Oneliness in Practice

Community · Communications · Experience

I work as an independent storyteller, curator, and experience designer, hired directly or embedded within teams and agencies. Over the past few years, I’ve worked with purpose-driven brands, community-first organizations, and mission-led founders on strategy, narrative, and communications.

Learn more
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  • Shaping what your work is about, who it’s for, and how to say it; then building the strategy that carries it across.

    • Narrative & messaging

    • Content and editorial strategy

    • Writing & thought leadership

    • Content formats (podcasts, newsletters, etc.)

  • Designing the foundational conditions that help communities hold together over time and cultivate intimacy, trust, and aliveness.

    • Engagement models

    • Seasonal programming

    • Event design / facilitation

    • Retention & care practices

  • Designing what happens inside the gathering: the narrative and experiential arc, depth and intimacy of connections, while equally considering logistics and production details.

    • Program curation

    • Event and experience design

    • Unconventional and immersive formats

    • Online and hybrid programme development (learning journeys, facilitated series, community convenings)

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What I bring

A decade spent building culture, community, and communications work from the ground up, starting in purpose-driven consulting at Soulworx, where I co-facilitated organizational transformation workshops and helped launch Humans of New Work, a platform on the power of human connection at work; then growing a global community of next-generation food-systems leaders at Thought For Food. This work found its fullest expression across five years as Head of Curation and Community at House of Beautiful Business, where I grew and cared for a global “life-centered economy” network from a few hundred members to over 50,000 worldwide, and led a team of curators, strategists, marketers, designers, filmmakers, and musicians across content, brand strategy, and event production.

Along the way, I've co-curated and hosted flagship gatherings from 500 to 2,000+ participants across Lisbon, Sintra, and online worldwide; hosted conversations at the World Economic Forum in Davos; and partnered with organizations including BCG, Deloitte, Google, Porsche, SAP, Salesforce, and Volkswagen Group on leadership development, internal summits, and podcast series.

My approach is shaped by the lens of Oneliness: the belief that community, communication, and culture need to be designed from our relational nature.

I work best with organizations where the mission actually matters, where the work is genuinely tied to questions of loneliness, belonging, human flourishing, care, and community.

Work with me

Selected Projects

  • Omek, a global platform for bicultural professionals of the African diaspora.

    Community building, strategic and operational marketing communications, including launching their Substack (“Bridging Worlds“), writing newsletters and community-centered communications, and developing community formats such as the Omek Welcome Hour. Provided advisory and hands-on strategic support for the Omek Summit flagship event in 2026, where I also hosted a workshop on Oneliness.

  • TheDive, a B Corp, steward-owned consultancy and community, building towards a life-serving economy.

    Led curation and experience design for TheDive's 11th anniversary celebration at Silent Green, Berlin, a one-day, 150-person event, working alongside internal and external contributors, including musicians and performers. Shaped the creative direction of the gathering’s full flow and contributions, handled participant communications, and co-led production, including stage and contributor management.

    Watch a recap here.

  • ROOTS Berlin, a Berlin non-profit creating safer spaces and community for BIPoC folks through creativity, movement, and shared knowledge.

    Worked with the team to sharpen and elevate their community-driven brand positioning, developing a narrative arc and content playbook for the team to build from. Provided ongoing content strategy and storytelling support across Instagram, LinkedIn, and community events. Wrote six long-form essays for their Substack, helping position ROOTS within a larger landscape of ideas.

  • AMPM, an Indian luxury fashion brand with deep cultural roots, expanding internationally.

    Engaged through the strategy studio Aesthetic Intelligence to support AMPM, an Indian luxury brand with deep cultural roots, on their international expansion into Europe and the U.S. Role included refining a brand narrative developed through an in-person storytelling workshop in Delhi, and co-creating a messaging architecture spanning core storytelling pillars, tone of voice guidelines, tagline development, and activation guidance across touchpoints.

  • Othering & Belonging Institute, a UC Berkeley research and policy institute focused on inclusion, democracy, and belonging.

    Engaged as emcee and moderator for the Othering & Belonging Institute's first Europe-based event, the Berlin conference on democracy and belonging, holding the space and reading the energy of the room live on the day, while also serving as a close collaborator and advisor in shaping the gathering itself.

    See more here.

  • Ipso Academy, a training and creative platform for mental health and psychosocial support, serving people working with refugees and migrants.

    Worked with founder Inge Missmahl to launch the positioning and initial brand communications for Ipso Academy, which offers training in mental health and psychosocial support for people working with refugees and migrants, alongside artist residencies for those in exile. Supported the initiation of their digital and social communications, including coverage of the academy's first residencies, held in partnership with the Goethe-Institut für Exil.

  • REEMINA, a future-of-work advisory supporting executives who want to maximize impact in minimal time.

    Supported the team primarily through writing and editing their internal strategic documents — their Brandbook and Playbook, and their “Garden of Values” card deck — translating their frameworks and mental models into clear, usable strategic materials.

What Collaborators Say

“Monika came into our team like a ray of sunshine, supporting our marketing efforts as we build community and promote our events. Her approach combines humanity, clarity, and execution. She has elevated our current systems and shared best practices, insights, and writing that support growth and action. Monika operates with grace and thoughtfulness, allowing each team member to contribute and shine. It has been an honor to work alongside her and learn from her experience and methodology.”

— Kes Camara, Creative Director, Omek

“Monika is an exceptional emcee, facilitator, and event curator. We were lucky enough to engage her as the emcee for our organization's first Europe-based event, and not only did she brilliantly hold the space and intuitively manage the energy in the room on the actual day, but she also became a close collaborator and advisor in helping us develop the gathering. Her insights helped make our event even better than we anticipated. I can't recommend Monika enough as a facilitator or emcee- we are already looking forward to working with her again!”

— Sara Grossmann, Program Director, Othering & Belonging Institute by UC Berkley

“Monika is the rare professional who combines intuition with logical reasoning, great care and empathy with bold vision and creative courage. She can “think outside the box” while also flawlessly executing within the box. She’s a natural leader, original thinker, trusted client liaison, collaborative team player, and a charismatic and authentic host and facilitator. Because of her smart wit, she’s also a lot of fun to work with. Monika’s dedication and talent will continue to shape and inspire positive change. Any organization that wants to perform at the highest level can be lucky to have her.

— Tim Leberecht, Co-founder and Co-CEO, House of Beautiful Business

Get in Touch

If you're interested in working together, complete the form with a few details about your project. I’ll get in touch as soon as possible. Thank you!

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