How I Turned My Passion for Wellness into a Career

I turned my passion for health and wellness into a very fulfilling and inspiring career. I actually wake up looking forward to doing the things I love. Besides teaching Pilates, I love writing about health and wellness and connecting with people around the world through my blog and Instagram. 

I have the best job in the world. And I'm grateful for it everyday!

Whether you're just starting out your career in health and wellness or you've been on it for a while now, I know EXACTLY how you feel. I want to remind you that no matter where you're at right now, you can create a life and career you LOVE. And I'm here to share my story and tips to help you on your journey.

MY STORY

At the age of 25, I moved to the US—to the other side of the world from Turkey—to get my master’s degree. After finishing my M.A degree in Education at the University of San Francisco, I found myself questioning what I really wanted to do with my life. I wasn't very passionate about my job or future career in Linguistics. I started to doubt every decision I made about my life, ended up going through a bad quarter life crisis. 

As if that wasn't enough, we had to cancel our wedding in Turkey that summer... because we lost our passports. We were not allowed to reenter the States if we left the country. Anxiety and depression hit me even harder. I was desperate to see my family, was terribly homesick and really hated my life in US. I didn't have a close circle of girlfriends and no job to look forward to in the morning. I just wanted to quit everything and reevaluate my life's purpose. During this soul ( and career) searching phase, I took the following four simple steps:

1
TAKE A LITTLE BREAK TO DISCOVER WHAT LIGHTS YOU UP

I made this my mantra: ONLY DO THE THINGS THAT BRING YOU JOY AND HEALTH.​ For example, I started taking yoga, Pilates, discovering healthy food cafes in the city. I was just so happy living this healthy lifestyle, immersing myself with everything wellness related. Then it hit me: how can I combine my previous teaching skills and my passion for health and wellness? I brainstormed and created a list of ten things that I can do.

ASK YOURSELF THIS: What would you do if you knew that you would not fail? I still have the answers to this question in my old notebook: becoming a yoga/pilates instructor, starting my own wellness blog, enrolling into a nutrition school, opening a studio etc. Then, write next to each of these items: 1. how much it would cost 2. how much time it would take to achieve each of these goals.

Enrolling into a Pilates teacher training program made the top of that list for me. I personally benefited from it so much mentally and physically and I truly believed that it can help others too. I researched which program to choose - read my 5 tips for choosing the right teacher training for you blog post. I extensively studied Pilates under multiple schools and became a certified Pilates instructor in 2017.

2
GET READY TO STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Brace yourself for feeling uncomfortable and frustrated when you step out of your comfort zone. This is normal. Change and growth require us to get uncomfortable. Before starting this new career path, I thought I was a very confident person. I grew up an A student and always did/achieved what was expected of me. Becoming a movement teacher was so out of my comfort zone. It meant a new identity, new values and finding myself in a completely unfamiliar field and community. You have to build your confidence from zero with baby steps.

3
KEEP GOING EVEN WHEN YOU ARE AFRAID AND YOUR KNEES ARE SHAKING

Let me tell you that you will doubt yourself and your decisions almost everyday. At least I did. I was literally shaking when I taught my first Pilates class. I was so afraid of failing. To be made fun of and seen as not "good enough". I kept thinking to myself “I will never be good at this" or "he/she is so much better than me – why would I even try" "what if I completely fail and then all of my time/energy is wasted for nothing?” But what if it all works out!!? What if you actually make it? Because you absolutely can. Focus on what you want to happen, not what you don't want. ​

4
​YOUR MINDSET IS YOUR EVERYTHING.

Work on your mindset/perspective more than anything. Put your energy into creating a strong and positive mindset every single day. Believe in yourself. If you don’t believe and empower yourself, it doesn’t matter if you are the most knowledgeable/competent person in the world. Work on your mental and physical health as much as your new career goals and skills. We can only be the best at what we do when we are calm and confident.

Have you experienced a similar change in your life? I would love to hear your story, and any advice or tips you have. Comment below, let's inspire each other!

Lots of love,
​Hande