nails, the red shoes. That must be Manuela. And it's always Manuela. So that's very funny about me. So this guy said, Manuela, there's such an ugly wall. When you look out from the restaurant, we want to put the mural over there with the face of a woman and the Lulu, the L signs painted on the face. Can you be the model, please?
[34:14] And I only saw a very small picture of what they kind of meant. And I said to him, whoa, don't you want to take a young model without wrinkles? And he's like, no, we want you.
[34:26] Everyone knows you. For 10 years, you just show Zurich from the most beautiful side. You have so many followers worldwide. And it's just like, you are Zurich. You have to be there. So I said, okay, I agree. I do that. So I went for the photo shooting with the graffiti artist and then he sprayed me on that wall. Actually, I thought it's a little bit smaller, but it's huge. It's really huge. It's giant.
[34:55] So now I'm on that wall and everyone who passes by, who knows me, of course, all the people recognize me. They take pictures and they send it and then I repost it in my stories and thank them. And now it's the media. Yeah, now the media are starting to come. They're like, why are you on that wall? I'm like, oh my God, because he asked. And I said, yes, because mostly everything in my life, I always did spontaneously. And in 95%, it was good. And five times it knocked me down. But that was also totally okay. That's how life, that's life. Exactly. Honestly, I mean, to have this, I mean, it creates a little bit of psychological immortality. You will be in this wall as long as this restaurant is there.
[35:44] Listen, this building will be teared down in about eight years. There will be a new building. But for about seven or eight years, I will be on that wall. So I'm a little bit stressed how I can manage to always look the same as the picture and not to age too much. So, yeah. No, it's seven years, not too much. That's right. You will manage. I mean, with your energy and your joyfulness, this is not under discussion. I mean, this is the impression I have also from you. You are Zurich. So when I see you on social media, when I see you, you are Zurich. So I think this is a motto that the owner of this restaurant said. And actually, it's true. So if one sees you or knows your social media, you are in the epicenter of it. So from from i would like to ask you what's next for you what what's the next step what's what's in front of for what are you urged for in the next years i mean you did a big change right you you you left your job you working in this in part time but also you have this influencer career as well you're ambassador of a lot of things as well i mean you told me before i didn't know that even Apple actually supports you and gives you always the latest iPhones how crazy is that as well what's next for you.
[37:07] Well, the world is open to me. No, actually, I have a lot of ideas because I think as an influencer at the age of almost 60, I got into a niche that is very interesting for a lot of companies.
[37:24] Because I hear from a lot of companies that they realize that when they have products and things for people over 50, it's a bit silly to make PR with a 20-year-old girl. So there hasn't been very many influencers over 50 with kind of big accounts there are a few also a few that i know in different branches but i think the market is very interesting to me and companies are also interesting because a lot of people know me of course i there's two things about me not only that i have all these followers i'm very active i'm posting daily but they also know i have this name and everybody knows me and um i want to try out i want to try out a lot of things and i think that everything that belongs to me comes to me and i'm in the lucky position that i can say no to a lot of requests you're in the request that i'm not the right person for that sorry and for me it's not about making the money with it for me it's about making fun and there's a thing a quote that i always tell myself if it's not beautiful if it's not funny or if it's not to eat it's not for me.
[38:51] I would i mean as a pathological foodie i would agree 100 with you but um wrapping it Wrapping this up, Manuela, I mean, we have students, but also young people struggling with change. And you have done that. You have done it in, let me say this, in the worst part of your life, where you usually, you are settled. You are usually people in this part of life. They are confident. They are slow moving. They have done their past. So they want, as you mentioned, have an easy life. And you managed a change in this period. What would you advise people people, let's say, in the younger generations who struggle with change, who struggle with decision-making for job, for private life. I mean, change is a topic which is very holistic. It's not just job. So you are a happier person, not because you change job, because you change lifestyle.
[39:46] So what would you advise these people? Do you know the movie Benjamin Button? Yes. That's right. That's me. I grew up in a restaurant and had to work like hell. Then I became a young mother. I I had four children by the age of 26. Then I fulfilled my girl's dream to become a flight attendant at 32.
[40:07] And then I went to work for the city of Zurich. And now almost at 60, I become an influencer. I feel as young as never before. So I will probably die very young in an old age. I hope so. But that's nice. What I want to say to young people, and I talk to a lot of young women because they say, Manuela, you're such an inspiration. How do you do this? How do you manage your life? And I think from what I hear and what I see from young people, they have a matrix how their life has to be. When you are 18 or 20 or 25 and you think you have to follow a list, what you have to fulfill to be there and there, I think that's wrong. You have to kind of have a few things that you have to follow. I agree. But then I think that all the detours in my life brought me to where I am now. And that is really at the moment, it's the happiest part of my life that I am now, but not because I followed a plan or a metrics or something, but I realized the chances I had.
[41:23] And what I also had is I always had people who said, hey, Manuela, that and that is open, do that. And I always said, no, I can't do that. And they said, yes, you can and you do it. And I did it perfectly. And I did a great job always. So I had a lot of negative beliefs about myself, too, when I was younger. I always thought I have to do more. I have to work like hell that people love me and I have to do everything that people love me. No, I don't have to do it all. So if I was younger again, I would take off all the stress by just looking more inside when I was younger. So I did looking inside me after 50, and that was the best thing I ever did in my life. If I could change it again, I would do it already at 35 or 40 and just change a few things in my life. But it's totally okay to have done it now. But really, it's this stress of all the young people that they think they have to do so many things that they can reach that and that.
[42:28] Sometimes, honestly, the best tip in life, I think, is build up a network.
[42:35] When you are very young, start networking. and it's mostly in life what happens to you is because of a contact of a contact of a contact and somebody knows somebody who has exactly what you maybe might bump into it and it's for every professional in life I say do networking i have such a huge network no matter what people ask me i always know somebody they can ask i don't have to know it myself but i always know a person who knows so and actually my capital now that's my network absolutely and as the americans say your net worth is your network exactly so that's that's actually a very good tip manuela it was really really inspiring and Really breath of fresh air to having you today here. I was actually, as I mentioned in the beginning, never expected that you would respond in my LinkedIn message. Really glad that you did. I mean, I know that you also coach women and coach young professionals. I mean, I would say if you have heard of all of you that she actually responds, even if she can or cannot, it doesn't matter. Try it as I tried as well, and here we are today. but nevertheless I can't thank you enough Manuela for being today.
[43:57] Here with us and sharing your experience and your knowledge and your inspiring story really thank you very much thank you very much and I have to say Lucerne is beautiful too I loved coming to Lucerne thank you for doing the extra mile and going out of your comfort zone in Zurich.
[44:16] Perfect thanks a lot and I hope you also guys enjoyed the podcast with Manuela Leonhardt. I hope you also have the chance also to listen to the previous ones and please give us a feedback, whatever you liked or you'll want us also to invite in our next episodes. As you heard, there's always time for change and I will also from my side urge you also to try that on your life i mean no matter the age the time and the circumstances stay with us subscribe and download our podcast and also subscribe with us also in linkedin where we are as podcasts more active as well and i'll have the chance to communicate with you and also exchange articles and stories as well, and looking forward to connect with you in the next episode as well from my side have a great week, day, and get energized in every move that you have in the next days. Take care there.
