A life filled with curiosity can take you further than you ever imagined. I sit down with German journalist, author, entrepreneur and media expert Helmut Stapel to explore how childhood curiosity, world travel, creativity and a willingness to take risks shaped an unstoppable life. From growing up in a village of just 700 people to building an international media company, writing books, producing films and launching a global leadership initiative called The Center, Helmut shares why open-mindedness, passion and persistence matter more than fear. You will hear why he believes every idea deserves a chance, how meaningful relationships create opportunity, and why making the world better begins with each of us. I believe you will enjoy Helmut's thoughtful outlook and practical lessons on creating a life with purpose. Highlights: · 03:05 - Early childhood curiosity becomes the foundation for a lifetime of creativity. · 09:18 - Choosing passion over convention leads to a career that never feels like work. · 17:33 - Building a business with almost nothing proves resourcefulness beats fear. · 25:13 - The vision for The Center offers a new way to bring leaders together. · 43:15 - A humorous book about the pandemic delivers a powerful lesson on questioning information. · 54:31 - Every great achievement begins by protecting an idea instead of doubting it. About the Guest: After completing my training as a media designer, I finished my editorial traineeship at the Nordsee-Zeitung in Bremerhaven/Germany in 1997 and founded successful my media agency, “Stop press & public”, based in Bremerhaven. Through various trainings across all media sectors, I had the opportunity to build up my client base both nationally and internationally. These include contributions for the BBC as well as film work alongside the well-known producer Stratton Leopold (Mission Impossible, Captain America). My journalistic repertoire ranges from short news reports and podcasts to features in words and images. For over ten years, I have been sharing my expertise on the successful construction of narratives, stories and storylines in seminars at colleges and universities worldwide like the University of Cancún in Mexico and German Universities. The range of course content spans storytelling, digital marketing and social media strategies, journalism, photography and PR, as well as scriptwriting for novels and films. All seminars are held in English and German. As author I write fiction, travel, culture, fitness and business book. My works include the novel ‘The Day a Chinese Man Ate a Bat’, lighthouse stories, the fitness guide ‘Couch Coach’ and the international port book ‘Port City’. In 2024 I started my career as artist with my first internationally recognised concept series WorLds, which was curated for the exhibitions at ArtExpo Paris 2025 and the 24 International Art Fair Venice in 2026. The renowned Magazine FineArtNews published a multi-page feature about my new artistic approach in concept art. In autumn 2026 I will open my first solo exhibition in London with the aim, to let people benefit from the proceeds of my art. As part of the European Group “Speakers Excellence” I give keynote speeches at official events and charity events. With the project THE CENTER I have started together with my wife Daja a worldwide initiative, which will create a new basis of respect and a generation of leaders, with a new understanding of global interconnections in the spirit of a united humanity which takes responsibility for working together rather than against each other. The first events will be held in 2027 in Tuscany/Italy and Switzerland. Ways to connect with Helmut**:** Social Media: http://linkedin.com/in/helmut-stapel-5b3a60b6 https://stoppress.contently.com/ www.facebook.com/helmut.stapel #5000 www.instagram.com/stoppress Homepage: www.stoppress.de Article FineArtsNews: From Journalism to the Canvas of Conceptual Art - FineArtsNews About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT\&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children’s Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association’s 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson 00:03 One of the biggest things holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe. Welcome to Unstoppable Mindset, where inclusion, diversity, and the unexpected meet. I'm your host, Michael Hingson, speaker, author, and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead, and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head on, and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear. Together we focus on mindset, resilience, and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Well, hello everyone, wherever you happen to be in the world today, I want you to feel welcome at Unstoppable Mindset, that's our podcast name, and I'm your host, Michael Hingson, or if you want, you can call me Mike Hingson. Our guest today is Helmut Steppel, who is a media person, he's an author, he's an artist, he's a lot of different things, he's an entrepreneur, he started his own company. My gosh, I'm jealous, he's done a lot of different things, and I think we're going to have a great conversation over the next hour or so. So, Helmut, I want to welcome you to Unstoppable Mindset. We're glad you're here. Helmut Stapel 01:39 Thank you so much. Thank you so much, dear Mike, and thanks for having me. It's an honor to be here, because as your invitation popped up suddenly, I was a bit surprised about, I think oneself never looks at its own way of living or where we are in the way other people maybe do, and so thank you for having me and your podcast. Michael Hingson 02:02 Well, thank you. I think we'll, we'll have a lot of fun. We have a lot of things to talk about. I appreciate all the information that you sent me, and, and we'll, we got to keep it interesting because it's late where you are. It's after 9o'clock now in the evening over there, so we gotta, gotta make sure it, it stays interesting, so that you don't fall asleep. Helmut Stapel 02:24 Definitely, I try, I try to, I try to. Sorry, in another part of Germany, it's cold outside, it's not dark already, but it's getting to be dark, so it's bad time to say so. But I'm happy to be with you. Michael Hingson 02:39 How cold Helmut Stapel 02:41 is it 14 degrees, something like that. Should, should be more. Everybody's talking about El Nino, and looking at the guy in Mexico, showing pictures of red things. And we have some prognosis regarding summertime coming, some big heat from whatever it is at the moment. I must say it's quite normal and a bit too cold for this year of the time. Michael Hingson 03:05 Well, we'll see what happens. Well, why don't we start? I love to start this way. I ask people to start by telling me a little bit about, in your case, the early helmet growing up, and so on. Let's start with that. Helmut Stapel 03:18 Okay, we can do that question from my side, when does early helmet start, at which age? Because for me, for most fascinating is that for some reason I can remember, at least I can go back to, I think, as when I was one year old. Michael Hingson 03:35 Well, I'll let you start wherever you'd like to start, that certainly is early enough, but you, you tell us what it was like growing up, and all that, and if you remember back to one year old, that's great. Helmut Stapel 03:46 Okay, I grew up in a very, very beautiful landscape, a small village, 700 people living there, called Stuben in Germany, and what I remember is laying as a small child, not be able to walk, and just in a wagon, and staying at the blue sky, the clouds, tree leaves, sometimes people coming big faces. It was my aunt Helga would have figured out later on, and so I remember sounds of bees and hums and roses, the smell of roses. My mother loved roses about all around the houses, and as you see, in this way I grew up in a way where I got used to use all my senses, and I think that was some of the basis for all what followed up, because I started then to have a closer look
