Thomas Sigsgaard

Thomas Sigsgaard
furniture designer

Thomas Sigsgaard is part of the renowned design duo Salto & Sigsgaard and has been a member of Danish Design Makers for many years. He graduated from The Royal Academy of fine arts in 1995.

Explore more of Thomas’ work

A design process is a tool

Thomas always finds it interesting to receive a brief revealing his task. And he thinks this task is relevant and that the company has made their wishes quite clear.

Thomas always approaches a design task the same anthropological way. He thinks of his design process as a tool.

The task varies from time to time, but my way of designing is always the same. Apart from the fact that I get a little better every time, and my methods are sharpened over time.”

First, Thomas engages in a research process to gather all information about what may influence the product before he starts shaping his design. Then he finds a design concept. And after that he tests his idea.

“I’m not going to present a design set in stone. I wish to be flexible towards the company, so they can contribute to the design with their experience and knowledge. To me, the most important thing is the principle or the concept of the design.”

Blind dating is challenging

The main challenge for Thomas in this otherwise fun experiment is that he can’t align his idea with the company and benefit from their expertise before he makes it. He doesn’t want to make a lot of guesses, so instead, he has concentrated on fine tuning his concept.

It’s not that I’m worried they don’t like the expression of my design. It’s being prevented from co-deciding whether this piece of furniture has a justification in the world. We should in fact always ask, what does the world need?”

Thomas has always appreciated the opportunity to create designs that solve problems. He like to invent. To him, designing is about making something that is capable of cracking real-life challenges. Then it doesn’t matter much what material the product is made of, as long as it is durable and long-lasting.

Designing isn’t sustainable

According to Thomas, no matter what we create, it isn’t sustainable to produce stuff. So, what’s the next best? For him, it is to make something that the world needs.

“This is what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to create something that currently doesn’t exist. And I think it would be unwise to exclude specific materials solely because of their climate emissions if these materials are needed to solve the problem.”

In spite of this, Thomas likes the Målbar tool. He finds it interesting to see the difference in emissions between two materials that have almost the same characteristics. Thomas looks at his own design process as being democratic and open to inputs, and he has considered and worked with the insights he has gained from working with Målbar.

Stay tuned..

When the design has been revealed at ORGATEC on October 22nd, this article will be updated with photos of the final design and more insights from the designer. The climate emission number will also be shared here along with an explanation of how the design choices have influenced the emissions.

Context

Målbar participates in Danish Design Makers’ 2024 design challenge, The Blind Date experiment where 19 designers and design duos answer furniture briefs from anonymous European furniture companies. The designers use Målbar’s climate screening tool to gain insigths into the climate emissions of materials and production processes, learning about the climate impact of their design choices. Ultimately, the total climate footprint of each design will be calculated and presented at ORGATEC in Cologne on October 22nd-25th 2024.

This article reflects the designer’s own opinion and Målbar does not necessarily agree with their statements about materials, processes, etc.

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Meet Lærke

         +45 22 32 65 02

 

During the collaboration between 17 brand owners on measuring the climate impact of an entire furniture collection, Lærke worked as project manager for one of these furniture companies, managing the calculating of climate emissions on their furniture. For an intense summer, she worked in Målbar’s screening tool, learning about data sheets, materials, the composition of furniture and much more, that she had never concerned herself with before.

After the big presentation of the climate screened furniture collection in summer 2021, Jakob and Anders decided to hire their first permanent employee. So now Lærke is our word magician.

 

"Being part of Målbar is being part of a greater movement and it feels like we are in the front of it, the green transition. It is also being part of a company in rapid development, so having to master new skills and learning new, exciting stuff is naturally and fortunately a vital part of the job.”

 

Lærke is a hardcore content creator. She has a master’s degree in Corporate Communication from Aarhus University and a special interest in and passion for communicating sustainability related messages in a way that makes complicated stuff easy to understand.

 

Lærkes favorite place is her home. She lives in a small commune in Jutland with her husband, their two kids, and two other families. They have their own house while sharing a large, wild, and vigorous garden with playgrounds, kitchen gardens, greenhouse, hens and a magnificent view over green fields and the small village of Vinderslev.

 

"This place makes me happy, because there’s so much life here; our kids playing, flowers blooming, and crops growing. This is our little paradise”.

 

Yoga is Lærke’s go-to activity when she needs to bring up her energy levels, clear her head or create extra focus. And since Lærke works from home most days, she can easily fit in 15 minutes of yoga in her lunch break.

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Meet Jakob

 

"My story with Målbar started when Anders and I were colleagues at FDB Møbler - I was head of International Sales and Anders were Head of CSR and Product Development. During that time, it became very clear to me, that if we want to drive a positive change and incorporate a more thoughtfull and futureproof mindset into our company strategies, it requires a very close partnership between the commercial side of the business and the CSR team”

 

With the establishment of MÅLBAR, we are striving to build this bridge between these two often very different worlds, and ultimately to create a more common language for everybody. If we do this right, we have the possibility to utilize the free market forces to help drive a positive change.

 

"It's with great pride and humbleness that I get up every morning and work together with our amazing and dedicated team of professionals, experts and devoted minds all working for the same mission - to drive a positive change for something better! Our team is by far our biggest achievement so far, and Målbar would be nothing without them!”

 

In his spare time, Jakob enjoys as much time as possible with his wife and son, who they feel grows up way to fast! To clear his mind, Jakob basically engages in two very different activities. It is either a fast-paced and high-pulse padel tennis match, or the more long-term mental challenge of a round of golf. Here, he often enjoys the nature, the calm, and the mental challenge way more than the troublesome golf-strikes themselves.

 

As the CEO of Målbar, Jakob feels fortunate to be involved in a lot of our projects, and together with our team, he paves the road for our company.

It's always been crucial for us to have a close dialogue with our customers. To secure that, we are always on the same page with their world of operation, and the feedback we get from them is absolute crucial for our further development of MÅLBAR and our services. The combination of that, and our high standards for compliance of European legislation are often a path of challenge, but also extremely rewarding when we see the actual impact in the industry following new legislation.

 

"My best advice for our users would be to focus intensely on establishing a strong and easy-workable system to collect and maintain product-level details. It is crucial in the future for any company to secure a very high level of detail on all products, services, and operations - not only for the sake of product environmental screenings, but for own control and compliance with current and future legislation.”

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Meet Anders

         +45 28 18 52 46

 

Anders is our very detail-oriented data nerd and oracle. Collecting and working with data as well as saving the planet with data are his passions.

Anders grew up in a Copenhagen suburb area called Vestegnen. Back then, it was close to nature, which Anders enjoyed a lot. Today, Anders still lives in Copenhagen with his husband in a beautiful 150-year-old apartment by the lakes. They have renovated it by themselves with great respect for the old materials and details.

 

"It is usually fun to do and brings me great joy when I’m satisfied with the result.”

 

Anders appreciates that both nature and culture are within biking distance in the city – he especially likes exhibitions about design, architecture, and art.

Anders has always cared about sustainability and worked on solutions to climate change. Already in the 90s, he started working with LCAs. And he never stops being curious and always wants to gain new knowledge in the area of sustainability.

 

"I am very curious about the concept of Absolute Sustainability within the 9 planetary boundaries. How it is measured and whether it could be a true way to measure also our unsustainable consumption patterns. I believe that if we in a meaningful way can measure sustainability then the green transition will happen much faster.”

 

Anders’ hopes for the future are that the respect for science and documentation becomes more important again. And his advice to our customers is to focus less on materials (animal materials exempted) and focus more on switching to renewable energy in production of both materials and products.

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Meet Natasha

 

During summer 2022, it became clear that we needed more and better graphic skills, and that’s when we hired Natasha.

 

"It was important for me to find a workplace with space to be myself and people who I can relate to. I worked parttime for about 8 months and then got offered a fulltime position as inhouse designer.”

 

Flexibility and amazing colleagues are important things to Natasha in her professional life. What Natasha likes about the Målbar team is that we have our fundamental values in common.

 

"I want to be a part of something good, helping people understand, learn and making the right decisions. I feel like I can do that here.”

 

Natasha has a professional bachelor’s degree in visual communication from the Danish School of Media and Journalism. For her final bachelor project, she created a whole universe around a made-up business renting slings to new parents.  This is a good example of how Natasha in her professional life not only cares about the visuals but also what she communicates. It must have a good purpose and be meaningful to her.

 

Natasha is a kind and always positive person. She grew up in a Danish home but with Italian culture and food. She likes everything health related and love to cook and eat, using fresh and local ingredients. She likes to read about the mind, the breath, and how the body works. Which naturally brings her to wanting to take care of our home, our planet and being a mindful consumer.

 

Natasha also loves to move in almost every way. She likes yoga, dancing, running, cycling and surfing. She has two beautiful girls and they all like to spend time together outside in parks, at the beach, or anywhere green really.

 

Natasha’s hopes for the future are that people start taking more responsibility of their own actions and realize the important tasks we have in front of us.

 

"For me, sustainability is the way we live together with nature, and how we protect our wildlife and the oceans.“

 

Natashas advise to our customers is: A photo can say more than a thousand words, choose wisely.

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Meet Sasisa

          +45 25 65 02 02

 

We hired Sasisa in March 2022. She started out as maternity cover, but already during the summer of 2022, it became obvious that Målbar needed a clearer division of tasks and Sasisa was ready to take a larger responsibility. She was therefore promoted to Head of Communications and PR.
Sasisa - or Sas in daily speak – took on her new role with enthusiasm, professionalism, and great care.

 

"I was looking for a meaningful job, where I knew my colleagues would share my values on work life and family life. I worked with Jakob in the past so it wasn’t hard to convince me that Målbar was the perfect place for me”.

 

Sasisa lives in Valby with her husband and two kids. Both Sas and her husband are from the same town in Funen and their families live right next to each other.

 

In her free time, Sasisa likes to enjoy nature with her family and to explore new restaurants with her friends. She also likes running and knitting. In fact, sewing and knitting are Sasisa’s newest hobby, and she plans on getting really good at it.

 

Sasisas parents are from Sri Lanka. Among many other things, they have played an important part in her commitment to the green transition. 

 

"My parents have been good at living responsibly since their upbringing in Sri Lanka was characterized by survival due to the Civil War. They have always grown many crops in their garden, avoided wasting any food, and only bought clothes when they needed them. This lifestyle has become a natural part of my way of living.”

 

Her family’s background has also influenced her professional path. She is deeply interested in intercultural understanding and consumer behavior. She excels at conceptualizing ideas, understanding her audience, creating structure, and paying meticulous attention to detail.

 

"My team and I work hard to translate the complexity of LCAs, environmental data and EU climate legislation into understandable information for everybody. I love that. Our way of working together to create a good product like an illustration or a guideline for our customers is unique.”

 

Sasisa’s hope for the future is that the communication and marketing business increases its obligation towards helping consumers make responsible choices. Our business needs to take responsibility for educating consumers and not mislead. We have an important voice in society.

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Meet Leonor

 

Leonor started her journey in Målbar as student assistant in October 2022 when she was about to write her Master thesis. In October 2023, she finished her thesis and continued in a full-time position at Målbar.

For Leonor, it is a true pleasure to be part of the Målbar team.

 

"The environment is very relaxed, and it is clear to me that I’m working with people that are motivated and believe in the importance of their work.”

 

An important professional value to Leonor is to be able to identify the direct positive impact her contribution will have on our society.

 

Leonor grew up in sunny Lisbon, Portugal. She has always liked physical and outdoor activities and especially worships the water.


"The beach and the ocean are the setting for some of my favorite activities, from surfing or sailing to just relaxing under the sun.”

 

She is also creative and into activities such as crafts, repairs, sewing, painting, everything involving working with materials using her hands.

 

To Leonor, the most interesting aspect of sustainability is innovative materials that are developed to provide less climate emitting alternatives to the conventional materials. And she finds it important to educate product designers and brands in smarter material choices and more durable solutions.

 

"Communicating the results of our screenings to (the brand’s) designers is crucial to making sure that our work has an impact on the development of future products. It is important to be informed but also to use that information to motivate change.”

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Meet Miriam

 

After completing her PhD degree, Miriam sought opportunities to both apply and deepen her knowledge of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In Målbar, she found the perfect combination: engaging in and advancing LCAs while transitioning from agricultural to industrial applications.

 

At Målbar, Miriam assists customers in comprehending LCAs, identifies ways to streamline the process, and develops easily understandable reports of results. She is also enthusiastic about social media communication and enjoys contributing to LinkedIn content creation. As a lifelong learner, she is deeply interested in the perspectives and work of her colleagues. Her ambition is to contribute to a greener future outside of Målbar and a warm and welcoming culture within Målbar.

 

Miriam is a heartfelt environmentalist. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and a PhD degree in Life Cycle Assessment of agricultural systems. She enjoys system thinking, breaking down the complex, and finding ways to enhance the status quo.

 

Sustainability, to her, is a holistic concept. She believes that as a collective, we will be better at managing Earth’s resources, once we have become better at managing our very own most precious resources: time and energy. In this regard, she conducts workshops on Time Management, primarily for PhD students and academics.

 

"To me, being part of Målbar means contributing to the green transition. I wish to contribute to that transition by informed decision-making, closing the gap between what we know should be done and what is actually being done.”

 

Biking in and around Copenhagen, exploring known and unknown areas is one of Miriam’s favorite weekend activities.

 

"When biking, I can let my thoughts fly, move my body, relax and get new ideas.”

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Meet Claudia

 

Claudia discovered Målbar on a DTU fair and reached out to us when she was about to begin her Master thesis. During her thesis writing, she has launched into a deep and thorough analysis of PEF and EPDs in order to explain the differences among the results coming from the two methodologies. Simultaneously, she worked as a student assistant, and soon after she graduated, she signed on a permanent position.

 

Claudia is happy to be part of Målbar. Like all her colleagues, she finds it important to work for a bigger cause while being in a calm and positive environment.

 

"Everyone makes you feel very welcome, and you can feel the energetic atmosphere of people working here!”

 

Claudia grew up in Northern Italy in a small town in the countryside. Even though she doesn’t find her hometown one of the prettiest parts of her country, she misses seeing the mountains when looking at the horizon.

 

In her spare time, she likes exploring new kinds of music, meditating, doing sports, and going to cultural events of any kind.

 

"I love keeping my energy high, so I am often into trying new random activities. I also love dancing and music in general. I am a former dancer and would like to start again, maybe taking some singing classes as well.”

 

Claudia recently graduated from a MSc in Environmental Engineering at DTU. Last summer, as part of her MSc, she had a short stay in Bangalore, at TIGS, for an exchange program about sustainable projects in India’s aspirational district, where her research focused on environmental stewardship in agriculture.

 

"I believe in general when it comes to sustainability the main important thing for me is that every claim is backed up by data. Apart from that, I get excited when I see all the aspects of sustainability – environmental, economic and social – equally cared for in a project.”

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Meet Neeraj

 

During the summer break of 2022, while working as a research assistant in Germany, Neeraj learned about a student job opportunity at Målbar through a friend. Intrigued by the role's direct alignment with both his ongoing studies and future career goals, he applied for the job.

 

"I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Anders and Morten. I was delighted to receive an offer, marking the beginning of my journey with Målbar in September 2022. This opportunity has been a pivotal step in my professional development, perfectly bridging my academic pursuits with practical experience in my field of interest.”

 

Neeraj finds fulfilment in his job at Målbar, where he among other things has played a significant role in the development of the screening tool. He finds that the office culture at Målbar is characterized by its flat hierarchy and openness, which create a welcoming and inclusive workplace. Neeraj believes that this dynamic fosters a sense of belonging and encourages open communication and collaboration among team members, enhancing our collective productivity and creativity.

 

Neeraj already has a varied career path behind him. He has embraced a diverse array of roles across both academic and industry sectors, enriching his experience in fields such as remote sensing, civil engineering, research, and sustainability. He continues to have a drive to seek out and conquer new challenges.

 

"Among the many roles I've undertaken, one of the most rewarding has been my position as a teaching assistant in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) course. I played a pivotal role in guiding students and assessing their assignments. This experience not only allowed me to deepen my own understanding of LCA but also to contribute to the educational journey of aspiring professionals.”

 

Neeraj grew up in India, under the circumstances of his father's job, which necessitated frequent relocations across various regions of the country. This lifestyle has endowed him with resilience and the ability to swiftly adapt to new environments, cultures, and communities—a skill that continues to serve him well as an expatriate in Denmark.

 

Looking towards the future, Neeraj is committed to contributing to the fields of sustainability and green transition. His ambition is to play a role in transforming our planet into a more  sustainable environment for future generations. To him, sustainability is fundamentally about conducting our lives and work in a manner that conscientiously considers the needs of the future generations.

 

"My keen interest lies in the circular economy, a model I find both fascinating and crucial. I am convinced that by embracing circularity—effectively closing the loop on our consumption and production cycles—we can significantly alter our environmental impact. It's the transformative power of circularity to foster a more sustainable, efficient, and regenerative system that I am most passionate about, believing it to be a key driver in our quest for a more sustainable future.”

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Meet Pablo

 

Pablo came to Denmark to complete his second year of his master's degree and thesis at the DTU, as he wanted to focus his specialization in construction and industrial installations (architectural engineering) in the field of sustainability and circular economy.

 

"After completing my master's degree, and with an interest to continue developing in this professional area, I contacted Målbar, as it covered many of the points I saw as important to start with my professional path, being a company with clear objectives and values aligned with my own.”

 

As part of our engineering team, Pablo oversees the verification of product screening from customers and provide support on how they can improve their outcome of our screening tool.

 

Pablo grew up in Bilbao, Spain. He studied his two Bachelor degrees there - one in General Engineering and other in Business Administration and Management – and then he moved to Valencia, taking his master's degree in Engineering.

 

"With the desire to live an experience outside Spain and cultivate my interest in the area of sustainability, I decided to complete the specialisation and thesis in DTU in Denmark, focusing on the area of sustainability and circular economy in the construction sector.”

 

Pablo is a very active and curious person and he likes to import these elements into his work environment with continuous learning and development of new projects where he can keep learning.

 

He has a passion for handball, which he still play in a team in Copenhagen. He is also into cycling, trying to take advantage of Denmark's brighter months to go out and ride. In addition, for many years he was a leisure time instructor and also collaborated in different projects, both socio-educational and social, this being an important personal interest that he still tries to stay connected with.

 

For Pablo, sustainability means finding a balance with the environment around us, social, environmental, and economic at all levels, so that the impact we may have today does not have negative repercussions in the future.

 

"From a professional perspective, I am most interested in environmental conservation, climate action, and responsible consumption and production.”

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Meet Morten

          + 45 20 86 06 39

 

"It is not entirely wrong to say that my journey into Målbar started when I dug up my first earthworm; growing up on a farm presented an opportunity to live closely connected with the natural world.”

 

This laid the seed for Morten for wanting to understand the way all things are intertwined. Growing up and transitioning into the field of engineering, he delved into methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessments, seeking to quantify the impact of human activity on earth. It was during this time that he stumbled upon Målbar who was looking to strengthen the engineering team, and it immediately resonated with both parties as a perfect fit. So, in November 2021, we hired Morten. He was fresh out of DTU and after only 6 months, he was promoted to Head of Operations.

 

"I am drawn to Målbar's innovative approach, seamlessly integrating my agricultural insights with engineering expertise to drive meaningful impact. What I appreciate most about Målbar is our collective commitment to help everyone understand and measure human impact, knowing that our efforts can help pave the way for more holistic solutions and an ecologically harmonious future.”

 

As Morten’s childhood unraveled in the countryside, the settings inspired in him a deep understanding for natural resources and their mindful use. The Danish landscape is still part of his everyday life, bringing up his son alongside flowers, trees and chickens.

 

"In my free time, I enjoy exploring the great outdoors, tending to a garden or smaller building projects. Hobbies such as gardening and building allow me to channel my creativity and connect with nature on a deeper and less intellectual level. I hope to pass this relationship on to future generations, as my hopes for the future are firmly rooted in harmonization, aspiring to create a world where humans and nature coexist.”

 

To Morten, sustainability encompasses a holistic approach to preserving our planet for future generations without limiting curiosity, advancement and exploration. He is particularly passionate about optimizing resource management and understanding consumer behavior, recognizing the central role these areas play in mitigating environmental degradation.

 

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Meet Iben

            +45 22 34 83 02

 

Iben was part of the first batch of Målbar customers and started working in the tool in 2021. After that, she was excited for the tool, the ambitions, and the passion at Målbar at had good talks with the team at fairs and events.

 

"From my first encounter with Målbar and the team, I felt that here was a group of people who truly shared my curiosity and ambition for working with sustainability and the green transition. I am so happy that the opportunity arose to become part of the team."

 

As our Head of Community Impact, Iben makes sure that our clients get the most out of their work with us. She advices them on best practices, guides them through the process of screening their products and understanding their emissions. She also helps them structure their work and assists them in implementing the work towards emission reductions in their company.

Iben is born and bred in Valby, Copenhagen. She has always been very curious and eager to learn new things and new skills.

 

"I am very much a people person – I love good conversations, gatherings, and events. I feel uplifted from social connections. Yet I also really value peace, quiet and time for reflection in my own company. I practice yoga and spend as much time in nature as I can.”

 

With three kids, there is very limited time for hobbies, but still Iben loves to get creative with drawing, making jewelry, designing, and sowing etc. She also loves cooking especially without a recipe just using good ingredients and creating beautiful and aesthetic meals for good people.

Inspired by travels and youthful freedom, education wise, Iben sat out to be able to work with people all over the planet. Therefore, she studied communication and English at CBS.

 

"I was also very interested in trends, aesthetics and fashion so after my bachelors, I studied fashion design at KEA and worked briefly in the fashion industry. As I realized I wanted to work more focused with sustainability, I went on to take my masters at CBS – Can. Soc. Management of Creative Business Processes.”

 

After she finished studying, Iben has worked in several different roles in various companies and industries – all with a focus on advancing the green transition.

 

To Iben, sustainability relates both to climate and environment but also to way of life, finding a balance, respecting past ways of living, and caring for your surroundings.

 

Iben’ s advice to our customers is to remember that sustainability efforts and ESG reporting are not a checklist or a one-off task. It cannot live in a vacuum, but most involve the whole company. Sustainable efforts can be a great means to advance internal processes and build a more successful and effective business – that people are proud to be part of.

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Meet Christian

 

At the point of time in Målbar’s history where we felt the need to allocate more power to developing our business model, the perfect candidate showed up out of the blue. Christian became part of Målbar in October 2022, after he in previous positions had started shifting his attention towards sustainable development.

 

"Our impact is about choices. I wanted to make sure that my choices had a positive climate impact as well as supporting others in creating impact. And that eventually pointed me at Målbar.”

 

Christian is responsible for our total solution incorporating all product screenings from customers in a program that creates a larger overview of all the emissions, processes, and materials that drives them. The data illustrates the emission of single products as well as the weighted emissions merged with sales figures. This solution, which Christian has customized to support our purpose, secures the ability to create strategies for reductions based on high quality data with a level of detail that ensures actual improvements.

 

"I have always had a love for numbers and analyses. The way numbers can help understand complex systems and together with knowledge give insights that before was latent.”

 

Christian holds a masters degree in economics (cand.oecon) from Aarhus university. He has solid and varied experience in optimizing operations and plans through understanding of data, increasing earnings and cutting waste and errors.

Christian grew up at the countryside of Djursland next to Mols Bjerge National Park. Today he lives with his wive and kids near Aarhus, on a calm suburban street with many other families whom they often socialize with. He likes to stay active through running and climbing.

 

"I practice a special form of climbing called bouldering. We climb on relatively short climbing walls where we only climb 4-5 meters up, but with no other safety gear than mattresses on the floor. I also practice meditation a lot to clear my mind and create focus and creativity.”

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