Millennial Of The Week: Ramona Fellermeier

Welcome to Millennial Of The Week! This is an interview series conducted by Millennial Community – we are a group of like-minded young people who talk about life as a millennial, work on projects & ideas that matter and challenge the status quo of the world we live in.

This week we are talking to Ramona Fellermeier, the founder and facilitator of Millennial Community. Ramona is a passionate traveller, entrepreneur, certified life coach and loves to spend time with people who inspire and lighten her up. She has travelled the world as a digital nomad for three years, is now based in Munich again and supports her coaching clients in navigating the often rocky waters of their 20s & early 30s. With her curiosity and positive outlook on life, Ramona enjoys diving into new experiences and making a difference in her world.

Are you a member of any online communities? If so, what made you join?

Besides facilitating Millennial Community, I am an active member of the Facebook group ReSOURCEful founded by my dear friend Emma Harper as well as some other business and personal development related groups. Usually, I join an online community because it gives me access to new ideas, like-minded people and interesting resources. Since what I work on and study changes and evolves on a regular basis, the kind of communities and intensity with which I participate change as well. This is one of the biggest challenges I face with shaping Millennial Community: How can we create a space that grows with its members, while staying true to our core philosophy of looking at life from an unconventional and resourceful angle?

What are – in your opinion – the most important skills a millennial needs to cultivate, and why?

Based on where I am at in my life, I’d say the skills of resourcefulness and open communication come first. Looking at the exponential rate of global change, it becomes impossible to figure everything out by ourselves (it probably was impossible to do so in any time and age anyway). Our generation needs to become a lot more resourceful as a whole, and we need to actively share our experiences and learning with one another. I believe there is no such thing as competition – if we can teach ourselves to co-create more, the challenges we face have a chance to turn into opportunities for a better future, globally. And that, in return, requires open and honest communication about human behaviour. We often are so busy trying to look good and be accepted by our environment that we miss out on the opportunity to show up in a real, whole-hearted and imperfect way. That’s something I work on with myself and others, and it’s also a topic at the very core of Millennial Community’s purpose and mission.

How are you practicing those skills in your own life?

This is my favourite question of this interview series! Because how often do we talk about a fascinating or controversial topic, only to go back into our own everyday life and do business as usual? Changing our habits and behaviour is difficult, and same is true for developing and nourishing the skills we need to successfully navigate today’s world.

When it comes to being resourceful, I try to balance learning from others with listening to my own intuition. I often remind myself that what I think to be true doesn’t necessarily have to be, and that there might be a different perspective to take on. The hardest thing for me is to stay on course in moments where I feel like life is so much more complex than anything I understand about it. That’s when I turn to friends and people who share my value of curiosity and critical thinking – they usually help me get back on the resourceful track! And regarding honest communication: Frankly, it’s a whole lot of “learning by doing”. I started out sharing way too much and am slowly adjusting that. Being open and honest doesn’t mean to share everything with everybody! Also, I find it helpful to reflect on my own underlying motivations when it comes to communicating with others. Why do I share certain things with certain people? What makes me feel the need to hold back on something? Am I being open and honest in a conversation, or am I guided by some kind of fear or need to look good / impress?

Asking quality questions helps a lot, and I think it’s okay (and even important!) to not always know the answers.

What is your personal definition of success?

Being able to live life based on my own terms. Keeping a sense of positivity and light-heartedness in any situation I encounter. And always approaching life from a perspective of curiosity, openness and courage.

What are YOU seeking help in at the moment?

My passion project is Millennial Community – and while the space needs a person to take active leadership and guidance, I want it to be a community created by a group bigger than myself. I find it really difficult to put the mission of Millennial Community (which is providing a space of support to create new ideas for, make a difference in and challenge the world we live in) into words that are clear and understandable to our generation out there, especially since it’s a space that grows with its members. Which is why I am open and grateful for any feedback, support and creative ideas shared with me about this community and its future!

What excites you about being a millennial?

The impact each and every one of us has to shape the environment we live in. It comes with a lot of responsibility and we need to actively speak up for and share what matters most to us. But with the development of the online world and the exponential rate of change in today’s society, we have more resources and ways to connect than ever before. Now we need to make sure that we connect not just superficially, but bring back the authenticity and depth of the human experience.

Quick Fire Questions

My current passion project