🌹 Späti Stories #6: Meet Barbara and Daria - Bridging Generations of Berlin's Women
From 1960s feminist activism to modern storytelling podcasts, two women who have been amplifying female voices in Berlin across different eras.
🎧 Listening to Just a Girl - No Doubt
In our last issue, we explored how Berlin transforms those who find new beginnings here. This month, as we celebrate International Women's Month, we're focusing on the female voices that have shaped—and continue to shape—our city's identity. We'll be bringing you two episodes in March instead of our usual single release to highlight more of these inspiring stories.
March 8, 2025, marks the 114th International Women's Day in Germany. Looking at Berlin today, it's easy to spot progress everywhere—women freely pursue education and careers, and Germany’s most influential modern leader was Angela Merkel. Throughout the city, women are actively shaping communities in politics, arts, sciences, and entrepreneurship. But this present reality was built by generations who fought for every freedom we now enjoy.
For our sixth episode, we bring together two women whose work spans different eras of Berlin's evolution: Barbara Sichtermann, who has documented Berlin's feminist movements since the 1960s, and Daria Suvorova, who amplifies women's achievements today through her podcast.
Their stories offer unique perspectives on how far we've come and the work that remains. Grab your drink and join us for these conversations.
Barbara Sichtermann, born in Erfurt in 1943, moved to Berlin in the 1960s and has documented women's movements as a writer and journalist for over four decades. The author of "Berlinerinnen," which chronicles 13 women who changed Berlin's cultural landscape, she has dedicated her career to female emancipation and feminist politics. Having witnessed Berlin's division, reunification, and transformation, she offers a unique perspective on how women have shaped the city's evolution.
We met Barbara at her spacious altbau apartment in Moabit, where she's called home for over two decades. The journey to her place revealed Moabit's cozy character – neighborhood cafés, cyclists weaving through streets, and plenty of greenery. At her building, a charming local flower shop added color to the ground floor. Once buzzed in, we found ourselves admiring a stunning staircase – the kind that makes Berlin's old buildings such treasures.
Barbara welcomed us warmly, and immediately we noticed books everywhere – lining the corridor, stacked in the office, filling the living room shelves. A fitting environment for someone who's spent her life with words.
Her living room enveloped us in comfort and history – bookshelves alongside framed articles, posters, photographs, and children's drawings. These weren't just decorations but fragments of a life devoted to documenting Berlin's evolving story. As we settled in with hot tea, conversation flowed naturally.
When asked what drew her to Berlin, Barbara's eyes lit up. "The answer is quite simple. Students were rebelling all over Germany, wanting a new society. That was the famous 1968," she explained.
Berlin was still divided by the Wall back then," she continued, gesturing with her hands. "You felt like you were in the eye of the storm. The university and city had such active opposition movements. That magnetic energy drew us – my friends and me. It simply made sense."
For Barbara, writing wasn't a career choice but an extension of herself. "Ever since I could write, I was always creating stories and poems. I always wanted to be a poet," she shared with a smile. Though theater initially called to her, the political awakening of the late '60s redirected her path. "Overcoming the conservative 1950s with all its prudishness seemed more important than performing Schiller and Goethe. Writing became my natural way forward – I basically returned to my first love."
Her feminist consciousness was nurtured at home. "I had a mother who was an artist," Barbara said, pointing proudly to paintings adorning her walls. "A true bohemian. She never accepted women's conventional subordination. She lived freely." This influence ran deep – her mother joined the 1968 protests and later the peace movement.
Having moved to West Berlin in the '60s, Barbara witnessed the women's movement taking its first steps. "It started in the early 70s, when Berlin was still divided. I attended the first meetings of critical women," she recalled. "We had a women's center on Hornstraße in Kreuzberg, and the Republican Club hosted a section against patriarchy."
Independence defined their approach: "We were autonomous – that was crucial. We weren't an offshoot of any party or organization," Barbara emphasized. "We emerged from consciousness-raising groups where women gathered to discuss their situations: Should I get divorced? Should I return to studying?" She wrote for the feminist magazine Emma "from its early days," noting that "Berlin's women's movement had particularly powerful momentum."
For over four decades, Barbara has chronicled women's evolving roles. "It was the time of the sexual revolution, the pill, women's emancipation from being defined solely by motherhood," she explained. "Back then, a woman was only 'someone' if she became a mother."
Leaning forward, she addressed historical misconceptions: "The idea that women were sexual beings wasn't acknowledged. Many thought sexual desire belonged only to men, and women merely played along for security. There was so much to correct and explore."
Unlike some movement factions, Barbara embraced a comprehensive vision: "I belonged to the women who wanted everything," she said with conviction. "In Hannover, I remember a women's protest event titled: 'I want a man, a child, and women's solidarity.' That captured my stance perfectly. I wanted to remove power dynamics from relationships so men and women could meet as equals."
In 2019, Barbara co-authored "Berlinerinnen" with Ingo Rose, spotlighting 13 women who shaped the city. "We sought diversity – politicians, singers, cabaret artists, writers, painters. Women connected to Berlin who transformed the city and embodied that distinctive Berliner Schnauze spirit."
One story particularly captivated her – Franziska Tiburtius, born in 1843. "Medicine was her passion, but studying here wasn't an option for women, so she went to Zurich," Barbara recounted. "She graduated with distinction and returned, only to hear: 'A lady doctor? Unthinkable!'" Denied a medical license, Tiburtius practiced as a healer, her sign required to indicate her foreign credentials – a small but persistent resistance. At the Schönhauser Strasse 23/24, you can still see the little memorial plate signaling that she had practised there.
As International Women's Day approached, Barbara reflected on progress with nuanced wisdom: "Many battles have been won. The women's movement achieved remarkable success. The demand for equality is recognized and increasingly met."
She observed generational changes with satisfaction: "Seeing young women like you forge your own paths without retreating due to prejudice – it's deeply gratifying. The difference from my youth is striking."
Yet Barbara remained clear-eyed about persistent challenges: "Some aspects of gender dynamics change painfully slowly. Deep down, many men still believe women aren't quite as intelligent, aren't as strong, and are somehow irrational and overly emotional."The movement's original goals retain their relevance: "In the 1970s, we wanted two fundamental things. First, bodily autonomy – that a woman's body belongs to her. Paragraph 218 was a huge issue then and remains contentious today. Second, women's access to public life – the first female news anchor caused a sensation! The argument was always, 'Her voice is too high-pitched, no one will take her seriously.'"
Looking toward the future, Barbara's expression grew concerned: "The current global political climate has pushed women's issues somewhat aside. We must first safeguard democracy itself – without it, women's rights become impossible to maintain. Far-right pressure is targeting women's advances. You see it everywhere, most obviously in America, but even here in Germany with potential threats to reproductive rights."
Though her story is intertwined with Berlin's, Barbara briefly left the city in the early 70s. "Because of love," she explained with a soft smile. "I had met my husband there and moved in with him. Then I left Berlin—for a total of eight years." Her expression grew somber as she continued, "Then my husband passed away. That was a huge loss, a terrible pain. I had a young son. And then I knew—only this city could truly comfort me."
Barbara's relationship with Berlin runs deep – you see it in her eyes, in her speech, in the memories that fill her apartment. "I believe that Berlin is simply a place where many influences intersect, where East and West come together and blend into each other. It's a creative hub. You can feel that when you live here. I once wrote an article for a Swiss newspaper about Berlin's unique spirit. My idea at the time was that, in Berlin, if you call upon the ghosts of the past, they answer immediately.
As our conversation drew to a close, she reflected: 'That was 30 years ago when I wrote that because Berlin has always had something temporary about it. They say it's a city that is always becoming but never is. Now, people say that about many cities, but for Berlin, it's absolutely true. You can always find the layers of history.
Daria Suvorova, who moved from Hamburg to Berlin, is the founder and host of the Women Authors of Achievement Podcast. While balancing a full-time job with her passion project, she channels her natural curiosity into meaningful conversations that inspire others.
We met Daria at the Telegraphenamt hotel on a Tuesday evening, where she occasionally uses the space for work and where she celebrated her 100th podcast episode. It was a cold day, and we settled near the bar next to a fireplace—Daria with a glass of prosecco, us with tea. The contrast between the winter chill outside and the warm glow inside seemed to mirror Daria herself: approachable yet vibrant, with an energy that immediately drew us in.
We moved to a quieter room for the interview, where we went on chit chatting while we took some pictures. Daria has the natural ease of someone who interviews others for a living—turning questions back to us, making the conversation flow both ways.
Through our research, we knew Daria's journey had taken several turns: from competitive tennis player to law student to marketing professional to podcast host. This multifaceted path, it turns out, was no accident.
"I come from a family that is very multidisciplinary," she explained, gesturing expressively with her hands. "My dad comes more from a business and law background, and my mom is more of a creative person. She was a journalist, and we always embraced culture, different interests—being interested in everything from politics to taking care of nature, to fashion, to arts, and sports."
Daria found that traditional 9-to-5 jobs couldn't satisfy all her interests, which led her to pursue side projects alongside her career. "Even when I was working in law, business development, or project management, I always had my side hustles because I wanted to fulfill that need for community work, for meeting new people." As she said this, we found ourselves nodding in agreement—wasn't this newsletter our own side hustle born from similar motivations?
This curiosity became the foundation for who Daria is today, as can be seen in her podcast. When she talks about it, her eyes light up with the same curiosity she describes as her driving force. "I'm very curious about stories, about connecting with others. It was just a natural part of my upbringing and my personality. My curiosity drives me in life. And that's how I ended up with my podcast—it was about following my intuition and trying something I had never done before."
Growing up, Daria shares she often felt limited by being surrounded only by people her own age with similar interests. "I kept wondering, 'What about other people? What about people from different backgrounds, different experiences?' I wanted to learn from them, but I realized that the only person who could get me there was me." The way she leaned forward as she said this made it feel less like an interview and more like a mentorship moment—one we were grateful to receive.
But this confidence to connect wasn't always natural for her. "I wasn't always like this—I used to be more afraid of rejection, of being misunderstood. Like most of us in our late teens and early 20s, I dealt with a lot of uncertainties. But at some point, I realized—I have nothing to lose. The worst thing that can happen is someone saying 'No' or 'Sorry, it's not going to work out.'"
When we mentioned our own fear of rejection in starting Späti Stories, Daria nodded knowingly. "That's exactly it," she said, as if we'd just joined an exclusive club of risk-takers. Her description of putting ego aside struck a chord with us—isn't that something we all struggle with in Berlin's competitive creative scene?
This realization was transformative for her "I had to let go of my fears and put my ambition for learning ahead of my fear of rejection. I had to put my ego aside. We all grow up thinking that we are special, but at some point, you have to accept that not everyone will like you, and that's okay."As she spoke, we could almost see the younger, more hesitant Daria transforming into the confident woman sitting across from us.
Her podcast featuring women's stories started organically after moving to Berlin, building on her previous experience with women communities, hosting female-focused dinners and conferences. "The focus on women was actually quite simple. My network—especially of women who could give interesting talks or share their stories—was already there. And to be honest, I was always passionate about increasing the visibility of women in these spaces."
The podcast itself came about unexpectedly. "I worked a lot in tech, in Legal, in the Web3 space, and I was often one of the few women in the room." As she recounted this experience, her posture straightened slightly—a subtle reminder of how often she had to hold her own in those environments. "A friend of mine, Sebastian Couture, said to me, 'Daria, it's the pandemic. I have a podcast studio in Berlin. Why don't you do a podcast? Use my studio. I'll help you set it up.' I remember thinking, 'I haven't thought about that.' I had been doing the dinners, but podcast interviews? That never even crossed my mind. But he planted the seed."
After interviewing over 100 women, Daria has noticed patterns in their success stories. She counts them off on her fingers, each point emphasized with a gentle tap on the table.
She contrasts this with a more passive approach to life that she sees in many people. "I see a lot of people living passively. They get a job, they meet certain people, and they just go with the flow. Years pass by, and they look back and think, 'I had so many chances to pursue a passion—but I always postponed it for tomorrow.'" Her voice softens here, as if she's sharing a secret. "But these women? They actively choose the hard things. They push themselves in their friendships, in their relationships, and most importantly, in their careers." There's a warmth in how she talks about these women—not just interview subjects but a community she's proud to highlight.
Daria's mission extends beyond just inspiring women. "I think the visibility of women role models should be open to the public. It should be something that becomes a norm. Oftentimes, if we watch TV or check politics, we always hear the men's story of things, which are great. But I also think it would be great to hear women's stories and for those stories to be told by women and heard by everyone."
Daria wants everyone to participate in the dialogue, to empathize with women's journeys. Her hands animate her words as she explains, "I'm so happy when I see fathers and daughters listening together, when I see moms joining, grandparents, partners, husbands. Because when men hear these stories, they realize, 'Oh wow, I had no idea women also have to deal with this.'" She gives an example: "When I interviewed Leila Piediasz for my 100th episode, she talked about menopause—what women go through during menopause—while building her company. It was seven circles of hell because she didn't know what was happening to her hormonally. And even we as women don't always have these conversations." We found ourselves making mental notes to look up this episode later.
Daria moved from Hamburg to Berlin seeking something more exciting and international. "I felt at some point Hamburg was a bit... maybe too small for my ambition or for my interests. I was looking for a more international community. I wanted to be more in the startup scene and be surrounded by people doing many different things. Berlin felt like the right place to be." We smiled at this familiar story.
Since then, she has been a Berliner for a while, but just recently she found a very traditional Berliner gem to be one of her favorite parts of the city. As she describes it, her whole demeanor softens, as if mentally transported to her special spot. "I think the best thing was me properly discovering Tempelhofer Feld. Creating a little ritual—I go there for sunset in summer. I go for a run, or just for a little sightseeing moment, or a picnic. And I think that was the most Berlin moment—being in this space, a former airport, and just sitting there, watching the sunset, seeing the people, and seeing the horizon—right in the middle of the city. It's very Berlin."
Neither Barbara nor Daria set out with the explicit intention of becoming storytellers documenting women's experiences and achievements. Barbara through her journalism and Daria through her podcast—both found their calling in amplifying female voices. Both were deeply influenced by their families—Barbara by her bohemian artist mother who rejected conventional roles, and Daria by her multidisciplinary upbringing that encouraged curiosity about everything from politics to arts.
What emerges across generations—from Barbara's chronicles of pre-fall of the Wall activists to Daria's contemporary podcast guests—is a striking pattern among successful women. They take risks. They fight not just for themselves but for others. They're willing to share their stories to lift up other women.
As Daria mentioned during our conversation, she's never struggled to find inspiring businesswomen in Berlin to interview for her podcast—women from diverse backgrounds and professions making their mark.
This reality exists today because women like Barbara, her mother, and countless others fought for these opportunities decades ago. Earlier generations ran so we could walk, and we shouldn't forget or take this for granted—especially now, in times of political turbulence where women's rights are increasingly threatened.
May this International Women's Day be one of reflection on that legacy—fighting for what must still be fought for, and considering how we as a society, not just women, can support the ongoing search for equal rights not only in legal systems but in cultural spheres as well.
For our next episode, we'll share two more stories and explore how having female role models can help women grow and feel empowered.
☀️ Enjoying the spring sunshine in Berlin this weekend,
Isabelle and Lua