The Wrong Johanna, the Right Mindset

That morning, an urgent package needed to be sent. I no longer remember its exact contents, but it was crucial that it reached its destination as quickly as possible. To ensure everything went smoothly, I decided to deliver it myself to the nearest depot.

As part of my book journey, I often listen to podcasts about historical figures. I quickly typed in "Johanna Bourbon," the wife of King Charles V. But "by a wink from the universe", I ended up with Johanna White.

With furrowed brows, I kept driving. "Huh? Whiskey?" I thought, as my finger hovered over the pause button. The wrong Johanna? I hesitated for a moment about choosing another podcast, but curiosity won. Maybe there was something interesting hidden in this story.

A Woman who Refused to Break

Not long after, I arrived at the depot. A store employee advised me to pack everything into one box to ensure that nothing would get lost. I immediately realized that this was a smart move, as it meant I wouldn’t have to come back.

Grateful, I got back into the car. What I didn’t know was that the podcast had kept playing the entire time. The subject had shifted—it was no longer about whiskey but about the brain. My attention was instantly caught. My daughter is doing a PhD on a specific brain disease, so this fascinated me.

But this podcast wasn’t just about a brain disease. It was about a woman who refused to break.

A Woman that Intrigued

Johanna White worked as a graphic designer in a small, stifling office. Her surroundings subtly but clearly made her feel that she wasn’t worth much. "Be glad you have a job," they told her.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Overnight, she could no longer eat or speak. Her face became partially paralyzed. No neurologist could tell her what was wrong. No one knew if she would survive.

Most people would be paralyzed by fear. Johanna White?

She handed in her resignation!

The Power of a Choice

Johanna looked around the office where her dreams had slowly faded. This was not a place where she would get better. This was not a place where she would be helped. This was a place where she would lose herself in uncertainty and fear. So she took control and walked away.

At such a moment, everyone needs someone to draw strength from. For Johanna, that person was a friend of her father. He encouraged her to delve into the power of mindset.

What if you tell yourself, "I am not sick. I am vital and full of life"?
What if you refuse to accept the pain?

It sounded like self-deception, but Johanna thought: What do I have to lose?

She started trying. The pain remained, but occasionally there was a break. And those moments gave her hope. She discovered that her mindset might be stronger than her body.

The Diagnosis

After a long search, her network found a doctor who might be able to help. Maybe this surgeon could remove the tumor.

Full of hope, she went in for an examination. The doctor returned with the results and said:

"Johanna, the tumor has not gotten smaller. You will soon go completely blind. Call me when it happens."

💔 BAM.

The next morning, Johanna woke up, and everything felt exactly the same as the day her nightmare began. The paralysis was back. Eating was impossible again.

A small voice in her head whispered:

What has changed between yesterday—when you still had hope—and today, when that hope has been taken away?

The only difference? Her mindset.

The surgeon’s words had stolen her hope. And she realized it in an instant.

The bad news became her turning point. 

Flipping the Switch.
If fear and mindset are powerful enough to paralyze you, can they also work the other way around?

Johanna decided to test it. She refused to let a scan dictate her fate. She chose to live fully, no matter what the doctors said. Her mindset became her lifeline. And the first thing she wanted to tackle was her fear. Johanna realized she wasn’t afraid of dying, but of leaving potential untapped.

She started her own business—then a second, and even a third. Clients wondered, "What if you don’t make it to the end of this contract?" But Johanna knew she couldn’t let others decide her fate.

A seed had been planted. It grew and spread. Her energy became unstoppable.

And the Tumor?

Years later, as the final step, the tumor disappeared.

You might almost think it had been her ally. It stayed just long enough to force her to discover her true strength. Just long enough to ensure she would never abandon this path.

The Wrong Johanna?

For me, it became clear - once again - that my book, my journey, had taught me something.
I had found the right Johanna after all.

What you focus on grows. ✨

When I listened to Johanna’s story, I was coincidentally running my first Start to Run session. Running five kilometers can be quite a challenge when starting from scratch. But when you listen to someone who doesn’t even know if she’ll be alive the next morning—and yet is training her mindset?
Then five kilometers becomes peanuts.

The milestone of five kilometers was great, but there was more to it.

Johanna showed me that an enormous potential lies within every person. Thanks to her story, we don’t all have to overcome a brain tumor to discover what we truly have inside us.

And only later did I have my aha moment.
The podcast I had "accidentally" stumbled upon was Bourbon and Breakthroughs. The host combines an inspiring life story with a bourbon tasting. Johanna. Bourbon. Of course.
Synchronicity in its purest form. Not coincidence, but a guiding energy that led me to the right story at exactly the right moment.

Since I started writing, my research has taken me to unknown places—literally, but especially figuratively. To a part of myself I didn’t know existed. A place so authentic that you would want to stay there forever. But it lies just around the corner, just beyond the comfort zone.

Some people, like Johanna, find that place early on. Others, like me, take more than half a century. And sometimes, you need multiple lifetimes to get there.

But once you do?

Then you resonate at the right frequency. ✨