Starting a business, changing jobs, launching a new website, or driving an initiative; these are all acts of courage. When we choose to go after our heart’s true desire, we leave the beaten path and embark on an adventure. Maybe for the first time in our lives, we have to blaze our own trail to see what’s ahead of us.
I’m not gonna lie.
It can feel lonely and scary when we accept our unique gifts and move in the direction they take us. Even those closest to us, our family and lifelong friends may not get what we’re on about. When we open up and dare to share our dreams, it can feel very awkward with other people – if they’re not on a similar growth journey.
This is why I’m taking this step today to come out as a founder of a new business, MyMemoirMaker.com. I am hoping others who have started businesses or are fearlessly pursuing their dreams can join me here on the WritePublishGrow.com blog.
Here are the five questions I love asking (and please if you’d like to be interviewed, feel free to add the questions you wished people would ask you).
Q: Where were you born and how has your hometown shaped you?
A: I was born in Istanbul, a megacity with a population of about twenty million people. Nowadays, Istanbul houses mostly migrants from villages all across Turkey. We left our extended family to move to Izmir when I was still a baby. In Izmir, a coastal town, life felt more relaxed. Izmir and its surrounds, notably Ephesus, bear traces of Ancient Greece. Appreciation of beauty, philosophy and stories was deeply ingrained in me as a child. I came to appreciate how mythology reflected human nature so accurately and gave names, descriptions and origin stories to moods, emotions and types of hysteria that can sweep over all of us who are human.
Q: What are some of the best places you’ve lived and why?
A: I enjoyed living near DC because the architecture of the government buildings was largely influenced by the Ancient Greeks. I loved seeing statues of mythological deities built into these massive buildings. I loved learning about art history at Lake Braddock High School and went off to uni to study Biology in the suburbs of DC. What I ended up doing was skipping class to watch art films. I thought one day I’d make films. I always had this strong feeling that every person has a unique and beautiful way of looking at life and focusing on what others miss.
Q: Which films, music, books or people have influenced you?
A: Growing up “Fiddler on the Roof” with its description of a Jewish village disrupted by antisemitism stands out. These days I enjoy reading nonfiction, memoirs and watching documentaries. I believe lived experiences of individuals contain great wisdom and joy. When I’m truly paying attention to my own life, I don’t need to be entertained. I enjoy psychedelic music of all genres. This is the kind that goes deep and stirs up emotions, memories and moods.
Q: Who are some of the professionals you look up to in your field?
Jung, Gabor Mate and Dulwich Centre for Narrative Therapy are all brilliant.
Q: What’s been your best recent discovery? This can be food, activity, clothing brand, life hack, or anything.
I love using Strava app to track my progress in working towards a 2km run. I thank my sister-in-law, Bel, for getting me on that. I’m also liking reading the summaries of full books on an app called Headway. Besides that, I enjoy interacting with ChatGPT to get ideas on how I can explain certain situations and ideas better for my children to comprehend.
OVER TO YOU…
Are you someone who’s started a community, a new initiative, is releasing music, written a book, held an exhibit, launched creative projects or made a major life change, breaking the 9-5 routine? WritePublishGrow.com wants to hear from you. E-mail us Eda@WritePublishGrow.com
Let’s tell your story in a brief interview like the one above.
