I combine public presence with professional depth, personal development with social responsibility, and the power of an individual with the question of what we can change together.
Presence is not an end in itself for me. It is the opportunity to set something in motion.
At first glance, my path might seem unusual. To me, these experiences belong together.
International model, ecologist, communication expert, executive leader, trainer and coach, author, GNTM finalist, long-distance walker, and founder of walk4future®: At the center has always been the question of a person's unique creative power.
This question led to the development of my charisma concept in 1996. It accompanies my work with people and companies as well as my books, my appearances as a speaker and model, and my social commitment.
What do you bring that can only come into the world through you – and how does that turn into an impact that goes beyond you?
Beauty and substance, personal development and societal change have never been opposites for me. It was precisely their connection that became the foundation of my work.
While working internationally as a model, I studied ecology, psychology, and communication science at the University of Vienna. I explored beauty and staging as well as human behavior, ecological contexts, and social change.
At the same time, I worked for Austrian environmental organizations and represented their concerns at international conferences.
I experienced early on that good arguments alone are not enough. Anyone who wants to change something must reach people, build trust, and turn an idea into a shared movement.
In 1996, this led to my charisma concept: a holistic approach that connects mind, body, relationship, and impact.
From the charisma concept, an international career spanning more than 30 years evolved. I accompanied individuals, teams, and organizations in coaching, training sessions, lectures, and strategic development processes—in four languages and across five continents.
As International Brand Director, I also gained many years of leadership and brand experience in a globally active company.
My work was never limited to a better presentation. I was always interested in what lies behind visible impact: What is people's self-image? What do they want to stand for? How do they make decisions?
And what do the systems in which they live and work enable or prevent?
On my 50th birthday, I applied for Germany’s Next Topmodel together with my daughter Lou-Anne. Lou-Anne won the season. I myself reached third place as the first over-50 finalist.
This experience did not just bring me back to modeling. It also put many of my previous beliefs to a new, very public test: regarding visibility, age, beauty, performance, courage, and the freedom to reinvent oneself again and again.
Since then, I have been using my public presence more consciously than ever – as a model, speaker, author, and ambassador for causes I believe in. Not just to be seen. But to turn visibility into meaning.
In 2024, I went to Paris for nine weeks. Out of a personal journey, walk4future® – REthink fashion was born: a platform and community for more movement, more conscious consumption, and a sustainable fashion world.
This path connects many things that have occupied me for decades: personal self-efficacy, social change, brand communication, community, and the power of concrete actions.
Because change begins with awareness. But it only becomes effective when someone actually takes the first step.
For me, personal development doesn't mean becoming someone else. It means recognizing what is uniquely yours more consciously, developing it further, and living it credibly.
Impact is created where personal abilities are combined with a task that transcends one's self-image. Not just: What can I do? But: What am I using it for?
Power means creative force to me. It manifests itself in our decisions, in our behavior, and in the willingness to take responsibility for one's own impact.
Communication studies, ecology, and psychology; international work for environmental organizations.
Work as a model and fashion model.
Development of the model and start of work as a trainer, coach, and speaker.
Structure of the work in Europe, the USA, and other markets.
Brand Director at a globally active company, temporarily based in Monte Carlo.
Joint participation with Lou-Anne; first over-50 finalist and third place.
1,455 kilometers on foot to Paris and building the international movement.
Publication of the third book „CHARISMA – Design Your Life. Change the World.“
Four fields of action, connected by a mindset: presence should not end with visibility, but rather enable something meaningful.
I believe in the self-efficacious person: in people who develop an idea of who they want to be and how they want to live—and who are willing to move consciously in that direction.
© 2026 Martina Gleissenebner-Teskey.
