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Beach at Sunset

About Me

My Story

  • Lovely Start to Life on a Small Island
    I grew up on a small island half an hour ferry ride away from Istanbul. I was a lucky child, surrounded by nature- the green, the sea, the boats- cycling, swimming, rowing, climbing, playing and adventuring overall. Raised in an amazing community of Turks, Greeks, Armenians and Jews, I was accustomed to a symphony of languages and absorbing the teachings of a variety of cultures and religions. As well as playing and being active, I loved observing. 'Deep observation' and 'deep listening' developed those years, are still key skills I use to support my clients today.
  • The Rebel Awakens!
    The secondary school years started well. I was academic, sporty, musical and popular- constantly receiving praises for my intelligence, my talents and hard work. Then puberty hit and came the teenage years as well as an introduction to patriarchal rules. I rebelled against this hugely and argued a lot with the adults. My success at school started diminishing. Due to my family moving, I got transferred to another school in Istanbul. The difficulties doubled. I could not associate with the teachers and many of the students. For the first time, I truly recognised the misfit inside of me and befriended all the outsiders who were courageous to be different, and could think for themselves. To this day, I feel incredibly connected to the hard deal teenagers get and the growing pains of those years. Although the university years brought the much needed inner peace and balance again, it was not without a stumble. Right at the beginning of this period, the sudden death of my first love combined with the passing of my beloved grandmother after a long and painful illness, hit me very hard- and for years to come. Despite these major setbacks, I graduated with top grades from university and became a Teacher of English. I was approached by senior lecturers to consider continuing with academic studies. I decided that being in academia permanently was not for me.
  • The Move to the City I Love the Most: London
    After finishing my studies and working in independent schools for two years, I left Istanbul for a year of adventure in London. Little did I know that London was going to be my longest love affair and my home. Within a year of arriving in London, I started working as a primary school teacher and very quickly became the English Lead, despite being the only non-native speaker of English in the team. After holding teaching and middle leadership positions for many years, I became a senior leader which I thoroughly enjoyed. This is when I discovered leadership and personal development in their true sense, and the extent people needed support in their communication, leadership and wellbeing. Consequently I decided to become a coach, instead of my natural next step of becoming a headteacher.
  • Financial Crisis Hits Home - sinking into the Dark Night of the Soul
    Three years into changing my career from a leader in education to a solopreneur coach, working with amazing clients, training at some wonderful organisations-disaster stroke! My family suffered a massive financial loss due to a very risky decision they made which they had kept from me. This resulted in severing ties with a part of my family, and irremediably strained the relationship with my parents. The events of that entire era shook me deeply. The following year, in a similarly unexpected way, my father- who I was very close to, passed suddenly. I kept myself busy, working and travelling... But deep inside I started feeling empty and questioned the point of it all. I knew I was not depressed. This was a far more ‘logical’ process. I WAS LOST. Some of the values I held dearly in my heart up to that moment, did not make sense anymore. As much as I cherished my mind as a wonderful tool, I intuitively knew I was not going to be able to solve issues that were created or at the very least exaggerated in my mind by ‘using my mind’. I had already been meditating for more than a decade by then, so I increasingly started looking into energy work and heart-based healing modalities. Exploring and practising these modalities helped me feel more uplifted and more balanced once again.
  • Illness, Death and Rebirth
    The entire pandemic period turned out to be a time where I either supported or lost loved ones to cancer. Within a realm of one year and eight months, I went from knowing no one with cancer to being surrounded by cancer. It was surreal to have daily chats with some of the people I loved and cherished dearly about treatments, how things were affecting their bodies, their minds and souls. The even more shocking part of the whole experience was that the ages of these amazing people ranged from early 20s to 70s. Dealing with the heartbreak of losing loved ones, supporting family and friends with their heartbreak, visiting hospitals and attending funerals became a deeply saddening norm. During that time, celebrating life, celebrating health and appreciating ‘the total wellbeing of the human’ took a different meaning to me. I was reminded of how amazing and resilient our bodies were. And I noticed the importance of being deeply connected to them. My musings brought up the question: How do we start genuinely appreciating life and being fully in-tune with our bodies that give us the most beautiful gift of ‘living’? I reached the conclusion that we had to start with ‘Presence’ and literally design every single area of our lives from a deeply conscious place, bringing our whole being into the equation- body, mind, heart and soul.
  • Conscious Leadership and Life Design Coaching
    In the last couple of years, I have been increasingly immersed in healing modalities such as Reiki, Theta Healing, EFT and Pranic Healing. I also delved into learning about the Tantric way of life. In their essence all these techniques and teachings point to one thing that we all know but struggle to apply in our daily lives: Being fully present here and now. Remaining conscious, each and every moment of the day. During most of my coaching career I worked with leaders- emerging, middle and senior, on succeeding as well as being well at work. Achieving our career goals, having healthy professional relationships, being conscious leaders who deliver results while remaining connected and human, brings immense peace, balance, and joy to our lives. “Constant transformation” and “letting go” have been major themes in my life. So now, as well as helping you design your work life, I support you in designing any area of your life that requires change and transformation. And I am right by you, so you do this with confidence and from a deeply conscious, grounded and serene place. Are you experiencing such a phase in your life? Let's talk!

My Purpose and Philosophy

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Your purpose will be central to our coaching. So I thought it might be helpful to share mine.

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Whilst I feel passionate about correcting many of the injustices in our world, I really have one purpose that continuously drives me and over-arches all the things I would love to ‘make right’ in the world:  

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My dream is: A harmonious present and future, shaped by highly aware, intentional and sovereign humans. Humans who are fulfilled, self-assured and in total charge of their lives, their health and their wellbeing.​

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My purpose is: to play my part in the building of such reality by living each day as a present, fulfilled, conscious creator and helping others be and do the same. I actualise my purpose daily by coaching, teaching, community building and healing. 

 

I believe all of us individually and collectively living our lives as "Conscious Creators" is the most powerful way of improving the undesired parts of our collective reality, and building a better one.

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A short while back, I was having a conversation with a great friend. With regards to a collective political choice of a country, he said he ‘believed in miracles’. I told him I believed in them too. But for such miracles and shifts to take place, the collective frequency needs to be pretty high. No matter how much we try to separate ourselves from one another, our ‘oneness’ is the ultimate truth. And in unity we can be, do and have so much more than in separation. 

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But it all starts with us, each and every one of us doing our bit - and energetically too! Doing the inner work as well as the outer. This is a highly beneficial element of my Conscious Leadership and Life Design programme.

  • Lovely Start to Life on a Small Island
    I grew up on a small island half an hour ferry ride away from Istanbul. I was a lucky child, surrounded by nature- the green, the sea, the boats- cycling, swimming, rowing, climbing, playing and adventuring overall. Raised in an amazing community of Turks, Greeks, Armenians and Jews, I was accustomed to a symphony of languages and absorbing the teachings of a variety of cultures and religions. As well as playing and being active, I loved observing. 'Deep observation' and 'deep listening' developed those years, are still key skills I use to support my clients today.
  • The Rebel Awakens!
    The secondary school years started well. I was academic, sporty, musical and popular- constantly receiving praises for my intelligence, my talents and hard work. Then puberty hit and came the teenage years as well as an introduction to patriarchal rules. I rebelled against this hugely and argued a lot with the adults. My success at school started diminishing. Due to my family moving, I got transferred to another school in Istanbul. The difficulties doubled. I could not associate with the teachers and many of the students. For the first time, I truly recognised the misfit inside of me and befriended all the outsiders who were courageous to be different, and could think for themselves. To this day, I feel incredibly connected to the hard deal teenagers get and the growing pains of those years. Although the university years brought the much needed inner peace and balance again, it was not without a stumble. Right at the beginning of this period, the sudden death of my first love combined with the passing of my beloved grandmother after a long and painful illness, hit me very hard- and for years to come. Despite these major setbacks, I graduated with top grades from university and became a Teacher of English. I was approached by senior lecturers to consider continuing with academic studies. I decided that being in academia permanently was not for me.
  • The Move to the City I Love the Most: London
    After finishing my studies and working in independent schools for two years, I left Istanbul for a year of adventure in London. Little did I know that London was going to be my longest love affair and my home. Within a year of arriving in London, I started working as a primary school teacher and very quickly became the English Lead, despite being the only non-native speaker of English in the team. After holding teaching and middle leadership positions for many years, I became a senior leader which I thoroughly enjoyed. This is when I discovered leadership and personal development in their true sense, and the extent people needed support in their communication, leadership and wellbeing. Consequently I decided to become a coach, instead of my natural next step of becoming a headteacher.
  • Financial Crisis Hits Home - sinking into the Dark Night of the Soul
    Three years into changing my career from a leader in education to a solopreneur coach, working with amazing clients, training at some wonderful organisations-disaster stroke! My family suffered a massive financial loss due to a very risky decision they made which they had kept from me. This resulted in severing ties with a part of my family, and irremediably strained the relationship with my parents. The events of that entire era shook me deeply. The following year, in a similarly unexpected way, my father- who I was very close to, passed suddenly. I kept myself busy, working and travelling... But deep inside I started feeling empty and questioned the point of it all. I knew I was not depressed. This was a far more ‘logical’ process. I WAS LOST. Some of the values I held dearly in my heart up to that moment, did not make sense anymore. As much as I cherished my mind as a wonderful tool, I intuitively knew I was not going to be able to solve issues that were created or at the very least exaggerated in my mind by ‘using my mind’. I had already been meditating for more than a decade by then, so I increasingly started looking into energy work and heart-based healing modalities. Exploring and practising these modalities helped me feel more uplifted and more balanced once again.
  • Illness, Death and Rebirth
    The entire pandemic period turned out to be a time where I either supported or lost loved ones to cancer. Within a realm of one year and eight months, I went from knowing no one with cancer to being surrounded by cancer. It was surreal to have daily chats with some of the people I loved and cherished dearly about treatments, how things were affecting their bodies, their minds and souls. The even more shocking part of the whole experience was that the ages of these amazing people ranged from early 20s to 70s. Dealing with the heartbreak of losing loved ones, supporting family and friends with their heartbreak, visiting hospitals and attending funerals became a deeply saddening norm. During that time, celebrating life, celebrating health and appreciating ‘the total wellbeing of the human’ took a different meaning to me. I was reminded of how amazing and resilient our bodies were. And I noticed the importance of being deeply connected to them. My musings brought up the question: How do we start genuinely appreciating life and being fully in-tune with our bodies that give us the most beautiful gift of ‘living’? I reached the conclusion that we had to start with ‘Presence’ and literally design every single area of our lives from a deeply conscious place, bringing our whole being into the equation- body, mind, heart and soul.
  • Conscious Leadership and Life Design Coaching
    In the last couple of years, I have been increasingly immersed in healing modalities such as Reiki, Theta Healing, EFT and Pranic Healing. I also delved into learning about the Tantric way of life. In their essence all these techniques and teachings point to one thing that we all know but struggle to apply in our daily lives: Being fully present here and now. Remaining conscious, each and every moment of the day. During most of my coaching career I worked with leaders- emerging, middle and senior, on succeeding as well as being well at work. Achieving our career goals, having healthy professional relationships, being conscious leaders who deliver results while remaining connected and human, brings immense peace, balance, and joy to our lives. “Constant transformation” and “letting go” have been major themes in my life. So now, as well as helping you design your work life, I support you in designing any area of your life that requires change and transformation. And I am right by you, so you do this with confidence and from a deeply conscious, grounded and serene place. Are you experiencing such a phase in your life? Let's talk!

My Values

River Thames, London

We all have superpowers. Mine are:

  • Empathetic leadership

  • Advanced skills in communication

  • Community building

  • Endless belief in learning and betterment for all

  • High levels of self-awareness and empathy

  • A crystal-clear intuition

  • Profound ability of perception/different ways of seeing 

A few personal (and some quirky) facts 

I have put together a few personal facts about me. Because we all are unique and the nuances often highlight our uniqueness well…Who knows, you might connect with a few of these too!

  • I cannot watch 18+ movies. I find all that too graphic and feel it does nothing for my soul! Ideally I stick with a PG or 12 movie certificate :) 

  • I  DO NOT enjoy shopping and I have zero obsession with shoes!

  • I spend most of my money on courses, webinars, workshops, books on topics such as leadership, personal development, spirituality, health, energy work and on travel.  Learning and experiences are far more important to me than owning ‘stuff’.

  • Passing by a homeless person is- each and every time, an unbearably sad experience for me. Nobody should end up being homeless, regardless of their choices in a civilised country.

  • I do not believe in 'the survival of the fittest'. I believe in 'the survival of everybody'. So, who thrives then? That is up to the individual. Coming to ‘coaching’ surely is a brilliant way to thrive!

  • I took up 'meditation' in 2005 and never stopped, which has increasingly brought the gift of ‘presence’ into my life. I had always been predominantly mind-oriented, future-focused and worked in fast-paced environments. So, the 'balancing of the yin and yang' was necessary.

  • Following an international school trip to a dairy farm in 2006, a decade of feeling increasingly guilty for consuming animal products began. This resulted in a plant-based lifestyle 7 years ago.

  • Whilst ‘injustice’ can of course be witnessed anywhere in the world, I refuse to visit countries for holidays, where the law does not protect humans- children and/or adults alike from abuse.

  • Nature is a very happy place for me and I am incredibly drawn to the water- ocean, river, dock… And I love to observe the ‘bird life’.

  • Culture and arts have always had an irreplaceable place in my life.

  • Close friends are my chosen family. Coming from a small family and living away from my birth family for the majority of my life, I have always valued the support of friends during the good and the bad. I am full of gratitude for many things in my life and good friends are on top of the list.

  • I care about the experiences of the Dream State almost as much as the Waking State.  I grew up in a family where it was the norm to share our dreams from the night before during breakfast, and ponder on the messages of the subconscious mind. I still regularly discuss significant dreams with close friends who share a similar upbringing.  

My qualifications

Coaching

Below you can see my coaching-specific training and qualifications. But quite frankly, I continue to learn daily about my favourite topics of Leadership, Effective Communication, Confidence, Consciousness and Wellbeing. Whether I am listening to a podcast, reading a book or attending a workshop, I cannot get enough of these topics. I love learning continuously and sharing what I know. So the training is daily and never - ending. I also invest in getting coached by expert coaches every year, depending on my personal growth goals at the time- be it wellbeing, business strategy or leadership mastery.

  • DISC Accredited Coach - The Coaching Academy, 2013

  • Personal Performance Coach - The Coaching Academy, 2013

  • Corporate and Executive Coach - The Coaching Academy, 2013

  • Additional CPD attended on Confidence Coaching, Stress Coaching, Image Coaching, Holistic Coaching, Financial Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Communication Coaching- 2013-2020 

  • Coaching Member organisation: EMCC

Wellbeing and Healing

Health and Wellbeing are very important to me. I am constantly researching and updating my skills in both these areas. As well as being a Reiki Master and Theta Healer, I receive Reiki, Theta Healing and Pranic Healing sessions periodically myself. Below is my healing-related training:

  • Usui Reiki Master & Teacher - Reiki-Meditation.co.uk,  2024

  • Japanese Reiki Techniques - Reiki-Meditation.co.uk,  2023

  • Tantra Core Elements - Tara Yoga Center,  2023

  • Usui Reiki  Level 2 - Reiki-Meditation.co.uk,  2022

  • Usui Reiki Level 1 - Reiki-Meditation.co.uk,  2022

  • Theta Healing Dig Deeper - ThetaHealing Institute of Knowledge, 2022

  • Theta Healing Advanced DNA - ThetaHealing Institute of Knowledge, 2022

  • Theta Healing Basic DNA - ThetaHealing Institute of Knowledge, 2022

  • Nourishment and Boosting Energy - Reiki-Meditation.co.uk,  2020

  • Usui Reiki Introduction and Level 1 - Reiki-Meditation.co.uk,  2007

Want to work with me? Amazing! Tell me a bit about you. Click on "Start Your Coaching Journey", and we will schedule a Clarity Call.

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