Our Story

Why SparkLifeLab exists

SparkLifeLab began with a quiet question many people reach in midlife: Is this really it — or is something else trying to emerge? Maybe you have asked yourself: Who am I now? What do I want from this next chapter? From personal experience, we know how deeply unsettling this can feel.

We created SparkLifeLab because we know what it is like when life still works on the surface, but something inside no longer fits and is asking for change. We wanted to build the kind of space we ourselves needed then: calm, thoughtful, and human — a space to reflect, reconnect, and move toward a life that feels more fully your own.

Take the Midlife Clarity Check →Explore the Identity Lab →

Two people in warm, reflective conversation at an outdoor coastal setting — the feeling of being accompanied and understood.

A small group in unhurried conversation outdoors — the warmth of shared understanding and companionship.

The Story Behind It

How this began

The three of us — Bärbel, Gunther, and Scott — met in 2023, each of us searching for more meaning. From the outside, our lives looked solid and successful. Yet each of us felt that the stories we were living no longer fit. Something had shifted. What once felt clear no longer did, while something new was beginning to stir — not yet visible, but impossible to ignore.

What helped us most was not quick advice or ready-made answers. It was the chance to slow down together. Space, time, and companionship. Conversations that did not rush us toward solutions, but helped us listen more closely to what mattered. Gradually, clarity emerged. Not all at once, but step by step.

Over time, we came to understand that what we were navigating was not a personal failure. It was a meaningful midlife passage — one many people move through alone, often without the kind of shared experience, structure, and support that would help. That realization changed how we saw this phase of life, and it became the seed of SparkLifeLab.

We did not create SparkLifeLab to fix people. We created it as a calm, human space for reflection, honesty, and change — a place where people can understand themselves more deeply and move toward what comes next. We are still on that path ourselves, and we are glad to walk it with others now.

Start with the Midlife Clarity Check →

The people behind SparkLifeLab

Meet the founders

We each came to this work from a different place in life. What we share is a deep respect for midlife as a meaningful passage — and a belief that people deserve thoughtful support as they move through it. This work is personal to all three of us. We know what it means when life looks solid on the outside, but something deeper asks for change. We know, too, how much it matters to feel guided and supported as a new story begins to take shape. That is part of why we created SparkLifeLab.

Bärbel Tress, PhD

Co-founder

Bärbel is a scientist, strategist, and transformation thinker. For many years, she has helped researchers and academic leaders move through important career and life transitions with more clarity, confidence, and direction. Together with Gunther, she has also built and led a long-established company that has supported thousands of academics across different stages of their professional lives.

“What drew me more deeply into this work was my own experience of midlife as a time when outward success no longer answers the deeper question of what truly fits. I became more interested in purpose, inner alignment, and the kind of change that begins quietly but changes everything over time.”

At SparkLifeLab, Bärbel is especially drawn to the deeper transformation underneath change: what becomes possible when people reconnect with what feels true now and begin to shape a life around it.

Gunther Tress, PhD

Co-founder

Gunther is a scientist, educator, communicator, writer, and entrepreneur. Over the past two decades, he has helped researchers and academics move forward with more clarity, confidence, and direction. Together with Bärbel, he has supported thousands of academics in their writing, publishing, career development, and professional transition. His work combines analytical depth with warmth, humor, and a strong instinct for making complex things understandable and alive.

“What changed for me in midlife was the realization that I could keep doing work that was useful, respected, and genuinely helpful to others, yet still feel that an important part of me was missing from it. I had built a professional life around skills I was very good at, but not enough around the creative and expressive side of myself that gave me the most energy. That part of me was always present in how I worked and connected with people — but it remained secondary. It could enrich what I was doing, but it was never really recognized, trusted, or allowed to shape the life and work I was building. Midlife made that harder to ignore. It brought me back to something that had always been there: the desire to create, to tell stories, and to bring lightness, energy, and meaning into the lives of others.”

At SparkLifeLab, Gunther is especially drawn to helping people reconnect with the part of themselves that may have been overlooked, postponed, or kept in the background while they were building a life that worked on the surface. He helps people find language for what they are sensing, reconnect with what feels most alive in them, and begin shaping a life that feels more honest, creative, and fully their own.

Scott E. Burton

Co-founder

Scott is an experienced change guide, business leader, entrepreneur, and trusted advisor with decades of work in personal and business transformation, change management, performance improvement, and leadership. He brings a strong sense of purpose, practical planning, collaborative problem-solving, and human understanding to moments when people, teams, and organizations are in transition.

“What changed for me in midlife was that the harder I worked, the less alive I felt, despite greater achievements. After decades of striving for success, I was burned out, my relationships were strained, and old beliefs and identities no longer fit. I felt as if my internal compass no longer pointed to my true north. I began asking deeper questions about what it really means to live a good life, and slowly realized that growth at this stage is less about proving something and more about living in a way that feels authentic and true. That was the beginning of my journey back to the values, people, dreams, and desires that mattered most to me.”

At SparkLifeLab, Scott is especially drawn to the resilience of the human spirit and the meeting point between inner desire and outward change — helping people move forward with more curiosity, clarity, courage, compassion, and grounded action.

Three co-founders. Fellow travellers. Still becoming.

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Our perspective

What we believe about midlife

Midlife is not a crisis. It is a passage.

We do not see midlife as a crisis. We see it as a passage — a time when lived experience, longing, and new possibilities begin to meet. Feeling stuck, restless, or unsure is not a flaw. It is often a natural signal that change and growth are asking for attention.

We also believe that midlife has been framed too narrowly for too long. Too often, the cultural story is one of decline, quiet settling, and growing urgency — as if relevance, renewal, and becoming were already behind us. We do not accept that story.

In many ways, this is the phase when a more honest and aligned life begins to ask for shape. It can be a time to reflect, to reframe, and to move toward what feels more true now. What makes SparkLifeLab different is the kind of support we offer. We are not here to push people into dramatic reinvention or to diagnose, fix, or override anyone’s lived experience. We walk alongside people as guides — offering structure, reflection, and companionship as clarity unfolds in small, intentional steps.

That is why the idea of a midlife passage matters to us. A passage is not a breakdown. It is a real part of life — one that asks for attention, courage, and the right kind of company.

Take the Midlife Clarity Check →

People walking together along a coastal path at sunset — fellow travellers moving forward with intention.

Still on the path

Still becoming

We built SparkLifeLab from lived experience, shared reflection, and a deep belief that midlife deserves better language and better support. We are not standing outside this terrain. We know it from the inside.

We are still learning. Still becoming. And we are glad to walk this stretch with others — with more clarity, more honesty, and a stronger sense of what may now be possible, as they begin shaping a life that feels more fully their own.

Take the Midlife Clarity Check →

Free. Thoughtful. A good place to begin.