a few words from the book
“As a lifelong controlling workaholic, the prospect of venturing into the unknown terrified me. For years, I had wrapped myself in labels—successful, rational, hard worker, leader, ambitious, career-driven—and they had become a kind of armor. They told me who I was. They told other people who I was. Without them, I didn’t know how to introduce myself, even to myself.
I realized that through these labels, I shielded myself from the vulnerability of true self-discovery. Letting them go felt like standing naked in an open field: exposed, unprotected, but also breathing more freely than I had in years.”
—from “choosing the unknown”
a journey back
to the heart
For years, I searched for happiness through achievement, hard work, and doing everything right. I built a life that looked successful, yet felt increasingly far from myself. By thirty, I was exhausted, emotionally and physically, and longing for a different way of being.
reminders follows the journey that began when I sold my home, left my work in Istanbul, and stepped into the unknown.
Through encounters with healers and teachers, an unexpected love in the desert, and a deepening connection with nature, I began learning to listen differently. To recognize what felt true. To love the parts of myself I had spent years trying to change. And to trust that the life I dreamed of was worth moving toward, even before I knew how to get there. Following my heart led me to this life I had once only dared to dream of.
I hope these pages offer companionship and remind you that you are worthy of love, exactly as you are. You don’t have to be fully healed to live fully, and your own heart holds wisdom worth listening to.
the book and
Heart of Urala
Here on Heart of Urala, you can find earlier accounts of some of the experiences explored in reminders.
The Story of Urala archive holds those earlier writings, each carrying the perspective and understanding of the time. The book gathers the journey into a fuller story, with room for the experiences, questions, and reflections that continued to unfold.
continue to journey
Life keeps offering new things to learn, feel, and remember. I continue sharing mine here through stories and reflections on being human, living truthfully, and growing in love.
Through Letters from Urala, I send occasional writing and news about the book. You’re warmly invited to stay connected.
