I was born and raised in Ankara, Turkey. I arrived in the United States when I was 21 to complete my internship after earning my degree in Food and Beverage Management and Hospitality. As fate would have it just a couple months before I was to return home I met my husband. We in short order  got married, adopted pets, bought a house, had a beautiful daughter and I established my life and career in the United States.

Eventually my career did not afford me the time I needed to focus on my health as much as I would have liked. I was a Chef for 10 years at a high intensity corporate restaurant. This meant late nights, early mornings, shifts over 14 hours and cramming food into my mouth whenever I found a spare moment, not to mention the chronic back problems.

Over the years my body has changed and morphed, back and forth, to all shapes and sizes imaginable. I am 6 feet tall and when I met my husband was 145 lbs…then 180lbs…then 210lbs and when I gave birth to my daughter I weighed 273lbs! After her birth I went back and forth with my weight. It was a struggle for several years. I tried several different gyms, failed diets and crazy work schedules. Then I finally made the decision that I had to get healthier, get back in shape and gain back my confidence. When I joined my local CrossFit gym, and ultimately started Olympic Weigh Lifting, that’s when it all changed for me.

I have new passion, love and joy through Olympic Weight Lifting. I started getting requests from friends and family to help them along their journey.  More and more people began asking how I lost the weight  and wanted to learn more about my story . It inspired me to earn my CPT (Certified Personal Training) and CES (Corrective Exercise Specialist) certificates through NASM and USA Weightlifting Sports and Performance Level 1. I also decided to get a certification from one of the top Nutrition Companies – Precision Nutrition.

Today, the sky is the limit. I am looking to go back to school and study Exercise Science while continuing  to grow my knowledge through practicing and coaching.