We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Viola Dormann-Tessensohn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Viola, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I was not born fearless. In fact, for much of my early life, I was the opposite, cautious, uncertain, bound by fear. A premature birth with no brain function predicted. Autism shaping the way I saw the world, forcing me to learn the rules of human interaction rather than instinctively knowing them. I was the child who hesitated, who watched from the sidelines, unsure whether I could step into the arena of life.

But something changed. At 15, I realized a truth so powerful it shook me to my core, I was in control of my life. No one else. Not my past. Not my fears. Not the expectations society laid before me like a path I was supposed to follow without question. If I wanted healing, I had to seek it. If I wanted growth, I had to create it. If I wanted to break free, I had to take risks.

And so, I did.

I threw myself into the unknown, moving across countries, stepping into cultures without knowing their language, immersing myself in ways that forced my survival instincts to sharpen. I found solace and strength in sports that demanded everything of me, skydiving, aerial silks, climbing, running, scuba diving. In every fall, in every moment where the line between fear and freedom blurred, I found a piece of myself. The chaos of risk became my calm. The moment of absolute trust, whether in a parachute, in my own body, or in the grip of my hands on a rock face, became my sanctuary.

These pursuits weren’t about adrenaline. They were about survival. About proving to myself, again and again, that I was capable. That I was strong. That I was the one who decided my own limits.

Risk wasn’t just a choice, it was my rebirth.

But the greatest challenge, the one that shook me more than jumping from planes or climbing sheer cliffs, was the risk of defying the script society wrote for me. I had walked through fire before, healing from trauma, fighting against human trafficking in Thailand, even learning to walk again after a skydiving accident nearly took that ability from me for month. But stepping away from the “safe” path to start my own company? That was the hardest battle yet.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just business. It’s war.

It’s fighting the voices, both external and internal, that whisper, “You’re not good enough. You’re not capable. You should take the easy route.” It’s standing firm when everything feels like it’s falling apart. It’s rejecting the chains of limiting beliefs, of societal expectations, of fear itself.

Building Risk2Rebirth wasn’t just about starting a business. It was about proving, once again, that I define my path. That every mistake, every setback, every hard-earned lesson is a stepping stone to something greater. That I will always choose risk over regret.

And so, I keep pushing. Keep breaking. Keep rising. Because for me, risk isn’t about recklessness, it’s about transformation. It’s about stepping into the fire and emerging stronger. It’s about choosing to live, fully and fearlessly, no matter the cost.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Viola, but most people call me Vie. Vie is not just a name, it is my rebirth name, the identity I gave myself when I chose to step away from who I was and transform into who I needed to become.

My path into this work was shaped by a harsh reality. Surviving childhood sexual abuse was never something I would have chosen, but it became the foundation of my journey. It forced me into deep healing, relentless searching, and ultimately, a transformation that led me to my purpose. For years, I was running, running from myself, from my past, from the pain. But I was also searching, searching for healing, for identity, for forgiveness.

At first, I tried to heal through knowledge. I became a walking book, absorbing everything I could to understand myself, my trauma, and how I could rebuild my life. My education in Occupational Therapy led me through countless professional fields, sports medicine, neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, pediatrics, school systems, charities, and low-income kindergartens. I worked across these disciplines, seeking not just a career but a deeper understanding of human connection and how identity can be shaped, or reshaped.

But my real education didn’t come from degrees or professional titles. It came from experience.

At 15, I left my home country to live in England. At 20, I moved to San Francisco, alone, barely speaking the language, working with a family while attending college. With no other Germans around, I was forced, by my choice, to adapt, to learn, to survive. It was during this time that I discovered skydiving, a sport that, like my healing journey, required absolute trust, a willingness to let go, and the courage to take the leap.

Through all my experiences, both professional and personal, I saw a clear divide between how people connect in structured environments versus how they connect when authenticity is allowed to breathe. In professional settings, we are often told to compartmentalize, to hide the messy parts of our story. But in real life? People connect to truth, to vulnerability, to shared experiences of struggle and survival.

I realized that my greatest impact didn’t come from titles or credentials. It came from my story.

This realization gave birth to Risk2Rebirth, a movement, a safe space, a mission. We believe in the power of authentic voices, in anonymous stories, in creating a space where people can “vent to prevent.”

Healing doesn’t happen in silence. It happens when we are seen, when we are heard, when we allow our truth to exist without shame. The first real step I took toward healing was using my voice, stepping into the uncomfortable, speaking my story out loud.

Now, we offer that space to others. Risk2Rebirth is a place for those who need to speak, who want to be heard, who are ready to take their first step toward transformation. At Risk2Rebirth, we believe healing begins with voice, connection, and understanding. Our mission is to create a space where people can process, share, and rebuild, without fear, without shame, and without judgment.

One of the ways we do this is through our one-on-one coaching, where we guide individuals through a mental and emotional diet, a process of shifting perspectives, breaking cycles, and creating the internal foundation needed for real transformation. Healing is not just about surviving the past; it’s about actively shaping the future.

Another powerful part of our mission is our podcast, a space we provide completely free of charge, without revenue or sponsorships. My business partner, Epiphany, and I know firsthand what it’s like to be in the depths of healing and growth, desperately seeking a space to process, learn, and feel seen. We create what we once needed ourselves.

Risk2Rebirth is more than a brand, it’s a movement for truth, healing, and rebirth. Whether through coaching, storytelling, or simply holding space for others, we exist to remind people that healing is possible, transformation is real, and your story, your voice, matters.

This is not just my story. This is a call to action. A space for voices. A space for truth. A space for rebirth.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

When I first opened my company, I was a total kook. I had no idea what I was doing, but that blind leap, stepping into the unknown, was exactly what I needed to find out who I was meant to become. Every mistake, every moment of uncertainty, shaped me.

Then, everything fell apart.

My first business partnership, built with a close friend, crumbled. At the same time, I broke my leg in the sport I loved, stripping me of my greatest vent. No running. No skydiving. No movement. I was forced into stillness, dependent on others, trapped in my own mind. Constant pain. No distractions. Just me, my thoughts, and time.

But in that forced pause, something shifted. I redefined my values. I learned how to be selfish in the right way, to protect my energy, to set new rules for how people could access me. I watched myself from the outside, observed my own patterns, and when I could walk again, I vowed to reclaim my space. I went to the beach. I danced. I camped. I breathed. And on one of those days, at a friend’s birthday, I met her.

Epiphany.

She was curious about me, drawn in. But she didn’t know what she was in for, because I had rewritten the rules of engagement.

“What do you do for work?” she asked.
I smiled. “Not today.”

Confused. Curious. Drawn in. She asked me to dance.
“I can’t.” No explanation.

She didn’t understand why I was distant, but she was intrigued. I wasn’t playing a game, I was simply existing in my own space, happy, whole, and detached from expectations. And for her, I was a challenge, something she hadn’t encountered before.

We exchanged numbers but didn’t talk that night. No forced connection, no expectations. Two weeks passed, and then, out of nowhere, I sent her a message:

“Want to come with me to Let’s Make a Deal?”

I had been selected for the game show, and rather than go alone, or choose someone I knew well, I chose her. A stranger, yet somehow not. And from the start, we built everything on fairness. We agreed: if we won, we’d share everything equally. It wasn’t about greed. It was about trust, about testing this new energy between us.

That day, we interviewed each other, not just as friends, but as two people with purpose. We spoke selfishly about our dreams, our goals, our non-negotiables. No compromises. Just truth. And what we discovered was something rare, a reflection of ourselves in each other.

Since that day, Epiphany has been more than a business partner, she is my soul sister. We live by a mantra:

“I am you, and you are me.”

This is not just a phrase. It is the foundation of our partnership. It means we honor each other as mirrors, challenging, supporting, and understanding each other without judgment. We have created a space where every role we embody is okay. A place where we can be all of our personalities, all of our contradictions, all of our truths, without fear.

This is the energy that fuels Risk2Rebirth. A partnership built not just on business, but on deep understanding, trust, and the kind of connection that only happens when you stop chasing, and start allowing.

And for that, I couldn’t be more grateful.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

If you ask me what helped us build our reputation, I won’t point to luck, privilege, or some well-laid-out roadmap. We had none of that.

What we did have was our willingness to never give up.

That’s it.

No shortcuts. No safety nets. Just us, our conviction, and the belief that we had something valuable to offer, even when the world didn’t recognize it yet.

Believe in Yourself, Even When No One Else Does
I believe in the power of uniqueness. Your mind, your experiences, your perspectives, they are yours alone. The moment you allow them to flow freely, without the fear of failure or rejection, you step into creation. Madness, maybe. But within that madness lies brilliance.

I refused to box myself into conventional paths. Instead, I chose to walk off the line, into the unknown, into the fire of creation. I tried, failed, adapted, and tried again. And that cycle never ends, it’s part of the process.

The Secret? There Is No Secret, Just Relentless Action
People ask, “How did you get here?” The truth? I kept going when most people stopped.

I created, without knowing if it would work.
I reached out, without fearing rejection.
I trusted, before I saw the results.
I talked, I used my voice, my truth.
I journaled, when doubts crept in, I processed instead of quitting.
I stayed consistent, even when nothing seemed to move forward.
Success isn’t about one grand breakthrough. It’s about doing the uncomfortable things, day after day, even when they don’t seem to pay off immediately.

I have sent messages that were ignored.
I have created content that no one engaged with.
I have hosted events that had barely any turnout.
I have put my heart into projects that didn’t take off.

But I never stopped.

Because every failed attempt was one step closer to the moment something clicked. And when it did? The momentum became unstoppable.

The Key to It All? Know Who You Are and Where You’re Going
You can try every strategy, every marketing tool, every networking trick in the book, but if you don’t know yourself, deeply, unapologetically, none of it will work.

You have to be sure.
Sure of who you are.
Sure of what you stand for.
Sure of the path you’re walking, even when it looks impossible.

For me, that meant diving into self-education every day. It meant questioning everything, societal expectations, limiting beliefs, the doubts in my own head. It meant staying consistent when the world offered distractions and easy exits.

And most importantly, it meant never giving up.

Your Turn, Step Off the Line and Create
So, if you’re waiting for permission, for validation, for certainty, stop.

The only way to build something real, lasting, and powerful is to take the risk. Step off the line. Into the unknown. Into the madness of creation.

Let it flow. Create. Do.

And trust, the rest will fall into place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.risk2rebirth.com
• Instagram: @risk2rebirth
• Facebook: risk2rebirth
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viola-dormann-tessensohn-221ab6167
• Youtube: @Risk2Rebrth

Image Credits

Epiphany my business Partner is in the polaroid photo.