Founder

Nicoleta Pfeffer-Barbela, MSc

Nicoleta Pfeffer-Barbela is the founder of citySTILLE – Mindfulness Center Vienna, a concept and space dedicated to cultivating well-being within the city landscape. Her work brings together contemplative practice, applied mindfulness, and an understanding of the demands shaping modern urban and professional life.

Before founding citySTILLE in 2015, she built extensive experience in development projects with a focus on microfinance and social banking. Over time, her professional path evolved toward the field of human-centered transformation, where presence, regulation, and meaningful inner alignment became central to her work.

Since then, she has guided individuals, departments of international organisations, and leadership-focused settings across Austria and Romania. Her approach integrates mindfulness, neuroscience-informed perspectives, and lived practical experience into a refined framework for sustainable performance, conscious leadership, and restorative stillness in complex environments.

STILLNESS & THE SPACE

A more human way of living and leading in complexity

The citySTILLE concept was created from a clear vision: that even in the midst of the city, business, and overload, people can reconnect with a deeper sense of presence and regain access to an inner stillness that remains available wherever they are.

This work encourages a more human, grounded, and consciously regulated way of living and leading in complex environments — not by withdrawing from intensity, but by cultivating the capacity to remain present, clear, and inwardly steady within it.

Recognition & media

A concept recognized beyond the studio space

The relevance of stillness in urban environments has gained increasing recognition over the years. citySTILLE and its forward-thinking concept were featured in 2016 in the exhibition Die Zukunft der Stadt at the Technical Museum Vienna and continue to resonate in contemporary dialogue.

The article Auf der Suche nach der Stille in Die Presse reflects this shift — where stillness is no longer a luxury, but a necessary resource for clarity and regulation in modern life.

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