About me

› Through who I am, I breathe life into characters. I create emotions, shape moods. I touch, move and inspire. Acting is my heart; being allowed to tell stories and bring personalities to life is my passion.  ‹

+++...how wonderful that I get to do this!+++!

It may sound trite, but in my case it is so true and real that I simply have to mention it:

Even as a child, it was crystal clear to me 'I will become an actress!'

My parents (both actors) were anything but enthusiastic about it. So at 12 I secretly went to a casting advertised in the magazine 'GONG', -only my grandmother knew about it.

It 'of course came to light' when I was actually cast for the role.

I was 12 years old and can say that my life only truly began during those -school-free- weeks in Hamburg.

From then on, there was nothing else.

Of course, I also experienced times of uncertainty (at 15 I moved out of home and very soon received wonderful role offers and many opportunities to find my way into my dream profession).

In my early 20s, I devoted much of my time and work to personal development.

For me, everything is one: we people and our stories, our emotions, our experiences. Everything that shapes us and makes us who we are.

Our highs, our lows, our happiness, our suffering, our despair.

And where can all of this find a more moving and inspiring space than in stories, in film, in theatre..? I believe that every day and every experience has made me a better actress. And I believe that 'age' does me good, not just on the 'inside' ;-) ... because film too needs real faces and a physiognomy in which you can still see real life ;-).

I look forward to everything that may come!

A few facts

• Jo Kern has been in front of the camera for more than 30 years
• Born in Munich, after living in Rome, Cologne, Berlin, New York and Mallorca, she now lives once again very close to her home city of Munich, by Lake Starnberg
• She has appeared in more than 70 film, television, cinema and theatre productions, including ‘Mein Sohn ist kein Mörder’, ’Die unerwünschte Zeugin’, Wo ist Fred’, ‘Das bescheuerte Herz', and many more.
• As a dubbing actress, she is or has been the voice of Rosario Dawson, Gina Gershon, Lisa Edelstein and Rachel House
• In her work as a voice artist, she has recorded more than 40 audiobooks, along with countless documentaries and radio plays
• She is also a major presence in advertising and lends her voice to brands such as Clarins, Swarovski and Nestlé
• Jo Kern is also the managing director of her company Kern Essenz, which focuses on personal development and individual growth of every kind

Areas where I feel at home

• Film
• Television
• Theatre
• Voice-Acting

UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE AS A CORE COMPETENCE

Decades in front of the camera, on stage,

in consulting and in companies

have shaped my view of people.

From this has emerged a way of working

that connects people, creates clarity

and makes change tangible.

“UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE CHANGES EVERYTHING”

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

All my life, I have read people. The love for the individual, for development and growth, drives me. It is at the heart of everything I do.

Again and again, I have experienced how profoundly our lives depend on whether we truly understand ourselves and others.

By now, I have been in front of the camera and audiences as an actress and voice artist for more than 35 years. For more than two decades, I have worked as a consultant, trainer and lecturer.

Everything in my life comes together. The deep engagement with what makes us human, what moves us and why we act the way we do. In acting. In coaching. In every genuine encounter.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO ME

What has not let go of me:

Why do we already understand so much and yet fail to truly change it? Why do we keep falling into the same patterns?

And why is there so much judgment, envy, lack of understanding and hurt in the way we relate to one another?

From these questions, KERN Essenz and KERN #Profiling emerged.

I wanted to MAKE CHANGE TANGIBLE.

Through psychophysiognomy, a fascinating interface in personal development opened up:

Insight can be experienced directly.

A person understands themselves and others. Holistically. Clearly. Without detours.

This is precisely where the strength of my work lies:

Not even more theoretical knowledge.

But insights that set something in motion.

Where true understanding arises, judgments and self-judgment lose their power. For ourselves and for others.

Those who truly understand themselves and others, almost naturally develop new self-confidence, new possibilities for action and a completely new view of life.

I do not accompany people in becoming someone else.

But in becoming more themselves.

I am their mirror.

A mirror does not see for them. It shows what has long been there.

Practical change begins where true understanding arises.

I am interested in the cause, not the story.

The solution is not outside. It lies within the person themself.

WHAT I STAND FOR TODAY

Ever since I can remember, I have deliberately disregarded everything considered “normal”.

Even the recommendation made to me a hundred times—to finally focus on one thing—has only strengthened my conviction.

Because anyone who looks closely recognises:

It was not “many things”.

It was one:

The human being.

Their story. Their motives. Their truth. Their pain. Their longing. Their growth.

Whether as an actress, voice artist, consultant, coach, trainer, lecturer or as developer of KERN #Profiling:

At heart, it has always been, and still is, about inspiring, touching, moving.

Giving people courage. The courage to show more of themselves. The courage to follow their own needs and wishes. The courage to allow themselves genuine happiness in life.

A good story can do that.

A genuine encounter can do that.

A precise gaze can do that.

To open something within us that may previously have been only an idea, a hope.

To bring out something within us (again) that we had suppressed or given up.

That is (my)ONE.

I find the core.

And I accompany people on their way to a self-determined life, private individuals and high-profile executives alike.

I am convinced:

We should allow ourselves to be more “human”. Out of our heads, into real life.

What moves us the most?

Authenticity. Vibrancy. Truthful encounters.

And moments in which we feel truly seen.

This is what I stand for:

Reawakening potential, courage to live and growth in people.

From the heart,

Jo