Hi, I am Gabriela

When I returned to my old job after maternity leave, it quickly became clear: the constant struggle and guilt of never being at the right place had to come to an end. So, I decided to quit my job, finish my PhD in marketing and to finally take my passion for building hobby-side businesses seriously.

Today, I'm proudly living a portfolio life that allows me to bring all parts of myself to the table. I wear many hats: digital marketing lecturer, coach, podcaster, storyteller, AI trainer — and proud mom. My passion is bringing ideas to life in an authentic way — whether they’re my own or I'm supporting others in bringing their ideas to life in a way that feels true to them.

Let's talk

My Story

In the spirit of taking 'messy action' and understanding your curiosity about the person behind Gabriela Funk Spark Projects, I'll briefly mention a few things that I think are worth noting. I'm more than happy to share more details during our call:

I'm a mom of two girls (born in 2020 and 2022).
I've been in love with my husband for over 14 years. He is the constant supporter who always believes in my capabilities, often more than I believe in myself.
While I never had a clear career path, I always knew I wanted to be a mom.
Initially, I thought combining fulfilling paid work with motherhood wasn't feasible which I thought I was fine with until I wasn't. Then I realized that building my own business would provide the work fulfillment I desired.
I love learning about new things, but I don't stop there. I love bringing new ideas that arise from learning to life. For example, in summer 2023, I became obsessed with storytelling for kids and picture books, so I decided to write, illustrate, and publish my own picture book.
My entrepreneurial journey began with my involvement in my first startup in 2014, leading to the initiation of several small businesses.
I find excitement in exploring new things and love helping others navigate unfamiliar territories.
My educational background includes business school, and I earned a Ph.D. in Digital Marketing/Consumer Behavior.
Baking, especially cupcakes, is a passion of mine and one of my little side gigs.
Overcoming my fear of embracing significant changes happened when I met my husband, who has a knack for trying out new things. Now, I've developed a similar enthusiasm—it's kind of an addiction.
Being a Swiss native with no natural aptitude for languages, I failed all my English, French, and German classes. The fact that I now raise my kids bilingual (German and English) still feels impossible to me but is a great example for what is possible if you stop making excuses and start taking control.
One of my top business goals is to retire my husband from his corporate job. :)