BARE Intake Nov 2025 · Tomorrow University
My Personal Board
From personality insights and a clear initiative to a structured board that challenges decisions, creates clarity, and enables conscious commitment.
Simon Heistermann
19, Germany
Based in
Germany
About Me
Building with purpose, connecting across cultures
I'm Simon, 19, from Germany, currently studying Responsible Entrepreneurship & Management at Tomorrow University.
Early experiences abroad, especially in India, deeply shaped how I think about responsibility, opportunity, and impact. Seeing how much potential exists everywhere — but how unevenly opportunity is distributed — made me want to actively engage with that gap rather than ignore it.
I'm currently completing a Full-Stack Development training, not because I plan to stay in tech long-term, but because I see it as a practical foundation for turning ideas into reality.
Dare Together
An international community for entrepreneurs, founders, and entrepreneurially minded people who choose to travel consciously while working on their own projects.
“Not a program. An environment.”
My Personality
Growth Seeker
According to the Principles You personality assessment, my dominant archetype is the Growth Seeker.
Growth Seekers are driven by learning, reflection, and continuous development. I am naturally curious, open-minded, and adaptive. I seek to understand myself, people, and systems deeply before committing to a direction.
Meaning and growth are stronger motivators for me than speed or external validation.
The Flipside
I can stay in reflection mode for too long, keep multiple options open, and delay decisive commitment — especially when several ideas feel meaningful.
Additional Strengths
Inspirer
I energize people around ideas
Impresario
I create spaces for connection and momentum
Less Dominant Archetypes
This means I benefit greatly from external structure, reality checks, and people who help translate clarity into execution, decisions, and closed loops.
Why a Personal Board?
From Personality Insight to Board Design
At this stage, my biggest risk isn't lack of ambition — it's scattered focus. I move fast, but I can open too many doors at once.
The Core Insight
Progress doesn't come from thinking harder — it comes from structural counterweights.
Rather than surrounding myself with people similar to me, I designed my board to counterbalance my natural patterns — not by force, but by structure.
My External Truth System
This Personal Board is my external truth system: it helps me challenge assumptions, reduce noise, and make one high-quality commitment instead of staying in perpetual exploration.
“The board is not an extension of my personality — it is a constructive tension to it.”
The Board is Built to:
The Initiative
From Exploration to Commitment
What This Initiative Is
A 3–6 month transition process supported by my Personal Board to:
- 1Stress-test 2–3 real venture options through concrete experiments
- 2Reduce parallel projects into one clear focus
- 3Make one explicit commitment decision
What This Initiative Is Not
- ×Not a "get rich quick" plan
- ×Not a pure monetization sprint
- ×Not about running ten experiments forever
- ×Not about pleasing others' expectations
It's about choosing one path consciously and owning it.
The Core Problem
High activity across too many directions leads to cognitive overload, diluted execution, and the feeling of “movement without traction”.
Venture Options Under Consideration
Dare Together
Community-led venture with potential software extensions
Nomad Café / Workspace Finder
Digital product for location-independent professionals
Shared Holiday Homes
Co-ownership / access model for vacation properties
Education & Schools Initiative
Impact-driven models for scalable, financially sustainable education projects
These options differ strongly in business model, complexity, capital intensity, and personal identity alignment. The board exists to help me reduce this landscape responsibly — not to expand it further.
Roadmap
2026 Overview
A structured timeline from exploration to commitment.
Pre-Phase
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Financial Consolidation
Jan - Feb
Research & Prototype
Mar - May
Testing & Growth
Jun - Sep
Commitment & Scaling
Oct - Dec
Board Structure
Four Distinct Layers
The board is organized into four distinct layers, each with a clearly defined function.
Core Board Members
A small group with decision relevance. They challenge assumptions, help weigh trade-offs, and support commitment once decisions are made.
- Depth over breadth
- Long-term involvement
- High trust, high responsibility
Satellite Member
A flexible layer for domain-specific expertise (e.g., community, communication, partnerships).
- Consulted when needed
- No decision authority
- Prevents overloading the core board
A-List Inspirers
People who shape how I think, dream, and orient myself — often from a distance.
- No interaction obligation
- No accountability role
- Provide perspective and courage
Emotional Safety Net
People who ground me beyond performance.
- Emotional regulation
- Identity beyond outcomes
- Support without decision pressure
This separation is intentional: emotional safety is not outsourced to decision-makers, and decision authority is not diluted by emotional comfort.
The Members
My Personal Board
People who actively challenge my thinking, help me close loops, and hold me accountable in moments that matter.
Core Board Members
Mathias Fallmann
Venture Architect & Clarity Catalyst
Board Member since January 29, 2026
Co-Founder of lukit.at, Head of Product Management & Strategy, Fullstack Facilitator, Coach on a mission to unlock 'Holy shit I am excited' through clarity and inner development.
Core Function
Brings clarity and structure to complex, ambiguous situations without oversimplifying them.
Focus Areas
- →Decision architecture under uncertainty
- →Product and venture logic (idea → MVP → market)
- →Alignment between ambition, integrity, and sustainability
Guiding Questions
- “What problem are you really trying to solve here?”
- “What would clarity look like before you act?”
- “Which options are you unconsciously avoiding — and why?”
Emilia Limba
Creative Counterbalance & Possibility Expander
Board Member since January 27, 2026
BA student in Responsible Entrepreneurship and flight attendant with remarkable creativity, clarity under uncertainty, and cross-cultural perspectives. Asks the BEST questions!
Core Function
Acts as a conscious counterweight to the tendency toward structure, control, and premature narrowing — expanding what feels possible before decisions are locked in.
Focus Areas
- →Creative expansion before commitment
- →Challenging assumptions and self-imposed limits
- →Keeping exploration alive before convergence
Guiding Questions
- “If everything were possible, what would this project look like?”
- “Where might you be thinking too small or too safe?”
- “What would you explore if failure wasn't a concern?”
Otto Lehnert
Reality & Momentum Driver
Board Member since January 21, 2026
Founder SoulcareAI, Growth Specialist, Chief Growth & Partnerships Officer @PromptHero, XGoogle, Digital Nomad, AI-Specialist.
Core Function
Grounds ideas in market reality and pushes them into execution and momentum.
Focus Areas
- →Market validation & traction
- →Go-to-market logic
- →Leverage, scaling, and opportunity cost
Guiding Questions
- “Who would actually pay for this — and why?”
- “What's the fastest way to test this assumption?”
- “What's the smallest version that could work?”
Satellite Member
Julian Schmidt
Community Impact & Communication Advisor
Planned request: February 12, 2026
Co-Founder YOUNG forum, Editor, Keynote-Speaker and moderator for sustainability, Project Manager on a mission to use good communication for sustainability.
A-List Inspirers
People who shape how I think, dream, and act.
Simon Sinek
“Clarity doesn't come from thinking harder. It comes from doing.”
Inspires me toward radical optimism & leadership
Emily McDonald
“Life is a game - you don't experience reality, you experience your brain's version of it.”
Fundamentally shaped my mindset, optimism, and understanding of perception
Kim Gottwald
“Limits are meant to be crossed.”
Embodies discipline, mental resilience, and radical responsibility
Simon Squibb
“If you don't ask, you don't get.”
Inspires me to dream boldly and give generously
Emotional Safety Net
People who ground me, energize me, and remind me who I am beyond performance.
My Mom
Grounds me, reminds me who I am beyond performance, offers unconditional stability
Felix Lueb & Leon von Hagen
Closest friends and emotional anchor. Combine honesty, humor, and grounded support — people I can laugh with, think out loud with, and rely on
Lucius Dörner
A source of energy, inspiration, and honest exchange — empowers me through the way he lives and thinks
Competency Overview
The Skillprint
How the board members complement each other across key competency dimensions.
Mathias Fallmann
Venture Architect
Otto Lehnert
Reality Driver
Simon Heistermann
Growth Seeker
Emilia Limba
Creative Counterbalance
Julian Schmidt
Community Advisor
Simon Heistermann
Growth Seeker
Mathias Fallmann
Venture Architect
Emilia Limba
Creative Counterbalance
Otto Lehnert
Reality Driver
Julian Schmidt
Community Advisor
Operating Rhythm
How The Board Operates
A Typical Month
1:1 Challenges
Individual deep-dives with board members
1:1 Challenges
Continue individual sessions
Full Board Monthly
Group check-in with all core members
Reflection & Prep
Deeper alignment and preparation
Occasional: Deeper alignment sessions or reflection blocks when needed outside regular rhythm.
Impact Journal
At each interaction, I document an Impact Note. This is not a productivity log — it's a meaningful movement tracker.
First board call with Mathias. Established clarity framework.
Monthly
Consolidated summary & adjustments
Quarterly
Impact review & strategic reflection
Key Insights
Why The Board Works
Three core members create enough diversity of perspective to challenge blind spots, enough intimacy and trust to allow honest disagreement, and enough clarity to avoid diffusion of responsibility. Three is the smallest number that still allows tension without polarization, challenge without paralysis, and accountability without bureaucracy.
The satellite layer exists to separate expertise from governance. Some challenges require domain-specific insight — not permanent involvement. This structure prevents both extremes: isolation from reality and over-consulting without ownership.
To keep decision-making clean, I deliberately separate emotional support from strategic authority. Board members are not burdened with emotional regulation, personal relationships are protected from performance pressure, and decisions remain honest rather than emotionally compensated.
They are not involved in decisions, execution, or accountability. Instead, they act as long-range reference points: they prevent local optimization, maintain exposure to higher standards, and anchor ambition beyond immediate feasibility.
Unlike many board formations, this board did not evolve around a single anchor member. All core members were onboarded within a short time window. This reduced early dependency on one dominant perspective, prevented informal hierarchy formation, and allowed the board to emerge as a system, not a sequence.
If I notice that I am stuck, overwhelmed, or insecure for more than one week, I commit to not handling it alone. I will reach out to the board member whose strength best matches my current struggle and use the conversation to move into action, not into further rumination.
Personal Success Criterion
This board works if:
- I commit fully to one venture direction
- I reduce parallel cognitive load
- I trust my decisions because they were challenged and chosen consciously
“I would be disappointed to end this phase still 'keeping all options open'.”