Dr. Marie-Catherine Klarkowski is an orthodontist, entrepreneur and founder of KLARcademy, and an expert in lifestyle, health, beauty and Medical Soulbranding. In this interview, first published in April 2026, she explains why luxury for her means "health, time, connection", which simple daily and evening rituals keep her grounded while travelling, why she prefers gentle resets and preventive check-ups to radical programmes, what Iceland, Japan and COMO Shambhala taught her about living well, and how Sanbera fits into her morning and evening routine.
Key takeaways from the interview
- Her guiding sentence: "I don’t test what shines; I feel what remains." Quality, for her, is defined by depth rather than shine.
- She defines luxury in three words: health, time, connection. "Not more, but better."
- Her daily anchors are simple: a calm start, conscious breathing, yoga and meditation, movement in fresh air, moments of stillness and journaling.
- She prefers gentle resets to radical programmes, and schedules preventive examinations, blood work and cancer screening early in the year.
- She adapts her routines to the seasons: sauna and snow in winter, cycling in spring, swimming and long evenings outside in summer, more rest and warmth in autumn.
- She values Sanbera for its clear, uncomplicated concept, which makes it easy to take morning and evening, especially when travelling.
Who is Dr. Marie-Catherine Klarkowski?
Dr. Marie-Catherine Klarkowski is an orthodontist, entrepreneur, and expert in lifestyle, health, and beauty. Her perspective is shaped by the intersection of medical expertise, aesthetic sensitivity, and a deep understanding of quality, well-being, and the art of modern living. With her background in healthcare, brand building, and high-end lifestyle, she represents a concept of luxury that goes far beyond appearances. As the founder of KLARcademy and an expert in Medical Soulbranding, she guides and inspires people who want to bring beauty, health, success, and personality into meaningful alignment. Her answers below are printed in her own words.
Her personal philosophy
Q: Marie-Catherine, your bio says, “I don’t test what shines; I feel what remains.” Could you share how this philosophy has shaped both your personal life and professional journey?
That sentence describes very clearly how I view beauty, quality, and luxury today. What interests me most is not what impresses at first glance, but what truly touches us and lingers. Whether it is a place, a product, a ritual, or an encounter, I always ask myself whether it has substance. Does it nourish, move, strengthen, or inspire? This perspective has shaped my path for many years, both professionally and personally. I believe true quality is not defined by its shine, but by its depth.
Q: How did your passion for luxury and travel evolve into a philosophy of living that combines mindfulness, wellness, and lasting quality?
I believe this evolved very naturally over time. As a Libra, I have always had a fine instinct for beauty, style, and luxury. Travel, in particular, has changed my view of luxury profoundly. I realized early on that I am not moved by what is loud or overly opulent, but by what is created with sensitivity, calm, and genuine quality. The most beautiful places, to me, are often the ones where you immediately feel that they were designed with awareness, and where meaningful encounters with people and their culture leave a lasting impression. Over the years, this became a way of life. Today, luxury no longer means excess to me, but harmony. Not more, but better. Not superficiality, but conscious quality of life.
What does luxury mean to Dr. Klarkowski?
Q: If you were to define “luxury” in three words that go beyond aesthetics, what would they be?
Health. Time. Connection.
Q: What daily habits or rituals keep you centered, especially when traveling frequently or balancing work and wellness?
I place great trust in simple, recurring rituals. A calm start to the day, conscious breathing combined with yoga and meditation, movement in the fresh air, and small moments of stillness are essential for me. Especially when I travel or spend a lot of time focused outward, these constants help me stay clear and grounded. I believe well-being is often not created through grand gestures, but through what we repeat each day with mindfulness. That also includes journaling in my Daily Wellness Journal.
Ethical luxury
Q: How do you personally navigate ethical luxury in your choices?
For me, ethical luxury begins with awareness and responsibility. I pay attention to how something is made, which values stand behind it, and whether it has been created with care. I am far more interested in quality, longevity, transparency, and integrity than in short-lived trends. I would always rather choose something that lasts and truly fits my lifestyle than something that only makes an impression for a brief moment. To me, ethical luxury is a form of conscious choice.
Daily and evening rituals for body, mind and mood
Q: Many of our readers are curious about wellness routines that feel both indulgent and purposeful. Are there any daily or nightly practices you personally recommend for body, mind, and mood?
I truly believe in gentle, everyday rituals. For me, a good day begins by greeting it consciously, not immediately turning outward, but first returning to myself. I love the quiet and stillness of the morning, a short meditation or yoga session, journaling, a glass of warm water, and my microbiome complex. That said, I have to admit that giving up my wake-up coffee is something I still find rather difficult. My morning intermittent fasting also works much better at home than when I am faced with an abundant hotel breakfast buffet.
In general, me-time is incredibly important to me, those small, conscious pauses for body, mind, and soul. That might be a short walk, an afternoon meditation, or sometimes simply a good conversation with a friend. I believe these moments are so powerful because they are part of everyday life, especially when we truly savor them.
In the evening, like many people, I do not always find it easy to close the laptop in time or really put the phone away. But with a beautiful book, a herbal tea, and my beauty routine, or sometimes a sauna session, I manage quite well to help my mind wind down slowly. To me, wellness does not have to be perfect or complicated. What matters is that it feels good, lightens us, and reconnects us with ourselves.
Small, repeated habits like these are the theme of our article on the routines worth returning to.
Gentle resets, health checks and the seasons
Q: For many, this season invites reflection and gentle renewal, and a chance to pause, to reset, and to nurture both body and mind. What are your favorite ways to detox and reset?
I much prefer gentle resets to radical detox concepts. To me, spring is above all about lightening up and letting go of what feels heavy, physically, mentally, and emotionally. During that time, I consciously focus on lighter food, more water, more sleep, fresh air, and often a little more order both inwardly and outwardly. Sometimes the best detox is not deprivation, but clarity: fewer stimuli, less pressure, less excess.
What is also important to me, especially at the beginning of the year, is a kind of personal health check. We naturally take our car in for inspection on time, but we often lack that same awareness when it comes to ourselves. There is no dashboard alert reminding us to schedule a preventive check-up, and we sometimes ignore the warning signs our body is giving us. That is why I make it a point to schedule preventive examinations early, have my blood work checked, and not postpone things like cancer screening. To me, that too is self-care, and in a very meaningful and sustainable form.
This year, I complemented my health check with a TCM diagnostic assessment, including tongue and pulse diagnosis, and I am currently doing a detox program based on traditional Chinese herbs.
And I love the Rauhnächte, the twelve nights between Christmas and Epiphany. That time of year holds something very special for me. I like to use it for retreat, reflection, and inner alignment, and I consciously carry that energy with me into the new year.
Q: Are there certain rituals or experiences you turn to that help your skin, energy, or mood adjust with the changing seasons?
Yes, I adapt my routines very consciously to the seasons. I love sauna sessions in winter and cooling off in the snow afterward. During seasonal transitions, warmth, sauna, walks, good skincare, enough sleep, and gentle movement do me especially good. I think it is important not to work against our own rhythm. Skin, energy, and mood are all very sensitive to change.
Small rituals help me a great deal as well. I like not only to notice the changing seasons outwardly but to move with them inwardly, too. That may mean allowing more rest, supporting the body more nourishingly, or consciously creating space for regeneration. To me, that often has far more impact than simply trying to keep functioning as before.
I adjust my routines very consciously to the seasons because I believe each season brings its own quality, and we gain so much when we live with it rather than against it. That is also why, whenever I return from travels, I feel deeply grateful to live in a region where the seasons can still be experienced so clearly. In winter, that means more retreat, warmth, and regeneration for me. I love sauna sessions, the crisp cold of the snow afterward, winter walks, and, of course, days in the mountains skiing. There is something both deeply clarifying and soothing about that time of year.
In spring, I always feel a new energy emerging. When nature begins to blossom again, everything becomes greener and brighter, and that feeling of renewal arises; I am naturally drawn outdoors. Then I love walks in awakening nature, the first bike rides, for example, to Lake Tegernsee, and that very conscious feeling of lightness and freedom.
Summer, to me, stands for vitality, light, and movement. Spending a lot of time outdoors, swimming, longer evenings outside, traveling, and that special sense of spaciousness all nourish me deeply during that season.
In autumn, I enjoy turning a little more inward again, slowing the pace slightly, and offering the body more rest, warmth, and nourishing routines.
I think it is important not to work against our own rhythm.
How the colder months change what body and mind need is explored in why winter requires a different kind of wellness.
Balancing indulgence and self-care
Q: How do you balance indulgence with intentional self-care, especially when it comes to luxury experiences that can also nourish?
To me, true culinary luxury is not found in excess, but in quality, awareness, and moderation. Healthy, high-quality, and ideally organic food has far more to do with luxury, in my view, than sheer abundance. Fine dining, therefore, does not mean more, but better: more thoughtful, more conscious, and rooted in genuine appreciation for the product itself.
I do enjoy celebrating special moments with a fine glass of wine or champagne from time to time. At the same time, I find it very exciting that enjoyment can be interpreted much more consciously today. A non-alcoholic beverage pairing with a fine dining menu, for example, can be a true revelation and show that an exceptional culinary experience does not necessarily require alcohol.
For me, the real balance lies in being able to enjoy without tipping into excess simply because something is available. Especially while traveling or when faced with lavish buffets, it sometimes takes discipline to stay centered. That, to me, is where the new form of luxury reveals itself: not in having more, but in consciously choosing a higher-quality experience.
Travel moments: Iceland, Japan and COMO Shambhala
Q: Could you share a moment from your travels that profoundly shaped the way you view wellness, beauty, or living well?
There is not just one single moment, but Iceland is definitely a place of strength for me. The beauty and complexity of its nature are breathtaking. One especially powerful moment was standing alone with my family on a high plateau, surrounded by vastness, silence, and the almost archaic force of the landscape. I had no idea before then how fascinating moss could be.
Japan has also shaped me deeply. I am a great admirer of Japan and love immersing myself, away from the tourist paths, in the stillness of temples and monasteries. I am fascinated by this culture of mindfulness, which reveals itself in so many details, especially in the traditional preparation of food and the reverence surrounding it. There, I can feel very clearly how closely aesthetics, awareness, and enjoyment can be intertwined.
A concept that translates this philosophy beautifully for me is COMO Shambhala, for example, in Singapore. What impresses me is that wellness there is not understood as an isolated spa treatment, but as a holistic philosophy of life. COMO itself describes its approach with the idea that well-being begins from within. Behind that is a holistic connection between diagnostics, nutrition, movement, and therapeutic treatments, all designed to restore balance to body, mind, and soul.
In Singapore, this philosophy becomes especially tangible. Different facets of the COMO world are brought together under one roof, and the spa places a strong emphasis on water as a central element of regeneration. What I find especially exciting is that there are contrast therapy rooms with an infrared sauna and a plunge pool that actually creates real ice plates. At the same time, yoga, Pilates, HIIT, Gyrotonic, and Pranayama are just as naturally part of the offering as holistic treatments overlooking the city. It shows beautifully that this is not simply about pampering moments but about a more comprehensive understanding of health, energy, and regeneration.
The culinary side is also part of this philosophy. The COMO Shambhala Kitchen was developed over many years together with nutrition experts and is based on whole foods and natural flavors, treating nutrition as a real part of well-being rather than a decorative extra. This connection between calm, movement, conscious nutrition, and thoughtful rituals corresponds very closely to my own understanding of living well.
How to cultivate lasting luxury in everyday life
Q: Beyond beauty and health, what brings you the most joy or inspiration in daily life?
I am inspired by good conversations, special places, nature, books, atmosphere, and people with depth. Very often, though, it is the small things: a beautifully set table, a certain light, a scent, a moment of stillness. I believe quality of life often reveals itself in the quiet, seemingly ordinary moments. We simply have to notice them more consciously again.
Q: Many people aspire to live gracefully and intentionally. What advice would you give to someone who wants to cultivate a sense of lasting luxury in ordinary life?
I would always say: begin not with more, but with more awareness. Lasting luxury does not begin with price or status, but with quality, calm, atmosphere, and the way we relate to ourselves and to our surroundings. Less, but better, is often a very good place to start. To me, true elegance begins wherever something feels deeply aligned.
Dr. Klarkowski’s experience with Sanbera
Q: What drew you to Sanbera in the first place?
I first discovered Sanbera at the Healing House Festival in Berlin. The way it was presented immediately spoke to me. This quiet, clear form of luxury resonated strongly with my own sense of quality. My intuition told me almost instantly that I had discovered a little gem.
What convinced me above all was the clarity of the concept. Sanbera feels conscious, modern, and well considered, without being overloaded. I like products and brands that do not try to be everything at once, but position themselves clearly and make quality truly tangible. I find this combination of simplicity, substance, and a very reduced, elegant aesthetic extremely compelling.
Q: How do you integrate Sanbera into your daily and nightly routine?
I integrate Sanbera in the same way I love good solutions in general: uncomplicated, clear, and reliable. My daily life is often very full; I travel a lot, and I therefore appreciate anything that supports me without creating extra effort. To me, there is a special kind of quality in exactly that.
Especially while traveling, Sanbera has become a real companion for me. Instead of having to transfer individual supplements into small containers and quickly losing track of everything, I have something compact that simply works. That gives me a reassuring feeling because it does not make my life more complicated, but easier.
I also really appreciate this simplicity in my business life. I do not have to think about many separate products, but can integrate Sanbera quite naturally. And that is what makes the difference for me: when something does not add pressure, but can be integrated reliably into my morning and evening routine.
Q: Would you recommend Sanbera to others? Who do you think would benefit the most?
Yes, absolutely. I think it is especially beneficial for people with demanding, full lives, people who carry a lot of responsibility, and still do not want to leave their well-being to chance. Particularly if you value quality, good ingredients, and a simple, coherent way of integrating support into daily life.
Q: How important is it for you that Sanbera’s formulas are plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, and free from unnecessary additives?
That is very important to me, and especially the issue of unnecessary additives is something I care deeply about. Many people assume that taking supplements automatically means they are doing something good for themselves, but when it comes to products from drugstores or discount retailers, for example, they often pay far too little attention to what else is actually included. Certain additives can burden the gut and, in the worst case, weaken exactly the positive effect one is hoping to gain from the supplement. Sanbera emphasizes this additive-free purity in its formulations, along with the absence of unnecessary additives, artificial flavors, and GMOs, and I find that very convincing.
Through my training in Medical Applied Kinesiology, I became aware very early on of how crucial the quality of supplements really is. I have not been testing and questioning these products only recently, but essentially for decades. More than twenty-five years ago, it was already clear to me that what matters is not only the active ingredient, but also the form, the bioavailability, and the entire composition. At that time, it was still much more difficult to find truly high-quality products on the European market.
What I also find particularly interesting about Sanbera is that it does not approach formulations in an entirely generic way, but takes the different needs of women and men more seriously. The brand works with women’s and men’s versions of its daily and nightly formulas and describes this as a gender-specific approach, an attempt to formulate supplementation in a more differentiated and contemporary way. In the context of gender medicine, I find that very important, because we are increasingly understanding that health, nutrient requirements, and metabolism do not function identically for everyone.
For me, quality is therefore never a detail. It is the foundation. If I integrate something into my daily life, I want to be able to trust that it has been thoughtfully, carefully, and meaningfully formulated.
For context: Sanbera’s Daily Essential and Nightly Reload formulas exist in separate versions for women and men, with different amounts. Per 3 tablets, Daily Essential Women provides, for example, iron 7 mg (50 % NRV) and zinc 2.5 mg (25 % NRV), while Daily Essential Men provides iron 3.5 mg (25 % NRV) and zinc 4 mg (40 % NRV). Nightly Reload Women, taken in the evening, provides vitamin C and the eight B vitamins, including folic acid 150 µg (75 % NRV) and vitamin B12 1.88 µg (75 % NRV). Iron, folate and vitamin B12 contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system. How the formulas are put together is explained in the science behind Sanbera. Individual experiences differ, and a supplement does not replace a varied, balanced diet.
One thought on living beautifully
Q: If you could leave our readers with one thought about living beautifully, ethically, and mindfully, what would it be?
Choose more of what truly nourishes you. Not only what looks good from the outside, but what gives you inner strength, calm, and clarity. To me, living beautifully does not mean living perfectly. It means choosing more consciously, sensing more clearly, and taking responsibility for one’s own life.
Especially in uncertain times, I believe it is more important than ever not to make our happiness, our health, and our inner balance entirely dependent on external circumstances. We cannot control everything, but we can influence very much how we treat ourselves, what we nourish, and where we place our focus. To me, that is also a very important part of personal growth: not remaining in the mindset that everything is determined by the outside world, but again and again understanding ourselves as the creators of our own lives.
There is something quietly reassuring in the way Dr. Klarkowski speaks about luxury, wellness and life: nothing feels forced, rushed or excessive. Her perspective is a reminder that well-being is not built overnight, nor found in extremes, but in the small, consistent choices we make every day. We thank Dr. Klarkowski for sharing her thoughts, her rituals and her approach to a more conscious way of living. You can follow her work on KLARcademy’s Instagram.
Read more conversations from our community: Irena Zupan on beauty, nutrition and daily rituals and Vanessa Habibian of Skin Atelier Kilchberg on beauty and wellness.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dr. Marie-Catherine Klarkowski?
Dr. Marie-Catherine Klarkowski is an orthodontist, entrepreneur and expert in lifestyle, health and beauty. She is the founder of KLARcademy and an expert in Medical Soulbranding, guiding people who want to bring beauty, health, success and personality into alignment. She says she has been questioning the quality of supplements for more than twenty-five years.
What does luxury mean to Dr. Klarkowski?
Asked to define luxury in three words that go beyond aesthetics, she answers: health, time, connection. For her, luxury no longer means excess but harmony: "Not more, but better." Lasting luxury, she says, begins not with price or status but with quality, calm, atmosphere and the way we relate to ourselves and our surroundings.
What daily rituals does Dr. Klarkowski recommend?
She relies on simple, recurring rituals: a calm start to the day, conscious breathing with yoga and meditation, movement in the fresh air, small moments of stillness and journaling. Mornings include a glass of warm water; evenings a book, herbal tea, her beauty routine or sometimes a sauna session. For her, wellness does not have to be perfect, it has to feel good.
How does Dr. Klarkowski reset in spring?
She prefers gentle resets to radical programmes: lighter food, more water, more sleep, fresh air and more order inwardly and outwardly. Early in the year she also schedules a personal health check, with preventive examinations, blood work and cancer screening, which she sees as a meaningful form of self-care. Speak to your doctor about which check-ups are right for you.
How does Dr. Klarkowski use Sanbera?
She takes Sanbera as part of her morning and evening routine and values that it is uncomplicated, clear and reliable. When travelling, she no longer has to transfer individual supplements into small containers. She first discovered Sanbera at the Healing House Festival in Berlin. If you take medication or are pregnant, ask a doctor or pharmacist before starting a supplement.
This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.