Meet our protagonists

This XXL edition is an extra large program of Xtraordinary Xpressions of Life:  12 tellers each have 7 minutes maximum to explore the topic of “Refuge”, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. 

Almut Tiba-Ehlers

Born and raised in a large family with 10 younger siblings, Almut knows the magic that stories can unfold. Professionally, too, she deals daily with life stories that miraculously turn out for the better. 

Almut is an entrepreneur, life coach, healer, passionate family woman, writer and she loves to travel. After several turbulent decades she knows: Happiness is not a question of fate. It is a choice.

Geboren und aufgewachsen in einer Großfamilie mit 10 jüngeren Geschwistern kennt Almut die Magie, die Geschichten entfalten können. Auch beruflich hat sie täglich mit Lebensgeschichten zu tun, die sich auf wundersame Weise zum Guten wenden. 

Almut ist Unternehmerin, Lebenscoach, Heilerin, leidenschaftlicher Familienmensch, Schriftstellerin und sie reist für ihr Leben gern. Nach einigen turbulenten Dekaden weiß sie: Glück ist keine Frage des Schicksals. Es ist eine Entscheidung.  

Almut’s story is titled: “Kokon”

Ben McGuire

A passionate believer in the ferocious power of story, Ben McGuire is a lawyer, writer, documentary filmmaker, and photographer.

HE IS YET TO FIND A BETTER COMPASS THAN STORY TO HELP US FIND TRUE NORTH AND TO CELEBRATE THE JOYS AND QUIRKS OF LIFE ALONG THE WAY.    

Ben’s story: “Ben Hur”

 Ciarán Duffy

Originally from Dublin, Ciarán is an explorer, a musician, a product designer, a dreamer, and a chancer. He's been living in Berlin since 2017, and loves the diversity and colour of the city. 

Since 2018, he's been self-employed, designing digital products in the Global Health and Humanitarian sectors. This work has allowed him to travel to countries his mother wished he'd stay away from, across Africa and Western Asia. 

In 2022, Ciarán joined Centre Berlin Toastmasters, spoke at his first bEAR event, and started his journey into storytelling and public speaking. He's drawn to stories that blend tension, vivid imagery, and wry humour together to create powerful, and compelling tales.

Life highlights to date include: playing main stage at a number of music festivals, starring in an Irish-language TV-show, and learning to cook a gooey Spanish tortilla.

You can find him at:  duff.work

Hilary Hafner Vogt

Born in Ohio and raised amidst the burnt out homes of post-riot Detroit, 13-year old Hilary decided she would come to Germany one day. She was inspired by a photo portrait of Rudolf Steiner and finding out he was the founder of the beloved school where she had spent grades 1 - 5.

Between then and now she has had several extended stays in Germany, lived all over the US and has earned her living primarily as a Waldorf School teacher. In 2015 she married her German sweetheart and moved here permanently.

She is a lover of the spoken and written word and the unseen worlds they give us access to.

Say hello at: hilaryhafner@gmail.com

Hilary’s Story: “Night Refuge”

Izzy Ahrbeck

Born in Tokyo to German and Canadian parents, curiosity and wanderlust were always a driving force in her life. Izzy has since then called 8 different countries home and has currently unpacked her suitcase in Berlin… for now. 

From a very young age, Izzy was set on being a storyteller. From making short “newscast” videos every Friday after school, to interviewing community members for her radio show, to being a freelance journalist for organizations, Izzy wanted to uplift traditionally dismissed voices. That lead her to working in the film and music industry where she immersed herself in the Toronto arts and activism scene.

She worked on numerous film sets included her own award-winning projects and later co-produced Canada’s longest running music festival. However, a lost sense of purpose and fulfillment nagged at her until she spontaneously decided to leave her dreamy career behind and start a new life in Barcelona where she pursued her master's in Sustainable Business & Innovation. 

Izzy’s Story: “TBA”

Izzy is now a self-proclaimed activist in the business community, promoting radical change and more sustainable practices. She hosts her own podcast on the topic and presents to companies internationally on how to innovate more impactfully. She crept into the storytelling world only a few months ago and is eager to participate and learn more. 

Lavinia Knop-Walling

is a blind storyteller, workshop facilitator, mother, partner, and audiobook enthusiast. She lives and works in Berlin. Her passions include audio description in theater and telling traditional and autobiographical stories. One could say she dances at many weddings simultaneously because since completing her master's degree in "Something with Media," she has been writing, blogging, tweeting, editing, hosting, presenting, and telling stories.

Lavinia talks about audio description in theater, life as a blind woman, and different ways of seeing. In the field of audio description, she leads workshops, writes articles, hosts events, and assists performance groups in creating inclusive pieces. As a storyteller, she tells traditional and autobiographical stories for both adults and children, often focusing on topics such as seeing and not-seeing.

Say hello at: contact@laviniaknop.com

Lavinia’s story is titled: “TBA”

Louise Bernard

Louise is a storyteller and poet from Paris, France. Aside from working with media and culture, she enjoys exploring themes of roots, relationships, growth and meaning through her writing. 
Say hello at louise.tina.bernard@gmail.com.

Louise’s story is titled: “TBA”

Sherzod Gafar

Sherzod is a tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Heylama, a language-learning platform. His journey started in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, a small Central Asian country, and led him to Berlin in 2014. He came to pursue his MBA, but what made him stay was the city's grounded character, diversity, and exceptional greenery.
Notably, Sherzod is a polyglot, with English being his fourth language. His passion for languages and communication is evident in the work he does through Heylama.
Sherzod grew up in a creative environment, with both of his parents being journalists, poets, and novelists. This fostered his love for storytelling from an early age, and he has carried this passion with him ever since.
When he isn't busy with his tech business, Sherzod loves spending time with his wife, working out using Calisthenics, taking his dog Luna for walks, and continually learning new things.

Sherzod’s story is titled: “The Yellow Sanctuary“

 Skyler Braeden Fox

has a long tradition of oral storytelling in his family. His grandfather and father told construction site stories around the dinner table and his dad let Skyler and his siblings choose the plot basis and character names in his made-up bedtime stories. It was only natural that Skyler was drawn to the art of storytelling, first as a journalist, and later as a rapper and a film maker. The medium doesn‘t really matter to him. It‘s the unravelling of the story that he loves.

Skyler’s story is titled “Rough hands, gentle heart”.

Sylvia Schöningh-Taylor

The Universe endowed me with an abundance of creativity from the start. This Gift helped me to survive the abusive, dysfunctional family, I grew up with in the German Fifties.

As a little girl a neighbour gave me four glove puppets. I entertained the poor kids from the neighbourhood regularly with improvised puppet shows.

Later I became a teacher, inspiring generations of children to love literature and being civilized citizens.

I am a mother of 2 gifted children, to whom I passed on my passion for storytelling. 

Storytelling for me is an Art Form, that does our Humanity a great service.It is a bridge between strangers from all walks of life. Human Life is a challenge to all of us. By sharing our stories we transcend our loneliness and become one - in that magic moment of a heartfelt story being told.

Sylvia’s story is called “Cathedral”.

Tanveer Ahmed

Tanveer is a storyteller originally from the south of India who moved to Berlin in 2018. His career has taken him away from the city he calls his "European home" and he now lives in Brussels working as a lobbyist (which is basically capitalist storytelling) with the European Insitutitons. Tanveer believes in the power of storytelling as an unparalleled medium of conveying life's experiences and believes that a "good story makes you feel grateful for what you have, or hopeful for what you could have". 

When he isn't telling stories to the government or to people on stage, Tanveer does jiu-jitsu, teaches himself the piano, is experimenting with food, and prays to god to be able to sing like John Legend someday. 

You can say hello on his instagram @thatguytanveer 

Tanveer’s story is titled: “TBA”

Dyane Neiman

Founder & director of The Bear. true stories. erzaehltes leben; Eve of the Champs show host.

Dyane is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has become the most German-like American you’ll ever meet. The former theater director and choreographer once told stories with moving bodies, now she creates with moving words.

By day, Dyane works as a speaker coach with her business Moving Speaker.  And every third Friday evening,  – she hosts, charms, persuades and twists arms so that Berliners will take the stage and share their stories.

“I believe stories help us find meaning out of this chaos called life.”

Say hello: dyane@thebear-storytelling.de

Wendy Husser

is a native of Denver, Colorado who came to Germany in 1987 and landed in Berlin in 2008. She is a trainer for Business English, a coach for Public Speaking/Presentations and has been a moderator at events like TEDx  Potsdam and the 1st International Urban Mobility Dialogue (Berlin 2017).  Creating and holding space for the words and stories of others is at the heart of Wendy's work - a job and a CALLING done with devotion.

Say hello: weewall@gmail.com

Check out Wendy’s story “Don’t Eat Mama!”

Alexander Dorenberg

Singer Songwriter based in Berlin. With his smooth deep voice and sensitive guitar playing he completes the musical duet for Eve of of the Champs.

You find more information about Alex here: www.dorenberg.de

Friday, 23 June 2023

18:30 hrs. Doors open
19 hrs. Stories begin

Tickets available here.

Show host: Dyane Neiman; Wendy Husser
Music: Alexander Dorenberg, Illay Chester

Light Design: Ingo Reinhardt

The Eve of the Champs is made possible by the enthusiasm of our storytellers, our team of volunteers and with our partners: Moving-Speaker.com, Theater-im-Delphi, Galerie Cafe Emma T., Berlin Erleben Youtube Channel, and a grant “Cultural Bridge” from Fonds Soziokultur.