1) I am a very passionate singer. To me, music is one of the most direct expressions of soul and one of the ways people can be touched positively. I still regularly sing in a fun funk and soul band www.bittenbinder-music.de.
2) I have 3 middle names. One of them is Charlie. Charlie? Really? But, that is a boy´s name. In order to digest the frustration that came with that name, I decided to choose “Lili Charlie” as my secret artist name. The lesson for me: If you don´t like your name then make an artist name out of it!!!
3) One of my hobbies is sleeping. I can always sleep. I can sleep almost everywhere. I bet some of my friends keep secret pictures of me sleeping on a couch at parties. I know my husband does. For a while I felt uncomfortable about that. But, I realized, that at this stage of my life, it is an important way for me to recharge my batteries. It is healthy. And, I love it. I warn you, don´t mess with my sleep.
4) I love jewelry and chic clothes. My first business was selling jewelry at school at age 14. It is totally legal in my country. At that time, my Mom had a jewelry business parallel to her full time job. I begged her to introduce me to the business. She let me make a startup investment, which I paid with my pocket money. And, ready I was to start. I did great.
5) More than the above, I used to be addicted to shoes. Now, I own more than 50 pairs. This early passion of mine was the source of different businesses. At age 17, I added shoes to my portfolio. I sold shoes (which I bought from a neighboring country) to my fellow university students. I totally agree with this motto I saw on a card in Munich „Es ist dein leben. Mache ein Schuh draus.“ (It´s your life. Turn it in a shoe!)
6) I was a nomad for many years, before I chose to live in Munich. It all started in my childhood. I grew up in a huge house with 3 floors and several unoccupied spaces. Although I had my own room (as did my other 3 siblings), I was always room hoping. My parents would always find me in a new corner of the house.
7) The perfect New Year´s Eve for me is, at home surrounded by people I love.
8) Cooking and having guests has been an important part of my education. At age 9, I already cooked regularly for a household of 15 people. I can gut a fish and a chicken like nobody´s business.
9) I was born with sickle cell anemia. With that, I cannot contract malaria. And, I cannot take hormones either. What a blessing!
10) I weight myself maybe once a year (except for the one time in my life where I went on a diet). I love my body and I don´t want to stress out weighting it everyday!!!
11) People say that I know how to stay in touch. I moved at least 15 times since I left my parent´s home at age 18. Because my family is spread all around the world, I have acquaintances all over the planet. However, I have few people I call true friends. And, I don´t have a best friend.
12) I love cleaning and dishwashing. To me it is relaxing. I set the bar very high when it comes to cleaning. Once I have cleaned my apartment, you can eat from the floor.
13) Formal speech is really sexy to me. In my ideal world, men and women would still communicate with each other through letters. They would carefully choose every word they write and write with passion.
14) I enjoy working very much. To me, it is an essential part of how I want to live. I love serving through my work.
15) There was a time when I wanted to have 8 children. I love kids. Today, I would settle for 2 or 3:-)