Investing in Yourself and in Each Other

If there are two things I would like every woman reading these pages to take with her, they are these: invest in yourself relentlessly, and never underestimate the power of women supporting women.

I share this not as abstract advice, but as lived experience.

Today, I work as a strategy and business development consultant, with a background in international trade that I have intentionally expanded to include sustainable business management. That combination did not happen by chance. It was a conscious decision to keep evolving as the world, markets and expectations changed.

Five years ago, I had to recreate my career from scratch.

When we moved to London in the middle of the pandemic, everything familiar disappeared overnight. Before that, my career had moved across different sectors. I started as a civil servant, then worked in an NGO, and later moved into the private sector back in Istanbul. Each step built experience, confidence and professional identity. But relocating to the UK during such an uncertain time meant starting again, no established network, no profile, no shortcuts.

I became an entrepreneur out of necessity. I founded my own company, bootstrapped it, and slowly rebuilt, relationship by relationship, project by project. What carried me through was a deep belief that I was still my biggest asset. Titles can change. Contexts shift. But your ability to learn, adapt and grow travels with you.

That is why investing in yourself matters so much. Especially today. Technology is transforming every profession, and staying curious about digital tools, data, AI and sustainability is not about keeping up with trends. It is about staying relevant, confident and empowered.

My second lesson is equally personal. You do not have to do this alone.

At times, the weight of personal responsibilities, professional pressure and global uncertainty can feel overwhelming. It is easy to believe you are the only one struggling. You are not.

Joining women’s networks changed my perspective. When I attended Confidence by Elif, even just once, I was deeply moved by the honesty and resilience of the women in the room. Their success did not come from being “super powerful”, but from persistence, one step forward, sometimes two steps back, and the courage to keep going.

These two principles carried me through reinvention. I am certain they can support you too.