Wrapping up 2025 to thank you and answer some questions about the show: why it exists, how guests are chosen, why I work in three languages, and a year more learning what it means to hold space as a host 🧚

This year has been a blast, thanks to the wonderful participants:

🇫🇷 12 in French: Florian Chiron, Adeline Meilliez, Loïc Dindinaud, Nicolas Sterling, Enzo Cenci, Delphine Mousseau, Alex Baladi, Marina Ramain, Laura Dietrich, Camille Espagne, Marguerite

🇩🇪 2 in German: Miriam Smidt, Laura Dietrich

🇬🇧 3 in English: AC Coppens, Mini Kapur, Elke Sterling-Presser and Nicolas Sterling

💡 4 capsules: défi lectures, nos expatriations, les parfums, bilan 2025

Wishing you beautiful end of the year celebrations and looking forward to 2026! 🎉

See you next year and take care,

Gabrielle

✍️ Notes on https://www.berlindetoi.com/bilan-2025/

💌 Subscribe to the newsletter (FR) at https://substack.com/@berlindetoi

🔎 Share your story https://forms.gle/gtqoAjCTzT4RkTkf9

⭐️ 5 stars and a kind comment ⭐️

Hello everyone, thank you for tuning in and

welcome to the final episode of the year

2025.

I am Gabrielle, your host, and you're listening

to Bernard de Troyes.

Bernard de Troyes is a podcast show meeting

interesting, inspiring people living here in Berlin to

talk about their project.

And once a year, I like to pause,

slow down, reflect, acknowledge how things evolved, especially

because daily life often feels like an intense

race between work, projects, family, friendships, sports, and

everything in between.

So because this year in particular, so many

people reached out with questions about the podcast

itself, how it started, how it changed, how

it works, I decided to do this yearly

wrap-up for the first time in English.

So today's episode has two parts.

First, I'll answer these different questions I've received

about the podcast itself, and then I'll walk

you through all episodes recorded in 2025 with

a short description and maybe some insights and

backstage about the episode itself.

This episode is maybe your sign to take

the time to slow down and enjoy making

an early reflection.

Let's go.

Part one about Bernard de Troyes.

Why does this podcast exist?

Bernard de Troyes was born at the end

of 2020 after I arrived in Berlin.

And the first idea of it, it was

Covid.

I had just started my first full-time

job in a different language, a new city,

new rhythm.

And after a few months, I was really

overwhelmed.

And I thought like, this cannot be how

my daily life looks until the end, kind

of.

I know it was a bit dramatic, but

it really was this sense and urge to

meet people in Berlin.

So exactly a year after I arrived in

Berlin, I started the podcast to meet inspiring

people doing something they're excited about.

And at first, it was conversation with people

I knew, then people who knew other people,

and slowly the circle grew.

And over time, the podcast interestingly shifted.

Even though I didn't know it, I realised

it afterwards.

It's not only a place where people present

what they do, but we also think together,

question their choices, challenge ideas and perception, and

move during the conversation.

So guests often afterwards come back to me

and tell me, oh my god, we started

this, and we talked about this.

And it's having a place where people feel

safe to express what they're doing, how they're

doing it, and maybe grab like an outer

perspective and getting more ideas.

So it's at the same time a place

to do a time capsule, like how far

you are at one moment in your life,

and grabbing inspiration and idea to involve.

How guests are chosen.

So there are honestly no really strict rules.

The podcast follows rhythm and intuition more than

schedules.

And the reason why is because I have

a full-time job that I really enjoy.

So I have to balance my agenda with

the possibility of everyone.

Some guests write to me directly, sometimes I

write to them.

And it's move in all direction.

We had every type of meetings and selection.

So it's really more about having a topic

someone is excited about that he has been

doing, because we're not talking about ideas, but

about acts.

And then it's a sensibility question.

I do ask for a participation fee, but

it never of course affects the content.

It's because I'm independent, not working with sponsors.

So it just makes sure that the podcast

show can continue and live.

We talk beforehand on what feels right to

discuss about, what are the boundaries, and then

we record.

How does the podcast change my relation to

Berlin?

This is a very interesting question, because the

podcast helped me feel Berlin like home.

Berlin is such a big city, that having

people I could connect to, and having their

version of a story, their places, neighbourhoods, favourite

cafe or sport club, personal geographies, helps really

build a stronger relationship to the city.

And this is also something that of course

evolved over time.

What do I hope listeners take away?

So this is actually sweet, because some people

reach out today and telling me that the

podcast was joining their vision board for next

year, which I think is like the best

compliment ever.

I really hope that people listening to an

episode feel that they're at the right place,

at the right time, doing on their path,

no matter how fast or since how long.

And that effort matters.

But work doesn't have to mean suffering, but

you have to put the work in it.

And I get the feeling that people giving

me these kind of feedbacks kind of tell

me, yeah, we understand the path and we

see that nothing is all built overnight.

And I get a stronger feeling of courage

and clarity maybe, and showing the diversity of

people joining the show of paths.

And it's important you follow what feels important

and right for you.

Why three languages?

So this also was kind of a point

where people were like, why do you do

it in French, German and English?

And for me, people express themselves best in

the language they feel safe in.

And French is for me my native, intimate

language kind of.

German is the language I learned at work.

And it's more concrete, efficient.

I really enjoy speaking German.

And English is more international.

So I do not translate episodes.

Maybe at some point with artificial intelligence, we

could go there.

But I think it's very sexy also for

people maybe trying to learn a new language

to listen to it and hear different languages

that are not perfect, but where they get

a sense and a feeling that they can

do it too.

How do I see my role as a

host?

My role, as I see it, is to

hold space, to listen, to challenge gently, to

make the guest feel seen.

And I really like when people join the

show for the first time, like this is

my absolute sweet spot.

So it's giving them the place where they

can hopefully speak the best about what they're

doing, how they're doing it and why they

do it in a very singular way.

And being absolutely enjoying the show.

I think it's really a different feeling when

you're talking to someone who's deeply interested in

what you're doing.

This is a short sum up of the

different questions.

If you have any following follow-up, please

just reach out.

Part two, 2025 episodes.

So this year we recorded more than 15

episodes and it has been a bit flowing,

as you may see.

We had some months where there weren't any

recording at all, some other where there were

a lot.

So let's dive into it.

First of all, in January, we started the

year brilliantly with Florian Chiron and this is

a French recorded episode.

So Florian Chiron is a financial consultant and

we talked about money, savings, building long-term

financial awareness and freedom in a way.

Having someone who's specialised, based in Frankfurt, which

I took the train to see.

I'm living in Germany since long term, but

speaking French in my culture and language was

something that I'm really grateful for.

It's actually one of the most listened episode

in 2025, showing also that people are eager

to learn more about how you manage and

navigate budget and finances.

Then in February, a French recording with the

visual artist Adeline Méliès, and which was wonderful

because February in Berlin is so dark and

she has such a colourful world that we

went through talking about travel, serigraphy techniques and

creative process.

In February, I also recorded another episode in

French with Loic Dandino and he's co-founder

of the White Kitchen Studio.

He explained everything about what happens behind kitchen

and how culinary spaces are designed.

It was such a brilliant example of entrepreneurship

and where you start because the first job

Loic got as a studio was designing a

kebab cart.

And nowadays he's like creating Michelin restaurants.

So it was really fun and excited to

learn about.

In March, we recorded a French speaking episode

with the architect and co-founder Nicolas Sterling

and we've reflected on architecture, engineering, building creative

structures across cultures.

And I really loved this because this episode

is a beautiful balance between practise, inspiration, discipline.

So it was a great one.

In March also, we recorded an English speaking

episode with conference curator and moderator AC Coppens.

And AC Coppens is nailing absolute masterclass about

the art of moderation, having meaningful conversation.

It was super inspiring because I also worked

with the team from AC Coppens, The Catalyst,

and they are such professional in what they

do.

I learned a lot about it, what was

about framing, editing, crafting episode.

In March, I also recorded in French this

time with Enzo Sensi.

And this has been also a very loved

episode because we talk about his full-time

job as a finance and then DJing at

night and selling sandwiches with cheese Enzo imports

from France.

And Enzo talks about this multi-activity life

in Berlin and how you can get the

best out of the city.

And this episode resonated particularly because it was

the first time for me meeting someone my

age, kind of having the same life and

just trying things out of curiosity and joy

with a very strong do-it energy.

In March, I was very honoured to record

in French with executive leader Delphine Mousseau.

And Delphine is actually very well known.

You can find a wonderful podcast episode about

her that I will link to the show.

And it was her first time participating in

a interview and we discuss about leadership, impact,

sharing knowledge as responsibility.

And she does it with a lot of

generosity and clarity.

And it's a lot of humour too.

So it's a breath of fresh air.

In May, I recorded a German speaking episode

with artist Miriam Schmidt.

And she shares her journey through illness, recovery

and becoming an artist later in life.

It's such a powerful episode and reminding that

everything starts at the right moment in any

way.

And sometimes it does come a bit later,

but you're not going to go between or

beside the life that you're aiming for.

We recorded in her wonderful atelier and that

was in Plitzensee.

In May, I recorded a French speaking episode

with comic author and illustrator Alex Baladie.

And Alex Baladie, I discovered through my book

club, my comic book club, if you know

the librairie Grenier Bühle in Berlin.

And it was really inspiring and interesting to

deep dive in the scene of graphic storytelling,

visual narration, and discovering the independent world of

comics.

In June, I recorded a French episode with

interior designer Marina Raman.

And we reflect on changing carriers, crafting, creating

space for creativity, and having the courage to

embrace a big change in your life.

So it was also a very heartwarming and

episode that resonated with a lot of people

who are exploring and thinking about is this

the right time to choose a different professional

life, for example.

So in June, we did a challenging French

and then German two episodes with Laura Die,

an independent musician exploring artistic independence, music creation,

language across bilingual episode.

And I really loved it because Laura is

German who speaks French.

I'm French speaking German.

So the two episodes are very different from

another.

And it was super fun to have the

possibility to record this in different settings.

So big up to you, Laura, also for

having your first album out there and have

a look to her work.

It's great.

In September, we recorded a French speaking episode

with Camille Espagne.

And I discovered Camille through her Instagram account,

talking about the book she reads.

And we talk also about routines and how

you build a sense of home in Berlin.

And it was very grounding and warm.

And it was a very beautiful episode to

come into autumn and the end of the

year.

In October, we recorded an English speaking episode

with Mini Kapoor, who is the designer and

gallery founder from Under the Mango Tree in

Berlin Schoenberg.

And I met Mini thanks to Adeline, who

had an exhibition in the gallery.

And we talk about vision, persistence, the courage

to build something, and how what is everything

about running an art space in Berlin, which

is very challenging and very inspiring.

In November, I had two French recording episodes

that are deeply to my heart, because it

was both guests who already come once on

the show.

One was with Marguerite, who is a former

freelancer turned Berlin Unterwelten guide.

And Marguerite is also a Buldus performer.

So we reflect on three years of evolution

since our very first episode.

And it was so satisfying to observe, see

how she blooms and changes and adapt her

life.

Afterwards, I had an episode with Sophia Fabian.

And Sophia joined the show for the first

time in German.

And we talked about writing.

Sophia is also a comedian and the podcast

creator of Das Chaos und deine Kinder Show,

which is a very big German podcast about

the Greek mythology.

And we talk about writing routines, and talking

about everything which is behind the scene, about

discipline, creativity and balance, and how no matter

what is your type of personality, you build

what feels right for you.

And last but not least, we recorded in

December, an English speaking episode for the first

time with not one, but two guests.

You remember Nicolas Sterling, the architect and engineer

we talked with at the beginning of the

year, came back on the show together with

Elke, his co-founder, to discuss about collaboration,

partnership, shared vision in their architecture studio.

We also talk about international and how do

you connect in artificial intelligence with your practise

and balancing between cultures and difference.

And it was a very strong and beautiful

way to close the year.

Alongside interview, I also record some episode that

I named Capsule.

This year, they were only in French.

And the idea is to reflect and explore

topics a bit differently, and maybe more personal.

So for example, at the beginning of the

year, I talked about my reading goals, which

two books a month, living abroad, building something

from scratch.

I shared my summer favourites about role models

too, and my discovery this year, through books

and then in real life about perfume and

the smell, something, a sense that I didn't

use to challenge so much.

And thanks to the wonderful book from Sarah

Boas in French, Pas le bout d'une,

it's something I really had more into this

2025 year, which was fantastic.

So this is how we wrap up 2025.

I feel deeply grateful for having been your

host one more year.

Thank you so much for supporting the show

in any ways.

Thank you to the wonderful guests that shared

their time and their past and their personal

story with me.

It is also a year that I started

a Substack newsletter a bit differently with a

monthly reflection, which brought me more time to

write and create.

So it has been a very creative year

in a different way in trying to express

things in different formats.

The show continues because of curiosity, connection and

care.

Take good care of yourself during this end

of the year moment, however it looks for

you, and we'll see each other in 2026.

Thank you so much.

Feel free to support the show if you

want to add a comment or a five

star rating wherever you're listening to it.

Join us on LinkedIn or Instagram and see

you next year.

Bye!