Resilience, Human Rights & Rejecting the Status Quo with Pauline Schmidt

The Millie Podcast

As senior media manager, Pauline plays a pivotal role at Save the Children Germany and the Human Rights Film Festival, Berlin. A dedicated human rights activist and feminist, Pauline’s not just smart, she’s wise. We learned so much about the history of Germany’s East / West divide through her family’s all-too-common story of heartbreak and resilience.

Escaping East Germany with her mother when she was still in her belly, Pauline’s personal experiences fueled her passion to help refugees. At an age when most of us are trying to figure out what to do with our lives, Pauline co-founded Jugend Rettet, a network of young people who rescued refugees stranded in the Mediterranean. They purchased their own ship and saved more than 14,000 people in one year.

Pauline is a force to be reckoned with. She challenges expectations and rules, and has very little time for the status quo. But that energy and drive is tempered by the kindness and compassion, instilled in her from a young age through her family’s own complex past. You’re going to love this conversation. It is the perfect example of the connection and expanded perspective that happens when we get real and vulnerable.

Follow Pauline on Instagram at @__paulineschmidt__ and learn more about the work she’s passionate about at SavetheChildren.de.