Scenario Cards: Burnout to Breakthrough
As the founder of Scenario Cards, I’m often asked what sparked the movement; the truth is, this journey didn't start with all the answers, but with a desperate search for them during a period of deep personal burnout.
While you might know me as the creator of our decks, my journey didn't start with all the answers. In fact, it started with a desperate search for them.
The Catalyst: Hitting Rock Bottom
It still feels a bit edgy to share this openly, but the story of Scenario Cards begins at rock bottom.
After years of working toward my dream of becoming an architect, I realized the profession had become unbearable. The passion was gone, replaced by severe burnout. Hoping for a change of pace, I switched to innovation consulting, but the drive for career success sputtered. The competition among my peers felt flat to me.
Then came the breaking point: I burnt out at a job that wasn't fulfilling, and I got fired. At 29 years old, with my housemates moving in with their partners, I found myself with no job, no partner, no place to live, and moving back in with my parents.
That’s when I got into therapy. And it changed everything.
“The deep conversations in those therapy sessions opened a whole new world for me. Equipped with more tools to take care of my inner world, I felt inspired. I wanted to take these meaningful conversations from therapy and emulate them with family and friends.
The Search for Passion (and the Power of "What If")
During this period of intense transformation, I wrestled with heavy questions about purpose.
Through journaling and introspection, I discovered that the secret wasn't in hunting down purpose, it was in the phrasing of the questions I was asking myself. Specifically, the power of "what if."
A what if question raises a possibility rather than asking for certainty.
It stimulates the imagination, allowing us to step outside everyday limitations.
It sets up a fictional scenario that feels playful, making it easier to be honest.
From a List of Notes to a Global Movement
Wanting to bring this spark to my friendships, I kept a running list of questions from my therapy sessions. I wasn't sure how to create the space for these conversations naturally, but soon, I became the go-to friend for "question advice" to initiate deeper chats.
Around this time, I discovered a community of like-minded individuals. To enter, you had to create something original that came from you and served the group. I decided to organize my running list of questions into a tangible deck of cards.
Design mattered to me. I didn't want black text on a white background that resembled a government form. I wanted to create something so beautiful it relaxed the nervous system, helping people slow down, access their emotions, and feel safe going deep.
The original prototype of the very first Scenario CardsI completed my first deck, feeling proud but not thinking much of it. Then, a year later, a friend asked for a favor that changed my life trajectory forever.
"I'd love to buy your questions," he said. He was going on a date and wanted a legitimate excuse to go deeper.
I offered to give them to him for free, but he insisted. I sold my first deck that day.
Next, I made 20 more decks... and sold them in less than 24 hours.
So, I made 200 decks... and two months later, they had all sold.
In 2021, I launched a Kickstarter campaign... and it sold 2,000 decks in a month!
A Scenario Card from the Spirituality CollectionThe Bridge Between Wisdom and Practice
Since then, there’s been no turning back. Today, Scenario Cards has sold over 153,000 decks across 82 countries. We now offer 20 different decks, beginning with Purpose (because knowing yourself comes first), followed by Intimacy, Spirituality and Growing Up (for kids aged 6-16)
While I authored the highly popular Purpose and Spirituality collections based on my own journey, my role has always been to act as a curator and a bridge.
To ensure every question leads to personal clarity and the feeling of being truly understood, I partner directly with professionals. A relationship coach helped me create the Intimacy collection; a child psychiatrist wrote the questions for the Growing Up collection.
They bring clinical expertise. I bring the insight to write their questions down and turn that wisdom into a beautiful tool you can hold in your hands.
Your Next Great Conversation Starts Here
I’m not stopping at decks. My goal is to continue helping you create powerful spaces that initiate insight, deep connection, and more honesty. The right question might be the most powerful gift for the person who needs to hear it at that time.
Are you ready to ask the questions that matter? Shop our Collections and discover why thousands of people are ditching small talk for Scenario Cards.
