Andreas Arntzen has had many roles, but there is a common thread: curiosity drives him, and his attitude sets him apart. As CEO of Wort und Bild Verlag, he now reaches over 20 million people a month through Apothekenumschau. And he regularly tells his staff: “We can save lives.”

When his wife was diagnosed with cancer, Andreas sat down with his family an hour later and said: “This is a competition – and we’re going to win it.” What sustained him in that moment was not bravery, but what decades in competitive sport have instilled: the conviction that attitude makes all the difference. And that positive thinking is not a matter of mood, but a choice.

And then there is the question of responsibility – within the company, within the healthcare system, within society. Deepfakes, medfluencers and content inflation pose serious problems for the health information market. Andreas has a clear opinion on this. And a clear idea of what the solution is not.

In this conversation we discuss:

- how competitive sport shaped Andreas as a leader

- how the idea for Parship came about on a single A5 sheet of paper

- why positive thinking is a choice, not a trait

- how he and his family are coping with his wife’s cancer diagnosis

- what deepfakes and medfluencers are doing to the healthcare system

- why the healthcare system will collapse if we no longer take personal responsibility

- what prompted Apothekenumschau to feature an organ donor card on its cover

Timestamps:

00:00 — Intro
00:56 — Hockey, Parship, Apothekenumschau – who is Andreas Arntzen?
01:08 — Competitive sport and entrepreneurship: the common thread
02:49 — Meticulousness, attitude and the analogy with Gina Lückencamper
04:28 — Teamwork in individual and team sports
06:06 — When does meticulousness become conscious – and how does it develop?
07:31 — Success and failure: Which is actually the better?
09:04 — How Andreas applies this in the company
11:44 — Clarity in a crisis: What leadership really means
13:57 — Positive thinking as a principle, not a motivational slogan
16:42 — Letting go: Andreas’ personal rule
18:00 — When was the last time you did something for the first time?
19:54 — Six e-scooters, one hour, one realisation
22:25 — The turning points: from the job market to Parship
27:41 — Meaning and financial independence
34:00 — Joy and meaning in everyday life
35:41 — We can save lives – the driving force behind Apothekenumschau
37:12 — Goal before strategy: The organ donation story
40:18 — His wife’s cancer diagnosis: positive thinking as a survival strategy
48:12 — Medfluencers, deepfakes and responsibility in the healthcare sector
52:20 — What happens if we don’t act?
55:57 — Personal responsibility and the healthcare system
01:04:17 — Conclusion: positive thinking, curiosity, gratitude