Vulnerability is strength, power, and identity. For Stefanie Giesinger, vulnerability is reality. With a continuing and growing sense of curiosity, Stefanie takes on the industry by storm. Whether she’s hosting a podcast, modeling on set, running a business, or performing on screen, every space she’s in, she’s resetting standards, limitations, and expectations. Though it may not always be easy to stay true to yourself in a world obsessed with artificial realities, the media mogul manages to not only find purpose beyond the superficial but also communicate this message to anyone who may be listening.
On set, the team was connected through the energy Stefanie brought into the space. Long days, hot studios, and busy schedules couldn’t stop her optimism and professionalism. Though being a woman in a powerful position is a fight against the patriarchy in itself, it’s not always easy to set boundaries and expectations to a manageable level while remaining in charge and on task. Stefanie openly converses about these topics and simultaneously puts her words into practice.
For TITLE’s July Digital Cover, we spoke with Stefanie Giesinger about what it truly means to embrace your needs, your identity, and your health. A reset can mean a lot of things, but the most important aspect of starting over is finding your way back to yourself in the process and leaving the strive for impossible perfection behind.
You grew up with both German and Russian cultures. How do you feel this has impacted your core identity growing up? How do you see these influences reflected in your career today?
Growing up between German and Russian cultures made me very aware of what it means to belong. My parents wanted my brother and me to have every opportunity, so they tried hard to help us fit in. They gave me a very German name, even changed my brother’s name, and we learned early on how to adapt.
I think because of that, I became incredibly observant. I learned to read a room, understand people quickly, and adjust without even realizing I was doing it. Looking back, that’s become one of my greatest strengths. It’s helped me navigate the fashion industry, different countries and completely different worlds. What once felt like survival has become a superpower.
Russian was my first language, but for a long time I didn’t fully embrace that part of myself. Maybe because, growing up, I felt like it would be easier if I blended in. Today, I feel very differently. The older I get, the more I appreciate where I come from. I don’t feel the need to choose between identities anymore. I can be both, and that feels much more freeing than trying to belong to only one.
Skirt: Chloé, Underwear: Agent Provocateur
Just like many of us in this chaotic city, you have a love/hate relationship with Berlin. What is something that you love about it and something that frustrates you? If you had the power to change something about Berlin, what would it be?
Berlin gives people permission to become someone new. You can reinvent yourself over and over again, and nobody questions it. I love how creative the city is and how many people are building interesting things here.
What frustrates me is that sometimes people mistake emotional distance for being cool. Vulnerability almost feels unfashionable here.
If I could change one thing, I’d make Berlin a little softer. More spaces where people genuinely connect instead of constantly performing.
Over the years, your look, style, and content direction have evolved with the times and your personal growth. What does resetting mean to you?
For a long time, I thought resetting meant changing everything. Now I think it means coming back to myself.
My life can become incredibly fast. I’m constantly working, traveling, creating and performing. I genuinely love that life, but when everything is happening for the outside world, there’s very little space left for my inner one.
I can always feel when it’s time to slow down. I become tired, sometimes emotional, and I crave being alone. That’s usually my sign that I need to check in with myself.
I go back to my hometown for a few days; I sleep ten or twelve hours if that’s what my body needs; I write, I think, and I finally process everything that’s happened. Sometimes that means having a little breakdown. But I’ve learned not to be afraid of those moments anymore. They usually tell me exactly what I’ve been avoiding.
That’s what resetting is for me. Not becoming someone new, but making sure I haven’t drifted too far away from who I already am.
I don’t reset to reinvent myself… I reset to remember myself.
Left – Full look: Gucci, Underwear: Tom Ford, Right – Body: Valentino, Underwear: Agent Provocateur
How have you benefited from a ‘fresh start’, and what needs to happen for you to initiate a change?
I used to wait until life forced me to change. Now I try to listen before it has to.
Whenever I notice that I’m living more from expectation than from curiosity, I know it’s time to move. That’s usually the beginning of a new chapter.
I’ve learned that every ending carries a little bit of grief, but it also creates space for a version of yourself that couldn’t exist before. That’s why I don’t fear fresh starts anymore. They’ve become one of the greatest gifts in my life.
You have openly spoken about mental health on your platform, found ways to express yourself more creatively, and opened up a space for personal freedom. Your viewership and anyone who can relate appreciate the realness you show.
How has the expectation of having the ‘perfect image’ or being perceived a specific way impacted you and your journey online?
I can usually tell how I’m doing mentally by how much I strive for perfection.
Whenever I’m feeling less grounded, I start wanting everything to be perfect. The way I look, the way I work, the way I’m perceived. It’s almost like I’m trying to build a shield. But over time I’ve realized that perfection isn’t protection. It’s often just fear wearing a prettier outfit.
When I genuinely feel good about myself, I don’t need to control every detail anymore. I become much more playful, curious, and honest. I’m less interested in appearing perfect and much more interested in expressing something that’s true.
I think people can feel that. We often believe perfection creates trust, but I think authenticity does. Not because it’s flawless, but because it’s real.
Why do you feel transparency and authenticity are important in today’s social media landscape?
Because we’re living in an age where almost everything can be edited. Realness
has become rare, and because it’s rare, it has become incredibly valuable. I think people don’t expect perfection anymore. They expect honesty.
How do you create space to express yourself more freely?
By protecting my peace. I try not to see myself from a stranger’s perspective. I try not to read the news about me, and I try to forget that I’m in the public eye.
I spend less time consuming and more time creating.
I journal almost every morning, I walk a lot without my phone, and I try not to make every idea immediately perform online. Some things are allowed to exist just for me first.
Full look: Chloé
“I don’t reset to reinvent myself…
I reset to remember myself.”
Full look: Miu Miu
What is something that personally helps you ground yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated? What is your daily routine to manage the stress of work and life?
My work is incredibly people-centered. On some days I’m surrounded by hundreds of
interactions. I’m constantly being spoken to, observed, photographed, touched by hair and makeup artists or stylists, making decisions, meeting new people and absorbing an endless amount of information.
I love that part of my job, but I’ve also learned that my nervous system processes all of it. Sometimes I simply need a moment where nobody needs anything from me.
What grounds me most isn’t actually being alone. It’s feeling safe with the people around me. I’ve learned how important it is to tell my team when I need a break, when I need reassurance, or even something as simple as asking before someone touches me. Those small things make a huge difference.
For the longest time, I was afraid of being perceived as difficult or having “diva behavior,” so I rarely spoke up. I wanted to be the easiest person in the room. But I’ve realized that communicating my needs doesn’t make me harder to work with. It allows me to do my best work.
When I feel seen and understood, my body relaxes. And when my body relaxes, everything else follows.
At TITLE, we are all about True Identity and what centers you in it. What would you say is something you would consider to be 100%, Steffi? Something that makes you feel more connected to your inner self.
Curiosity.
I genuinely love people.
I love asking questions, understanding how someone thinks, what shaped them, what they’re afraid of, what excites them.
That’s probably why I enjoyed podcasting just as much as modeling. I’m endlessly fascinated by people.
Turning 30 is a big deal now and has always been seen as a great transition, especially for women. Why do you think society puts so much weight on aging? What are you looking forward to in this next stage of your life?
I think ageism is very real, especially in my industry. Women are often celebrated for being young, but not necessarily for becoming wiser, more opinionated, or more independent.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s because confidence can make women harder to control. As we get older, many of us become less interested in pleasing everyone, more comfortable setting boundaries, and more certain of who we are. I think those qualities should be celebrated much more than they are.
If I’m being completely honest, I’d be lying if I said I never think about becoming “irrelevant.” Working in fashion and social media means you’re constantly reminded of what’s new and who’s next. Of course, that thought crosses my mind sometimes.
But what outweighs that fear is excitement.
When I look back at my twenties, I don’t feel nostalgic. I feel proud that I made it through them. They were beautiful, but they were also confusing, emotional, and incredibly challenging. Every difficult experience taught me something about myself.
Today I understand myself so much better. I know what I need, what I value, and what kind of life I want to build. That gives me a sense of peace I never had at twenty-two
Getting older feels like a privilege. Every year gives me more perspective, more freedom, and more gratitude for simply being alive. I genuinely can’t wait to find out who I’m becoming.
From modeling to hosting, acting, content creation, and being an established businesswoman, you have done it all. What’s next for Stefanie Giesinger? Any new side quests we can expect in the near future?
I think I’m entering a chapter where I’m becoming much more intentional about what I create and who I create it with.
Health Bar is a huge part of that. I want to continue growing it internationally and build a brand that genuinely becomes part of people’s everyday lives.
I’m also taking a little step back from podcasting, but not because I’m done with conversations. Quite the opposite. I’m dreaming of creating a platform where thoughtful interviews, creativity and the exchange of ideas can exist in a way that feels fresh and inspiring. That’s something I’m quietly working on.
Personally, I want to spend more time living in different countries, working internationally, and collaborating with friends. The older I get, the more I realize that the people you build with matter just as much as what you build.
And honestly… I’d love to model even more. Fashion was my first language creatively, and I feel like I’m only just discovering the kind of work I want to make within it.
Credits:
Talent – Stefanie Giesinger via SG
Photography – Pascal Behring
Art Direction & Styling – Neslihan Degerli
Makeup & Nails – Hely Doan
Hair – Ahmed Mnissi
Makeup Assistant – Marilia Rohr
Content Manager – Nola Syla
Managing Editor – Jasmin Kraenzel
Production by avec nous GmbH
