Healing through story - that’s the driving force behind Renae Maihi’s filmmaking. As an indigenous Māori woman from New Zealand, Renae believes in the living spirits of all her characters on screen.

What's it like crowd-surfing at a music festival in a wheelchair? How does someone with ADHD survive a Monday morning inbox? And what does gaming look like when you’re blind? Freaks No More! is DW's video podcast show that amplifies the voices of people with visible and invisible disabilities and those with neurodivergent brains. In each episode, host Vicky Hristova and their guests dive into real stories about what it means to live beyond labels.

A selection of my articles for Deutsche Welle (DW) and the Bulgarian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Rasmus, a young Estonian border guard, takes us on patrol along Estonia's eastern frontier with Russia. This is one of NATO's most closely watched borders, and since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, tensions here have only gotten worse.

Bulgaria is one of the European countries with worst attitudes towards LGBTQ people. Angelica Summer is a Bulgarian queer artist who sings against the homophobic rhetoric of local politicians from her home in Cologne, Germany.

Lithuania topped the World Happiness Report in 2024 in happiness of people below the age of 30. At the same time, Lithuania has one of the highest numbers of low wage workers in the EU, and more than 300 000 people emigrated from the country in the last decade. So is Lithuania the best place for young people?

From whistles to intrusive comments and unwanted propositions: catcalling is common in all too many countries. The Netherlands has passed a new law to counter such behaviour. But will it really make a difference? I host this ENTR explainer and find out more. | Author: Carolin Franz

Homelessness is a real problem in the EU - and it's getting bigger. Finland has taken on a pioneering role with its ‘Housing First’ strategy. I host this ENTR explainer and find out more. | Author: Carolin Franz

Bulgaria’s parliament has recently passed a controversial bill banning LGBTQ+ propaganda in schools. In this video, I wanted to find out – what do Bulgarians think about this new bill? How does it affect teachers and students? And could it strain relations between Bulgaria and the European Union?

Ever since he was a little boy, Noah Matofsky has had one big dream – to become a famous actor. In 2023, Noah became the first actor with Down syndrome to star in a Disney film.