Sabbatical Year
My Sabbatical Year
Sabbatical Year
My Sabbatical Year
In 2016, I decided to take a sabbatical from agency life. After years of building and growing brands, I wanted to nurture and grow the brand of ME. To experience life away from my desk so I could bring new ideas and new skills to future endeavors. So I set up shop in Istanbul. A city that thrives on ingenuity and entrepreneurship and is quite simply magical.
I spent the year pursuing two questions:
What is my purpose?
And how can I help make this world just a little bit better?
This year was one of the most rewarding yet challenging years of my life. Because I took the year to gain clarity and to toss aside old habits that no longer were serving me as the person I am today. I read a lot, I took courses, I volunteered my time serving others and embarked on a few new projects. I struggled, I failed, I had many a WTF moment…but also had the time of my life! I met amazing people and feel more inspired than ever!
Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship
I'm currently working on starting my own business with a purpose. The business not only taps into entrepreneurial and creative dreams of mine, but it also serves as a platform to help refugee women and girls living in Istanbul.
Masal (the Turkish word for "story") is an accessories brand with the mission to ignite the hidden magic with each of us through ancient Anatolian symbols. Through the products and symbols, I want to remind women of the power in themselves. To once again become those little girls who believed anything was possible and to follow their purpose/dreams.
A percentage of the profits will go to a few NGOs focused on female empowerment and education.
Consulting
Brand Consulting
Consulting
Brand Consulting
Although online advertising is what I do, BRANDING is my passion. This past year, I helped two local Istanbul businesses move from selling products towards building a brand. In order to break through the clutter, brands have to have a voice and stand for something more than functional benefits.
I help businesses gain clarity on what they stand for, how to identify and connect with their audiences and build out an online strategy and roadmap.
Service
Service
Service
Service
We are currently living in the largest refugee crisis of our lifetime and Istanbul is in the center of it. So I spent the past year volunteering with a handful of organizations helping in anyway I could. I developed social media calendars. I interviewed candidates for education programs. I collected and categorized donated clothes. And I spent hours playing and babysitting children while their mothers were in class learning about women's life skills. I loved it all and will continue to do my part to build a more inclusive world.
Personal Growth
Personal Growth
Personal Growth
Personal Growth
Taking a break from my career to follow my own path was not easy! So during the past year, I took the time to get clear on my purpose and nurture a few passions in life. I took a 3 week trip to India to learn about NGOs and socially-driven businesses, I took up running and ran a 30K in the magical terrain of Cappadocia and I even learned Turkish (or at least enough to tell a few good jokes)!
Next up?? I'm currently working on getting my life coaching certification to provide support and guidance during those bumps in the life road we all encounter from time to time!