Ursula Notter-Cathomen was born in 1941 in Zurich, where she spent her childhood and youth. At the age of 19, she flew to New York for her first major stay abroad to improve her English. After her marriage in 1963, she traveled with her husband to Tokyo, where they spent seven years. Following the birth of their daughter, they took a liner back to Europe and returned to Switzerland. There, she lived as a housewife, athlete, and manager of her daughter, who achieved great success as the youngest alphorn player at the age of nine. In 2003, she emigrated to Thailand with her second husband, and together they built a beautiful house with a large garden, pool, and sea view. She has traveled to a total of 36 countries. She still lives in Koh Samui today.