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About me

My name is Simon, and I’m an explorer by heart.

After a 14-year career as an investment banker, I had enough of what turned out to be a senseless and confining golden cage and finally resigned in 2019. My long-time passion for exploring consciousness and uncovering human potential became my full-time vocation (more about my background below).

Initially driven by pain and a yearning for purpose, I found liberation and naturally followed my joy for passing on the keys to unlock your freedom:

The Principles of Self Discovery and Creative Empowerment.

These are

  • the catalysts from concept to reality,
  • the bridges from separation to wholeness,
  • the gateway from mind to heart,
  • the opening from ego to soul.

They are at the heart of my offering and mission: To empower you to become the prime creative force in your life and live a life true to your Self.

If that resonates join me on the journey of Self discovery.

— It’s time to Be As You Are.

Writing

Concepts are the source of suffering if we blindly believe them, or a joyous & liberating springboard into reality. Join me on a journey of discovery, of what is true and what’s not!

Poetry

Poetry is a fascinating medium that lives. I love pointing at the in-comprehensible or simply capturing the precious moments of life in language. Let yourself be animated.

Testimonials

Over the years, I had the joy and privilege to work with many people from all walks of life in my workshops, coaching and consulting practice. Read what they say about working with me.

FROM COMPULSIVE SEEKING TO FREEDOM

My father’s diagnosis and subsequent death from cancer in 2010 initiated a quest for finding purpose and myself. Over the last 10+ years, while chasing money and status for career significance, I became obsessed with ‘fixing’ and optimizing myself—physically, intellectually, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

This odyssey led me down a path of exploration: countless coaches, therapists, counselors, trainers, (fake) gurus… years of exercising mind and body, personal development, energy and belief work, psychedelics, biohacking, bodybuilding, therapy, breathwork, esoteric practices, spiritual counseling, yoga, initiations—you name it. I was obsessively reading and researching, spending hours every day, yet never arriving and being haunted for years (I spent a fortune on this quest).

I had no real idea what I was actually searching for all that time or where I was going with that. There was just a deep longing for more. I was stressed without acknowledging or even recognizing it, trapped in the vicious circle of achievement. Little did I know that I was driven by regret, shame, and anger about the past, and fear and worry about the future. Never in the present moment.

The big realizations

started to happen in 2019 when it became undeniable that all these efforts were just about dealing with and fixing symptoms at a surface level, but not addressing the underlying cause. The real cause was me creating my painful life experiences through my inner focus—unconsciously. It didn’t make any sense anymore to change the outside. It was me causing my suffering.

My core was shaken, as I realized that:

  • My beliefs about myself and life didn’t hold up to reality.
  • They were almost entirely negative and self-defeating. Literally.
  • My beliefs played out and led to my painful life experience and self-negative image.
  • I can open my awareness beyond.

Your current life situation is fundamentally a result of your reality filter—your perception of life. Your perception is based on your beliefs, conditioning, adopted values, and experiences. Your perception creates your experience of reality, which reconfirms your perception, which recreates your experience of reality (ad infinitum). A vicious circle, given that +70% of beliefs (Dr. Bruce Lipton) are self-sabotaging, negative, destructive, and disempowering — until you step out of that circle: Belief is not reality!

Simon Rilling Tweet

That realization, as liberating as it was, wasn’t something I immediately fully applied and understood. I crashed a few more times until I came to a complete stop and looked inside. I ever more realized that I’m the only one causing my suffering. But also that I can step beyond my beliefs, fears & thoughts into a new paradigm: Freedom = reality. And that I have the power to follow my heart and create my dreams.

So then that’s what I did. And still do.

I’m on the Hero’s Journey – and invite you to join me. Quite frankly, there is nothing else as challenging but also as rewarding – the adventure of your lifetime: Unconditionally being you. Once you taste that reality – you won’t give it up again.

Since then, everything changed: From almost divorced to a loving and joyful marriage. Leaving my corporate job to follow my heart. From shy, depressed, resentful, fake, arrogant, and cold to enjoying speaking, teaching, organizing events, and genuinely loving myself.

My journey let me further beyond my perception and realize the transpersonal dimension of our being. My mind was blown away to recognise that I am not the doer.

That I am ‘that’. All and nothing. ‘I’ was quite humbled. My need to seek disappeared.

I realized: Life is simply about being and becoming who I already am. Since then, my joy comes from sharing my discoveries and supporting others in aligning with their authentic nature.

FROM CORPORATE MERCENARY TO CREATOR

After studying Economics & Finance and then 14 years Investment Banking managing several bn $ in derivative portfolios and a quite successful career by society’s standards (you can find my LinkedIn bio here), I changed paths in 2019. And quit the golden cage, which had kept me unfulfilled for years. Finally, I dared to leave my comfort zone and follow my heart to see what life really is about.

I became an entrepreneur and full-time explorer of human potential, consciousness, and the true mystery of our existence, with a passion to share my discoveries and empower others.

I have been running training workshops & events for a couple of years now:

  • From 2018-2021 I run Personal Development events until I recognized the limitation of ‘enhancing’ one’s personality (‘persona’ also means mask) and that

Life is about breaking through and free beyond that limiting ‘mask’! Reality.

  • In 2019 I co-founded a platform to train trainers in Advanced Thinking & Creative Consciousness, which we built up to +20 trainers. I left
  • in October 2020, and launched my Podcast Beyond Perception, which is about awakening to truth beyond perception & mainstream narratives.
  • Since 2020 I have been facilitating workshops and coachings focused on self-discovery and creative empowerment, dedicated to:

Becoming and being authentically one Self: True perfection – the only one that exists.

  • In April 2022 I began a new adventure and became a partner in Tai Nuare to create a regenerative, self-sustaining ecological sanctuary in the Panamanian Caribbean, aiming to restore a natural paradise for humans to reconnect with their true selves.
  • From November 2023 to July 2024, I co-founded and became president of La Selva Sabe, a non-profit supporting Amazon communities in building indigenous-led schools to preserve their culture and the rainforest.
  • In May 2024 together with my wife, we led our first Immersive Journey in the Heart of the Amazon.

MY RELEVANT EDUCATION TO DEVELOPING POTENTIAL

 

Academical Education

 

 

Personal Development Trainings

 

Seth Godin (2018)

  • 2018: altMBA
  • 2018: The Marketing Seminar

 

Toastmasters Zurich (2018-2019) 

  • 2019: Level 1 Leadership Development
  • 2019: Participation in Speech Contest Area E4

 

Tony Robbins (2018-2019)

  • 2018-2019 Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership
  • 2018-2019: 3x Unleash Power Within
  • 2018-2019: 2x Business Mastery
  • 2018: Adventure Trip
  • 2018: Leadership Academy
  • 2018: Spiritual Trip
  • 2018: Date with Destiny
  • 2019: Finance Trip
  • 2018-2019: 1:1 Coaching with TR Results Specialist

 

Kern Frost (2019-2020)

  • 2019-2020 Quantum Psychology Transformational Program
  • 2019-2020: 1:1 Coaching with Kern Frost
  • 2020: Co-facilitation of Workshops and Trainings
  • 2020: Coaching trainers

 

William Whitecloud – Natural Success (2020-2025)

  • 2020-ongoing: 1:1 Coaching with William Whitecloud
  • 2020: Create your destiny
  • 2020-2022: 4x Alchemy for Success
  • 2020-2022: 3x Creative Warrior
  • 2021-2024: 4x Mastery
  • 2023: Writers Genius
  • 2023: Soul Safari
  • 2023: Coaching Accreditation

 

Dr. Linda Elder – Foundation for Critical Thinking (2021-2022)

  • 2021: Socratic Questioning
  • 2021: Critical Thinking Conference
  • 2021: Semester course: Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life
  • 2021-2022: Private Study group with Dr. Linda Elder

 

Robert Fritz (2022-2025)

  • 2022-2025: Structural Consulting Certification Program
  • 2022-2024 4x Foundations of Structural Thinking
  • 2022-2025: 2x Create your Life
  • 2024: Living Art
  • 2024: Issues

 

Carsten Pötter – Academy for Awareness (2021-2022)

  • 2021: Head over heart
  • 2022 Connected Thinking
  • 2022 The heart as a storehouse of knowledge
  • 2022 Resonance medium
  • 2021-2022 1:1 Coaching with Carsten Pötter

 

Joe Hudson – The Art of Accomplishment (2025)

  • 2025: Art of Accomplishment
  • 2025: Connection Course

 

Spiritual Practice & Embodiment

 

 

Strength Training

 

 

Shamanic / Psychedelic Experience

 

  • 2018 Inner Mastery

  • 2018 Synthesis Retreat

  • 2019 Synthesis Retreat

  • 2023-2024 Amazon Rainforest (several journeys to the Sapara and Achuar)

 

Neurofeedback Training

 

 

MY TEACHERS THROUGH THE YEARS

Some of the influences and teachers I have been following closely and studied with over the years: Tony Robbins, Jordan Peterson, Seth Godin, Kern Frost, William Whitecloud, Ruth Huber, Stephen Wolinsky, Paul Elder, Adyashanti, Carsten Pötter, Robert Fritz, Joe Hudson (in no specific order). Every single one of them was a guide to me through one aspect of (relative) reality. And an important step on my journey. By learning what aligns with me and what doesn’t.

The ‘final’ step on my journey – the timeless presences of the sages Anandamayi Ma and Sri Ramana Maharshi. Eternal guiding lights to those who seek liberation. (Writing that, I am not implying I have ‘achieved’ something. I continue to learn and evolve, but I’ve come to realize who I am. And live more and more guided by that inner reference. And that is ‘special’ to me.)

“The most beautiful homecoming is the return to oneself.”

— Goethe

Let’s schedule a free 30 min ‘Discovery Call’ today!

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