The origin story

the 6-Minute Team

About Us

From an Absolute Nightmare to a Happy Ending

The "dream" of the 6-Minuten-Verlag begins in the middle of nowhere in Cambodia, not as a dreamy "student finds the meaning of life in the jungle" story, but as a nightmare.

In 2015, during a trip through Southeast Asia, a serious motorcycle accident occurs, in which Dominik Spenst – author of the 6-Minute-Journals – almost loses his leg. After a callous hit-and-run, Dominik lies undiscovered on a road in the jungle for far too long, until an Australian tourist finds and rescues him. Thank you, Doug, without you the 6-Minuten-Verlag certainly wouldn't exist!

Only after 12 operations and 4 months in the hospital is it clear that Dominik can keep his leg. To free himself from a mental slump during this challenging time, he comes across the then still young research field of positive psychology. The seemingly small things in life – gratitude exercises, good deeds, positive affirmations, and beautiful moments – lead him back to his mental strength. Inspired by his own transformation, Dominik leaves his promising career path as an aspiring auditor and devotes himself to our first baby: The 6-Minute-Diary.

But a happy ending is not enough! Dominik's first employee became Dominik's first (and hopefully last) wife, and the idea to co-found the 6-Minuten-Verlag quickly followed. Today, Sevnur Acar-Spenst is not only the driving force behind the publishing house, but also the mother of their son and the author of the 6-Minute-Diary for Mums. So it is also a love story ;-)

Today, Dominik and Sev are supported by a colourful team. Small mindfulness exercises in the hospital grew into an entire universe of 6-Minute-Journals, which now enrich the lives of 3,000,000 people worldwide in 22 languages.