Meet Iris

My journey: FROM EAST BERLIN TO FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT

Where I grew up, in communist East Germany, the difference between the "haves" and "have nots" was minimal and not defined by money. My parents, a doctor and psychology professor, earned barely more than blue collar workers. So, when choosing my future field of study, financial considerations simply didn't matter.

Then, everything changed the night the Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989. I left East Berlin that very night, seeking not wealth, but freedom.

My path took me from Berlin to Cologne, to business school in France, and ultimately to the United States. Armed with a dual degree in business administration, I began my career at Prudential Financial, where I spent 20 years mastering the worlds of finance and investment. I earned my Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, evaluated hundreds of companies, and invested over $3 billion on behalf of Prudential Capital. I worked closely with CEOs, CFOs, and boards across industries - from food & beverage to transportation, engineering, construction, and to professional services - structuring and negotiating complex transactions that met their strategic capital needs.

After two decades, I left in search of deeper meaning. I founded my own advisory firm, Mindful Advisory, and eventually joined Wisdom Labs, a digital health company, as a co-leader. During my eight years there, I deepened my meditation practice and immersed myself in the science of mindfulness and compassion. These experiences ultimately led me to become a Certified Financial Therapist™, a professional trained to integrate financial expertise with therapeutic techniques to address the emotional and psychological dimensions of money.

Throughout my life, I've been my family's sole breadwinner and have navigated challenging personal and professional transitions. These experiences taught me that we can achieve anything we set our hearts and minds to and that the journey requires both practical tools and emotional resilience.

Today, as a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and Certified Financial Therapist™ (CFT™), I bring a unique combination: 30+ years of financial and investment expertise integrated with therapeutic insight and deep human connection. 

Whether I'm advising a business leader on a complex transaction or guiding an individual through a life transition, my mission is to help clients achieve clarity in their finances, confidence in their decisions, abundance in their resources, and empowerment to take full ownership of their financial lives.