Hi, I’m Ozzy! It’s my nickname for my very hard to pronounce Turkish name 🙂 

I was born in Turkey and moved to Boston at a young age.  I remember thinking at the time that something big was happening but couldn’t quite grasp the nature of the moment. Safe to say my life changed drastically at age 9. I quickly learned English, and Boston shortly became my second home. 

Fast forward a few years and I just recently turned 30; living in my dream city in California!  I can safely say that my 30s are a whole lot better (so far) than my 20s were. During my 20s (and teenage years), I’ve faced a lot of struggles that made me the woman I am today. I am proud of how far I’ve come and excited to have this little corner of the internet to share what I’ve learned so far.

I am forever on a journey of healing, becoming a better version of myself, showing up as my best self through fashion and beauty, whilst innately curious about the meaning of it all. If you are also into healing, wellness, fashion and beauty – then welcome, I am so glad to have you here with me. 🙂

LESSONS

So far on my journey, there are three key lessons I’ve learned.

Lesson 1: things take time and that’s ok

One of the most important lessons I learned from some of the hard times I’ve gone through (while expecting things to happen overnight) is that we can’t expect change to happen in a day. Things typically don’t happen fast, but if you never give up and take small steps each day, then I truly believe anything is possible for all of us.

Lesson 2: becoming your authentic self is important

Today, I am on my journey to feeling more worthy than ever before and on a journey to becoming my most authentic self. I spent most of my 20s trying to make others feel comfortable, whilst putting myself down. I spent so much of my time wondering if people liked me, and now I ask myself if I want to keep friendships that no longer align with me. This all became possible when I started showing up unapologetically as my authentic self.

Lesson 3: don’t hide your pain or minimize it. Feel it and honor it

I’ve realized that we can’t hide pain. It’s a lot more detrimental to hide our feelings than to feel everything. Life is about experiencing everything in this human body we’ve been given, which means letting every emotion come and go. It means never comparing your pain or making it seem less. What you feel is always valid.

THINGS I LOVE

Astrology. Seriously, I’m so fascinated by astrology. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but I love reading about it and have been obsessed with it since I was 13 years old. To not keep you guessing; here are my top 3: Capricorn sun, Leo rising and Pisces moon.

Books. I will forever be a student of life. My kind of books are about self-development, philosophy, spirituality, memoirs and books that make you think and learn something new.

Makeup. I have been in love with make up for as long as I can remember. Nowadays, I love makeup for bringing out the feminine side of me. To me, makeup can be girly, fun, creative, empowering and can help you show up as whoever you want to show up as for the day. 

Mornings. I am an early riser and I love the quietness of it. It brings me so much peace to be awake while (when it seems) the rest of the world is still sleeping.

Connect with me:

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Ozzybalkanli

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozzybalkanli/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ozzybalkanli

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLDijWaFe6-AEcbfFeIsyHg