NBC-HWC (National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach)
Birth
Hello, I’m Nilay.
I was born on a warm August day in Izmir. I was a shy child—quiet, reserved, not someone who easily showed emotions.
For a long time, I carried the labels “mature” and “well-behaved.”
Growing Up
In an effort to earn approval, the child within me grew up quickly—and quietly. Now I can see so clearly that this silent, inward-focused version of me planted the very first seeds of the skills I use in coaching today.
I was a keen observer and deeply internalized everything I heard. I remember feeling other people’s sadness in the depths of my own heart.
The Cocoon Phase
After completing my degree in Chemical Engineering and MBA , I worked for 17 years as a manager and co-owner in our family business alongside my sister.
These years were my “cocoon”—safe, instructive, and transformative. I learned team harmony, customer communication, and crisis management. But perhaps the most meaningful part was witnessing how my inner transformation slowly shifted the world around me too.
2018 was also the year I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. That health journey became a turning point for me—the beginning of awareness, healing, and truly the start of my coaching path.
You can read the full story here.
Emerging From the Cocoon: A New Country, A New Chapter
In 2025, my husband, our beloved daughter, and our 15-year-old cat all moved to the United States together.
Acceptance of uncertainty, flexibility, and surrender have been my biggest guides in this transition.
Everything I’ve lived through forms the foundation of the sincerity and depth I bring into coaching today.
I’ve shared a little bit about myself on this page.
Now, I would love to get to know you.
With love,
Nilay
