WaterBow Founder Story | From East Germany to the USA

(A2) The WaterBow Founder Story


The WaterBow Founder Story: A Journey of Movement, Healing & Innovation


๐Ÿ’ง The WaterBow Founder Story

For over 30 years, the WaterBow founders have dedicated their lives to one mission: helping people rediscover the joy of movement.

WaterBow was not created in a boardroom or by Silicon Valley technologists. It was born in real studios, real classes, physiotherapy rooms, and human experience โ€” starting in East Germany and evolving into a movement that is now coming to American homes.


A quick note on the name:

You may see references to "Ajambow" โ€” that's the original German product that inspired WaterBow. Same proven method, same founders, same science.

WaterBow is simply the U.S. edition, redesigned for American families with a beautiful new translucent Ocean Blue look. More on that journey below.


This is the story of how four people, from different backgrounds, came together to create a movement that is transforming how the world exercises.


๐Ÿ’ง Where the Journey Begins โ€” East Germany (1995โ€“2014)

Our story begins in Eastern Germany with Susan โ€” former competitive athlete, sports science graduate, and lifelong movement educator.

For decades she taught yoga, Pilates, functional training, and back health classes. She saw thousands of bodies move, struggle, adapt, and transform.

But she also saw the problems:

  • Too many people felt intimidated
  • Too many people were in pain
  • Too many people felt movement was "not for them"
  • Too many people gave up before feeling real progress

Susan wanted a way to help every person succeed โ€” not just the naturally athletic.

Her question became the spark for what would eventually become WaterBow:

"What if movement could feel effortless, enjoyable, and intuitive โ€” like it's supposed to?"


๐Ÿ’ง A Studio Is Born โ€” Leipzig, Germany (2014)

In 2014, Susan opened her own movement studio in Leipzig, Germany โ€” a warm, inviting space where hundreds of people rediscovered healthy movement under her expert guidance.

Her husband, Simon, played a different but equally important role.

While he did not teach movement classes, he supported the studio with:

  • Operational management
  • Customer relationships
  • Systems and workflows
  • AI-based back diagnostics

Using advanced, AI-trained measurement and diagnostic machines, Simon helped individuals understand their back and spine issues more clearly โ€” identifying imbalances, movement limitations, and postural patterns. He then collaborated with Susan to recommend supportive movement solutions.

Together, they created a studio that blended science, diagnostics, movement education, human empathy, and long-term health focus.

A place where people felt seen, understood, and cared for.


But even with this powerful combination, they noticed a challenge:

Movement still felt like "work" for many people.

There had to be a better way.


๐Ÿ’ง The Breakthrough: The Power of Water (2016)

One idea changed everything:

Movement should feel like movement โ€” not like exercise.

Susan and Simon began experimenting with a revolutionary concept: What if water could guide the body?


Water is:

  • Adaptable
  • Supportive
  • Meditative
  • Gently resistant
  • Rhythmic
  • Intuitive

It doesn't force the body โ€” it works with the body.


They tested prototypes. Refined materials. Collaborated with the University of Leipzig Sports Faculty. Observed real people move with it.

Something extraordinary emerged:

A water-filled device that activated deep stabilizer muscles without pain, intimidation, or pressure.

People who had struggled before suddenly felt successful. People with back pain felt relief. People who viewed themselves as "not sporty" found confidence again.

The concept was working.


๐Ÿ’ง Ajambow: The Original German Product (2018โ€“2024)

The first professional version was named Ajambow โ€” a water-filled movement tool designed for studio and clinical use in Germany.

Ajambow quickly became a phenomenon across Germany in:

  • Physiotherapy clinics
  • Fitness studios
  • Wellness centers
  • Certified prevention courses
  • Aqua fitness programs

Ajambow earned:

  • โœ” Certification under ยง20 SGB V (German national prevention standard)
  • โœ” Up to 100% insurance reimbursement for group courses
  • โœ” Recognition at FIBO 2024 (Europe's largest fitness trade show)
  • โœ” A nomination for the German Design Award 2025
  • โœ” Features on MDR national television
  • โœ” Praise from physiotherapists and medical professionals

The method worked for beginners, seniors, and people who had forgotten how good movement could feel.

The foundation was set. But the founders had bigger dreams โ€” they wanted to bring this proven method to families around the world, starting with the United States.


๐Ÿ’ง A New Chapter: The Team Expands (2024)

Ajambow was thriving in Susan and Simon's personal studio in Leipzig โ€” but they knew the method had potential far beyond their own four walls.

They needed partners to help take it to the next level.

Enter Daniel and Tessa.


Daniel was born in East Germany but left at age twenty on what became a 20-year life journey abroad. During those two decades, he lived in:

  • Australia
  • Scotland
  • And finally New Zealand

It was overseas that Daniel met his wife, Tessa, and together they built a life filled with adventure, culture, and entrepreneurship.

For sixteen years in New Zealand, they built multiple successful businesses while raising two wonderful daughters who are now thriving teenagers.


Daniel's interest in longevity and active aging became personal.

He saw firsthand, within his own family, how movement affects:

  • Quality of life
  • Independence
  • Physical confidence
  • Mental clarity
  • Long-term well-being

So when Simon introduced him to Ajambow, everything clicked instantly.


Daniel's reaction was clear and immediate:

"This is brilliant. This is exactly what the world needs."

He didn't see a fitness device. He saw a global solution for long-term mobility and quality of life.

Tessa recognized the same potential. Her operational instinct saw a national โ€” and eventually global โ€” scale opportunity. Her heart saw a tool that could genuinely help people.


Together, Daniel and Tessa joined Susan and Simon with full conviction.

The four founders worked together to:

  • Expand Ajambow into physiotherapy clinics, fitness studios, and wellness centers across Germany
  • Develop a B2C home version โ€” so everyday people could experience the method at home with online guided videos, on their own time, whenever it suits them

Four founders. Four strengths. One shared purpose.


With Ajambow now reaching both professional facilities and home users in Germany, the team turned their attention to an even bigger opportunity: bringing this proven method to American families.


๐Ÿ’ง From Ajambow to WaterBow (USA, 2025โ€“2026)

As preparations began to bring the movement to the United States, the team made some important decisions about branding and design.

As of late 2025, the founders began setting up operations in the USA โ€” with the official U.S. launch in February 2026.


The name change:

"Ajambow" was perfect for the German market, but the founders wanted a name that would resonate instantly with American families โ€” something that clearly communicated what the product is and does.

WaterBow was born: simple, memorable, and descriptive.


The design evolution:

The original Ajambow was opaque green. You could feel the water โ€” but you couldn't see it.

To deepen the sensory connection and magnify the calming effect for home users, the team chose:

  • โœ” A new translucent material
  • โœ” A calming "Ocean Blue" tone
  • โœ” Full visibility of the swirling water inside

Seeing the water move adds a new layer of focus, relaxation, grounding, emotional connection, and sensory engagement.

And hearing the water creates a meditative rhythm that enhances the "flow state" WaterBow is known for.


What stayed the same:

The proven shape, the science, the method, and the founders behind it. WaterBow is built on years of German engineering, university research, and real-world results from thousands of users.


In short:

Ajambow is the original German professional product. WaterBow is the U.S. home edition โ€” same proven method, beautiful new design, ready for American families.


๐Ÿ’ง Meet the Founders

Each founder brings a unique strength to WaterBow. Together, they form the heart, mind, and engine of the movement.


๐Ÿ’ง Susan โ€” Co-Founder & Movement Expert

For more than 30 years, Susan has dedicated her life to helping people feel better in their bodies.

With a background as a competitive athlete and a degree in sports science, she has guided thousands of students through yoga, Pilates, back health, and functional movement.

Susan's gift is her ability to understand the body intuitively โ€” where it is strong, where it needs support, and how to guide someone safely toward strength and balance.

Her classes were known for their warmth, precision, and care.


Movement for Susan is not about pushing harder. It's about feeling connected, supported, and capable.


Susan is also a proud mom of two sons โ€” now teens and young adults โ€” who have both followed in her athletic footsteps:

  • Her youngest son is passionate about martial arts
  • Her oldest son received a sports scholarship and is currently studying at a university in the USA, representing his sport at collegiate level

Her life as a mother, educator, and movement expert all come together inside WaterBow.

Her superpower: Helping people rediscover trust in their bodies.


๐Ÿ’ง Simon โ€” Co-Founder & Diagnostics Specialist

Simon is a professional actor and professional pilot, bringing both creativity and precision to WaterBow.

While Susan teaches movement, Simon supports the studio ecosystem behind her work. He became deeply involved in daily operations and developed advanced skills in AI-supported back analysis and movement diagnostics.


Using cutting-edge, AI-driven machines, Simon helps individuals understand:

  • The causes of their back pain
  • Postural patterns
  • Mobility limitations
  • Load distribution
  • Recommended movement solutions

Simon and Susan raised their two athletic sons together โ€” both sport-loving, driven, and dedicated.

Their home has always been built around movement, mentorship, and the joy of staying active together.

His superpower: Seeing what others don't see โ€” helping people understand their own bodies with clarity and compassion.


๐Ÿ’ง Daniel โ€” Co-Founder & Strategic Leader

Born in East Germany, Daniel began his movement journey early.

At five years old, he started wrestling, a sport he committed to for over a decade, shaping his discipline, strength, and understanding of functional movement.

At age twenty, Daniel left Germany and spent the next two decades abroad, living in Australia, Scotland, and finally New Zealand โ€” where he met Tessa and together they built a family and multiple successful businesses.


Movement remains a core part of Daniel's daily life:

  • Daily workouts
  • Snowboarding
  • Paragliding
  • Hobby piloting
  • And now, of course, WaterBow

Daniel's passion for longevity and active aging comes from personal experience.

He has seen in his own family how movement determines quality of life, independence, confidence, resilience, emotional well-being, and long-term vitality.

His superpower: Seeing the big picture โ€” and the big opportunity to help millions live longer, better.


๐Ÿ’ง Tessa โ€” Co-Founder & Operations Director

Originally from New Zealand, Tessa is the operational engine and emotional heart of WaterBow.

Where Susan brings movement expertise, Simon brings diagnostics, and Daniel brings strategic vision, Tessa builds the systems that make everything run smoothly in the real world:

  • Fulfillment
  • Customer experience
  • Finance
  • Supply chain
  • Team structure
  • Logistics
  • Quality assurance

Movement is also central to Tessa's own life โ€” daily workouts and WaterBow practice as part of her wellness routine.

Her ability to create stability, clarity, and scalable systems is one of the core reasons WaterBow is able to grow with confidence.

Her superpower: Building systems that turn vision into reality โ€” and then scaling those systems to show the team that even bigger visions can be achieved.


๐Ÿ’ง Our Mission Today

We built WaterBow because we believe:

  • Movement should heal, not hurt.
  • Everybody deserves to age with strength and confidence.
  • Pain should not be a barrier.
  • Exercise should feel like flow โ€” not force.
  • Longevity comes from joyful consistency, not intensity.

WaterBow is not a fitness fad. Not a gadget. Not just another workout.

It is a gentle revolution in how humans move.


An invitation to reconnect with your body. To rediscover your mobility. To feel capable, energized, and alive.


Together, the founders bring:

  • 30+ years of movement education
  • Deep diagnostic and back-health expertise
  • Global entrepreneurial and operational experience
  • Two families raised with movement at the center
  • A shared commitment to longevity, well-being, and joyful living

WaterBow is the result of their combined life journeys, their professional strengths, and the families and communities that inspired them.

This is our life's work โ€” and we're honored to share it with you.

    • Related Articles

    • (15) WaterBow in the Media โ€” What Others Are Saying

      WaterBow in the Media โ€” What Others Are Saying Trusted. Recognized. Celebrated. Before launching in the United States, WaterBow (known in Europe as Ajambow) gained significant attention across the fitness, wellness, medical, and physiotherapy world โ€” ...
    • (A8) Real People. Real Relief. Real Results with WaterBow.

      Real People. Real Relief. Real Results with WaterBow. WaterBow began as a simple idea: movement should feel good โ€” and it should help people feel better in their everyday lives. Today, WaterBow is transforming how people move, age, and care for their ...
    • (A11) How WaterBow Sessions Are Structured (Micro-Flows, Day Trips & Journeys)

      How WaterBow Sessions Are Structured (Micro-Flows, Day Trips & Journeys) Movement designed for joy, clarity, and ease. WaterBow uses a modular structure built around micro-flows, which combine into Day Trips (single sessions) and Journeys (multi-week ...
    • (A9) Is WaterBow Right for Me?

      Is WaterBow Right for Me? Safety, Suitability & Who It's Not For WaterBow is designed to make movement feel good โ€” gentle, effective, calming, and accessible for real people with real bodies. This guide helps you understand who WaterBow is ideal for, ...
    • (A6) How to Get Results With WaterBow

      How to Get Results With WaterBow โ€” Pain Relief, Posture & Daily Routines WaterBow makes it easier to move well, feel better, and build strength gently โ€” without strain or intensity. Whether your goal is relieving pain, improving posture, gaining ...