Stephanie von Aretin: Harmony of Diversity. A Journey through Family, Career and Self-Discovery

 In this insightful interview, I speak with Ms. Von Aretin, who shares her diverse life journey, her career in journalism, and her work in international development cooperation. She discusses balancing family and career, the importance of resilience, and staying true to her values. Through her experiences, she offers valuable advice for women seeking to combine professional goals with family life.

Beatrice: Could you share a bit about your life background and the journey that led you to where you are today?

Ms. Von Aretin: Yes, I have a very diverse background. My father emigrated from Albania as a child and became a citizen of the United States. Later he returned to Germany and married my mother, who is German. So, I have a mix of different backgrounds. As you can tell, German is my mother tongue. However, I went to the United States to study, influenced by my father, who had studied there. I also did my master’s degree in the United Kingdom. Throughout my life, I have always moved between different countries and cultural environments.

Beatrice: What led you to journalism? I know you have a background in it. What was your reason for this decision?

Ms. Von Aretin: As a young girl, I really enjoyed writing and I kept diaries all my life. Studying politics combined with my love for writing led me to journalism. My father also worked as a journalist, so it wasn’t entirely new to me. There are many ways of being a journalist, but I was most fascinated interviewing people who experienced disruptions in their lives due to political changes and gained strength from these experiences. I wrote many portraits and interviewed people who played significant roles during such transformative moments in history.

Beatrice: What is your essence, the core of who you are?

Ms. Von Aretin: That’s a very personal question. I always say I am many things. I fit in everywhere and nowhere, I cannot be put in any specific category. As I mentioned, I am the daughter of an Albanian immigrant, but my mother was a German entrepreneur. I am Catholic, married to a Catholic man, but both my parents are atheists. I now live in East Germany but was born in West Germany. There are many examples in my life where I can say I am everything, but also not one thing one hundred percent.

Beatrice: What does the term “goal” mean to you, and how did you discover it?

Ms. Von Aretin: I have various goals in my life. I am very family-oriented; family is very important to me. At the same time, I learned at my American university that we are privileged with the knowledge and training we were offered and should use it to benefit society. Combining family and professional skills to contribute to society is the guiding principle in my life.

Beatrice: In your opinion, how can one support and advance family and career together?

Ms. Von Aretin: The problem is not yet solved, and I have not found a solution either. I have four children, which is a lot in Germany. Many people told me that having so many children means choosing family over a career. But in Africa, I encountered women who didn’t see it as a problem. They said that mothers are particularly strong because they can endure a lot. The different perspective from African women has carried and inspired me about my professional life. Especially when my children were small, I often worked in the evenings and on weekends, to balance family and work.

Beatrice: How has overcoming failures and challenges contributed to strengthening your resilience and commitment to your goals?

Ms. Von Aretin: I work cautiously and I tend to strive towards perfection in order to ensure that no major mistakes happen. This is appreciated by my environment because my colleagues know they can rely on me. This has given me a lot of independence and responsibility, even when starting new positions. Of course, I make small mistakes and learn every day. Constructive criticism from the team is important for me because I constantly want to improve my performance.

Beatrice: What motivates you to keep going despite significant obstacles?

Ms. Von Aretin: I would like to tell you about one incident in my journalistic career. I couldn’t always realise my projects because sometimes I encountered limits set by others that I had to accept. For instance, I wanted to travel along the path of frankincense from Ethiopia to Europe and write about it. But I was denied the necessary visas, because my proposed itinerary was deemed too dangerous. In the end I had to abandon the project. But at the same time, I learnt to accept rules set by local authorities because they know more about their respective countries, cultural customs and traditions than I. This experience is still valuable for my present work in development cooperation.

Beatrice: Why is it important to stay true to values and beliefs in personal and professional life?

Ms. Von Aretin: I work in a political environment that is presently much under pressure. Both journalism and development cooperation encounter a lot of opposition and critique. Being faced with different perspectives it is important to me to continuously reflect on my own values and stay true to them. Both journalism and development politics face tremendous challenges. To me it is a sign of professionalism to accept these challenges and address them. I am confident about my work because I believe that my company is well equipped to shape the future face of development politics and constantly improve outcomes.

Beatrice: How does practicing gratitude influence your perspective and actions, and how does it inspire others?

Ms. Von Aretin: I am very often grateful for the support and collaboration in my team. The diversity of knowledge, ideas and initiatives that I experienced in all the teams I worked with influenced me greatly. Perhaps I should express my gratitude more often.

Beatrice: What core values or principles hold your life together and guide your decisions and actions?

Ms. Von Aretin: A core principle is that I believe I can continuously make progress and improve. I am grateful and happy when I am offered new tasks and new opportunities. I know that I can adapt and successfully master them.

Beatrice: What do you want to be remembered for, and what advice would you give to the younger generation today?

Ms. Von Aretin: I am proud that I was able to raise my children and at the same time pursue a professional career. I want to be remembered for showing that it is possible to follow both tracks at the same time. In my case it meant advancing at a slower path professionally when my children were small. While I never stopped working I was offered new opportunities and even the chance to return to a full time career when conditions permitted it. My advice to the younger generation is not to rush their career, but to take the time to raise a family and develop individual and professional skills step by step.

Beatrice: Wow! Ms Aretin thanks very much for sharing your story with us.

Ms. Von Aretin: Thank you, it was a very interesting conversation. (She laughs)