Hi, I’m Dennis
I’m passionate about making a positive impact on the world and society. And about enabling you to do so too.
Personally, I strive to be the most ethical and sustainable person I can be. Which is not as easy as I’d love it to be and constantly comes with a lot of questions.
And one big challenge is that I haven’t been able to find sufficient answers for quite a number of these questions. That’s why I started Impactful Ninja! Because we all have open questions about how we can live a little more ethical and sustainable and be a little more impactful. And I’m simply here to share some practical insights on these.
And even though I’m the face behind it all, I’m basically standing on the shoulders of giants. You can find out all about it here.
Let me share a few milestones from my journey to start Impactful Ninja with you:
First volunteering experiences: During my time in high school, I had the chance to volunteer in several different working groups – ranging from first aid medical service to drug and STD education to conflict mediation between teachers and my fellow pupils. And while I was trying to help those around me where I could, this is also where my journey of trying to become more impactful started.
Community service in a youth club: In between my high school and my studies, I did nine months of full-time community service in a youth club to give back to my local community. In that time, I was fortunate enough to help keep adolescents with less fortunate upbringings out of trouble and find their path in life. And as much as I tried having a positive impact on these kids, they strengthened my passion for teaching and sharing knowledge too.
Teaching and tutoring other students: During my bachelor’s degree, I found my love for teaching others. As a teaching assistant, I had the privilege of teaching the course concepts from the main lectures to groups of students and helping them with their course exercises to help them overcome any academic challenges and to better prepare them for their exams.
Facilitating workshops for HIV and AIDS education in Malaysia: Towards the end of my bachelor’s degree, I had the chance to volunteer with AIESEC Malaysia in a program called Raising Awareness with Reaction. Together with other students from all around the world, I arranged, prepared, and facilitated educational workshops about HIV and AIDS in local schools in the area of Subang Jaya. While I do hope that I helped those students on their journey to adulthood, I can say that I learned so much from them and my fellow volunteers – culturally and otherwise.
Teaching English and fostering cultural exchange in China: During my master’s degree, three of my friends and fellow students and I went to Yizhou Senior High School to spark a cultural exchange with local students through teaching English. As the first foreigners ever to enter this school, we were teaching more than 2’000 students, holding motivational speeches, and going on excursions with the teaching staff. In the end, it became a two-sided cultural exchange and I’ve learned so much from this experience. I am also happy to say that our positive impact went beyond our experiences as we were able to establish a lasting relationship between Yizhou Senior High School and the PIECES club of University St.Gallen, our home university.
Working in sustainability consulting: After university, I started with a digitally-driven consulting company in their Sustainability Management team. Out of all the projects, I’m especially proud of having led the Culture Change workstream for a major, CEO-driven ethical project within one of the biggest pharma companies in the world. And I’m very grateful that I had the chance to take a five-month-sabbatical to live in Iten, Kenya, and train with some of the world’s best runners. It was especially there where I really appreciated how much we – especially in our Western societies – have and how much I wanted to give back and have a positive impact on the world and society.
Health & performance coaching: One of my big passions has always been to find ways to help maximize my health, energy, and performance. After successfully helping friends and family too, I build a platform, called Fit Sapiens, with the goal to help people from all walks of life and living in all corners of the world to achieve the same through sharing practical knowledge and guiding personal change. Spoiler alert: you can have the biggest positive impact on your body if you realign your lifestyle and environment with your body.
I want you to become an Impactful Ninja too
Ethical Living
You respect your life and that of all other living beings. And you have a strong moral compass that guides your daily decisions and actions.
Sustainable Living
You aim to minimize your environmental footprint. Because you know that we need to protect our planet for future generations.
Conscious Eating
You recognize that what you eat has a big impact on how ethical & sustainable you life. And you choose foods that are healthful to your environment and your body.
Circular Economy
You oppose the status quo of consumerism and our throw-away society. Instead, you prioritize to eliminate waste and keep materials in use.
Climate Action
You know that we need to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. And you are also prepared to take action to limit global temperature rise.
Charity Support
You deeply care about particular causes and it is important for you to contribute to these. Besides, you feel good doing so.
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
– Jane Goodall; anthropologist
