Beatrice Lessi

I am Italian and Swiss, and through my blogging and running I visited 70 countries and did a round-the-world- trip twice, once with my husband and once with my husband and our three daughters.

I am a keen runner and completed 28 marathons and ultra marathons including:

• The toughest footrace on earth – Marathon des Sables
• The highest marathon in the world, Everest Marathon
• The most far away race in the world, Antarctica Marathon
• The most famous marathons in the world, the Abbott World Marathon Majors (New York, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Berlin)

I also work as a journalist for H, the Swiss Deluxe Hotels magazine.

I studied literature and languages in Pisa, then worked in London for nine years as a bond broker, moved to New York in 2000 – where my first daughter was born and I studied also psychology –  and finally to Zurich, where I live. I was born in 1966.

My next project? Running the last 2 continents I am missing to be part of the 7 Continents Club, since I recently learnt that only 314 women in the world have completed them.

I am also writing a book to share my experiences and I hope to inspire people like myself (ordinary women and men who are looking for an exceptional adventure even though they aren’t particularly fit or young, or who haven’t been encouraged to pursue any sport at a challenging level) to go for an impossible challenge. Mine is, right now, to write a best-seller, not just a book. Let’s see if that will happen, I was born optimistic!

Swiss Travel and Lifestyle

Ask the Monsters is a Swiss  travel and lifestyle blog that is regularly ranked number 1 in Switzerland by Seekahost and is always ranked in the top 5 fashion and lifestyle blogs in Switzerland. 

According to Gistfocus, Beatrice Lessi is the second Blogger in Switzerland. 

According to Feedspot, it’s n.2 Fashion Blog in Switzerland.

Skyscanner ranks it as the n. 5 Swiss travel blog.

For media strategist Manuela Willbold, it’s n.3 European blog.

I started this blog focusing on fashion and traveling, then gradually moved also to other subjects, often related to Switzerland.

Why Monsters? A Swiss Travel and Lifestyle Blog

Margot Fonteyn once said: take your work seriously, but never yourself. The name Monsters was simply thought to catch attention and report about travel and lifestyle in Switzerland with a smile. People often get confused when they hear the word, because it doesn’t explain what the blog is about. I see their point and thought about changing name and domain, but this name brings me a lot of traffic and good luck, so I keep it!

I am perfectly aware of the fact that the world is facing unprecedented, important challenges and I am “only” entertaining. Hopefully, with my optimistic articles and talking about the Swiss positive, healthy, and even fashionable lifestyle, I can inspire a lot of women to present themselves at their best and find fun and meaningfulness in their lives.

CONTRIBUTORS

 Germina Preses

Holly was born and raised in the United States where she worked for several years as a Mechanical Engineer in Research & Development for military applications. In 2000, she moved to Germany with her German husband with whom she now has four children. Holly still works part-time in the technical industry, but every free minute she spends running and taking part in races of all distances, including the 257-km Marathon des Sables in April 2016 (a television interview about her preparations and the race itself can be seen here). Holly is an enthusiastic vegan and encourages a healthy lifestyle not only within her family but also through motivational speaking in companies, at sporting events and for local charities. Public speaking events (in either English or German) include a discussion on ‘Quality in Endurance Sports’ at Continental Corporation, Regensburg; and ‘How Can Role Models Motivate Others?’ at the Annual Meeting of Retired Professional Athletes, Schwandorf, Germany.

Her latest book, Running Everest, about her Everest experience together with Beatrice, is now available on Amazon.

Holly is a great addition to a Swiss Fashion Blog.