As this year comes to a close, I want to take you with me on a deeply personal review of 2025 – a year that stretched me, shaped me, exhausted me, and taught me more than I expected. It was a year lived between motherhood, advocacy, self-employment, international collaboration, diapers and deadlines – and two podcast shows that continued, every single week.
MS-Perspective has now been listened to in more than 80 countries.
We welcomed interview guests from:
🌎 North America
🌍 South America
🌍 Europe
🌍 Africa
🌏 Australia
…as well as expats from the Middle East
And in 2026, my dream is to finally include Asia – so that voices from all continents can be heard.
This article is not only about work.
It is about why I continued, what it cost, what I learned, and what will change in 2026.
If you live with MS yourself, support someone, work in healthcare or patient advocacy – or if you simply found this podcast on your search for information and hope – welcome.
Thank you for reading, wherever in the world you are.
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Why Look Back?
A yearly review is a pause.
A moment to ask:
What worked?
What failed?
What changed?
And why?
I borrowed this tradition from a podcast I love – and I realised that reflection is not only helpful for me, it offers transparency for you.
Because you don’t just hear polished episodes – there is a life, a family, setbacks, grief, pride and compromises behind the microphone.
2025 in One Word: Endurance
If I had to summarise this year in one single word:
endurance.
Until July, my youngest daughter – now a toddler first a baby, increasingly mobile – was at home. While enjoying precious time with her, I also tried to:
finish my Multiple Sclerosis Management Master’s thesis
complete my EUPATI training before the deadline (EUPATI – European Patients Academy on Therapeutic Innovation)
sustain my self-employment
and release two podcast episodes every week – one German, one English
Some days felt like a marathon.
Just because something is possible does not mean it is healthy.
I would not recommend doing it like this.
Family – Steps of Letting Go
2025 was a year of emotional milestones:
👶 My baby started daycare – and found comfort because her sister was already there.
🎒 My older daughter started school – a moment that brought tears to my eyes.
🏠 We questioned where home would be.
Our apartment is too small.
We looked at houses, we considered moving – even to Dresden.
But another move – especially for our older daughter – would have meant losing friendships, again.
So we decided:
We stay in Pirna. We build a home.
Emotional stability over “perfect” location.
Work – Building Foundations, and One Highlight
From the outside, 2025 looked quieter than previous years.
Inside, it was full of building.
I…
continued serving in the Patient Council at Roche
supported the development of a symptom-focused DiGA, now preparing for alpha testing
- gave some talks to patients and doctors
and I contributed to a project that changed me:
🧠 The AI Whitepaper on Shared Decision Making
I wrote and commented major parts late at night, with a sleeping baby on my arm.
The project gained international attention and was internally recognised at Roche as the most impactful initiative of the year.
It reminded me:
The patient voice can move systems.
🏴☠️ A Playful AI-Generated Pirate Picture – And What It Reminds Me
On social media, you might see a dramatic picture of “me” – wearing a corseted pirate blouse, leather hat, standing on a ship at sunset, a bright parrot on my shoulder, straight out of a Caribbean adventure film.
That person is not me.
I do not spend my days boarding ships or searching for treasure.
I do not own a talking parrot.
And the ocean is far from my daily workspace.
It is simply an experiment I did with AI – and I smiled at the result,
because as a child, I secretly wanted to be a pirate.
A free spirit with salt on her skin, wind in her hair –
and a loyal bird as a constant companion.
But here is what the picture cannot show:
The real woman behind it.
The one who laughs, works, worries, rests, and keeps going.
The one who navigates real life – not imaginary seas.
AI can create images –
but it cannot live a full life.
It cannot feel:
the warmth of a good friendship over coffee,
the quiet strength of choosing joy,
the soft ache of responsibility,
the peace of deep breaths in a stressful world.
AI is a tool – a helpful companion –
but the voice, the decisions, the heart
belong to me.
MS-Perspective – My Heart, and Its Price
In 2025, I published:
🎧 57 German podcast episodes
🎧 54 English episodes
Every. Single. Week.
I am proud.
And tired.
My smartwatch documented nights with:
⏱️ 15 minutes of deep sleep
⏱️ 20 minutes of REM
I was thinner-skinned.
Less patient.
Not always the mother I wanted to be.
➡️ Sleep is non-negotiable in 2026.
What Helped – Formats That Bring Joy
One thing made everything feel lighter:
🔥 The “Kamingespräch” – my German fireside-style conversation with Nadja.
No script.
Two voices.
Two lived realities.
It helps me.
And you seem to love it – the numbers say so.
➡️ My goal for 2026:
Create an English equivalent.
A safe, warm, easy space for MS conversations – across countries, accents, and life stories.
What 2025 Taught Me
This year showed me:
I can push beyond limits – but I cannot stay there.
Friendships cannot wait.
Community is important – but I do not have to be everywhere online.
Social media can be small – while real life remains big.
And I no longer want to postpone dreams.
Outlook for 2026 – Realistic. Gentle. Clear.
I am planning softly.
Because life, house-building, children, MS – all take space.
🧘♀️ Health
sleep first
cycle to daycare three times/week
two sessions of strength & stretching
✍️ Projects
launch a first MS-course for fast-track core knowledge
optional 1:1 support within the course
finally – re-establish an email newsletter
🎙️ Podcast
German: continue fireside conversations, translate English episodes, visibility without stress
English: launch relaxed talk-format, possibly translate a book, newsletter only if life allows
🌿 Personally
Read paper books again.
Refresh Italian.
Not only function.
Live.
Closing Words
If I could speak to myself one year ago, I would say:
“You will get through this.
You do not have to do it alone.
And sleep is not negotiable.”
Thank you for being here – wherever in the world you are.
Whether you found this podcast from a hospital bed, a train ride, a clinic break, or a quiet moment at home – thank you.
I wish you – for your 2026 –
health, courage, small steps, deep rest,
and joy that is real.
📩 I Would Love to Hear From You
What would you want from MS-Perspective in English?
more patient voices?
more science and treatment explanations?
a relaxed international talk-format?
or a fast-track course, so you don’t have to search through 145 episodes?
Send me an email or message me on Instagram – I’m always happy to hear your thoughts.
Thank you for reading. If English is not your native language – I still hope you felt seen. MS belongs to no border. And neither should support.
See you soon and try to make the best out of your life,
Nele
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