I am a British-German author, change expert, coach, strategic consultant, and professional keynote speaker.

Born and raised in Germany, my first experience with loss came at the age of seven, when my dad died. This early encounter with grief made me understand the concept of mortality and changed the way I looked at life and the world forever.

The little girl who loved playing shop grew up to graduate from University of Cologne with a Master’s degree in Business Administration and to pursue a twenty-year career in marketing for a multinational company.

In 2017, when looking for purpose, I learned about grief counselling and a local charity that offers groups for children, and felt a sudden twang in my heart. How wonderful it would have been if something like this had existed in my time! I immediately applied for training and got certified a year later. I was assigned to a children’s group and have been a part of that team ever since. In addition to the work with children, I have been leading groups for young adults and supporting people ahead of their loved ones’ death.

It was a breast cancer experience that made me change careers. I quit the corporate job and started writing full-time. Writing had always been a passion of mine, but professionally, writing marketing copy was the closest I got to calling myself a writer. At around the same time, roughly twenty years after graduating from business school, I went back to university and started a course in Psychology to extend my knowledge in human behaviour. I expect to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in 2028.

I took my laptop on my three-week medical rehabilitation after cancer treatment. I would write about my cancer experience whenever I wasn’t having treatments or exercise classes or talking to fellow patients. It was during those conversations that I noticed how differently people responded to the same diagnosis. Some were overwhelmed by the question "Why me?", while others, including myself, approached the situation with a mindset closer to "Why not me?" The difference often seemed connected to the beliefs they held about themselves, life, fairness, and control. This observation sparked my interest in the role core beliefs play in creating our experience of life's challenges.

I had been aware of the breast cancer statistics: Roughly 20% of women will be diagnosed at some point in their lives. When it hit me, I wasn’t exactly thrilled, but my first thought was, “Why not me? Who am I to think I would be one of the 80%?” Ever since I had understood and accepted the concept of mortality, I had incorporated this belief: Anything can happen to anyone, anytime. And that’s okay.

The discovery of the importance of core beliefs inspired me to start writing Life: A Manual and to put the other book on hold. Life: A Manual is for everyone who has experienced a life-changing event and decided they want to live true to their heart going forward.

While I was in the middle of writing Life: A Manual, my grief counselling teacher, Nicole Nolden, asked me whether I wanted to contribute to her book about grief in the workplace. She was looking for someone with expertise in grief in the workplace to write about best (and worst) practice examples, and she remembered that my thesis was about grief in the workplace. Of course I said yes! In guten wie in schlechten Zeiten - auch am Arbeitsplatz was released in November 2025 and made me a published author.

In April 2026, after I sent Life: A Manual off for editing, I started my own business: Silke Hildebrandt - The Life Design Company. It combines different activities that help people lead a happier life. Writing and publishing books will always be at the heart of it

When I’m not writing, speaking, coaching or counselling, you can find me at a football stadium or a concert venue. My favourite teams are FC Köln and Arsenal FC. I love a huge variety of music, but most of all, I’m a Kylie Minogue super fan. The day I got to meet her - in the middle of radiotherapy! - was the best day of my life.

I reside in Cologne, Germany, and work with clients around the world