Bridging

Mariah Hagadone is an educator from Michigan, USA. At the same time she is the editor of my book "The Student: reflections of the heart and mind". This time Mariah asks and I answer. We talk about the reasons of writing "The Student", the process, the struggles and the impact I am trying to create with "The Student". If you'd like to read "The Student", you can get it here: -https://www.amazon.de/...

Nazmiye Oral was born and raised in Hengelo in The Netherlands. She is an actor, writer and columnist. As a child she didn't feel any connection to her parents, felt left alone and abandoned. Yet, this was only a part of her journey. Through her work and embracing her inner child she entered the area of Self-Love.  ✧ Nazmiye recommends https://www.parre-deden.nl/.   Host Özlem Özkan ✧ Instagram: h...

Jay Abbott is an entrepreneur from New Zealand, nowadays based in Amsterdam. Jay is a rigorous planner and an expert in staying focused. He shares with us his learnings and experience about how to stay focused. Jay's recommendations of some books: -The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod -Can’t hurt me - David Goggins -Why we sleep - Matthew Walker -Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less - Greg Mck...

Adam Ashton is the co-host and co-producer of the Podcast "What Will You learn". (https://www.whatyouwilllearn.com/) He is based in Melbourne, Australia. Adam and I talk about how each book propose a different skill or a different approach. No single book has all of the answers, but you can access someone’s life’s work and wisdom and gradually chunk together the different pieces of the puzzle. Do...

Gulshanoy and I talk about being present in a fast paced life. In a society where multitasking is appreciated, we both work on not-multitasking and enjoy the peace of being present brings into our lives.   Host Özlem Özkan ✧ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozkanozlem/ ✧Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozlemozkan/   Özlem is an Amsterdam-based multilingual and multicultural teacher, prese...

Kyle Courtaway is an expert in talent development and leadership. He is based in Illinois, United States. He has over 25 year of experience and has helped many individuals reach their leadership goals including many that work with Fortune 500 organisations. Kyle and I had a conversation about how a great leader could be, and what it takes to be a good leader. Kyle and I had a dive into human psych...

Mark Whitwell is originally from New Zealand and is based nowadays in California. He is a yoga teacher, trains people to become yoga teachers in Bali and Fiji. He is also the author of the book ‘God and Sex, now we get both’. Mark tells us more about how you can get intimate with life as it already is through yoga.    Host Özlem Özkan ✧ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozkanozlem/ ✧Linkedin: h...

Lucie Agras is a movement trainer, fitness model based in Paris. She has collaborated with different brands and is nowadays the ambassador of Adidas in Paris. Lucie and I talk about how to align your passion and purpose in life with your path. Lucie deliberately used sports to overcome her fears and self doubt. How do you take the leap when you are afraid to fail so much? Lucie and I talk not only...

Dave Aron is a marketing professor and director of the graduate programs of the Dominican University in Chicago. Dave and I discuss if plan A would really work when you have a plan B to lean on. While Dave says that there isn’t a magic formula for marketing, there might be something else. Host Özlem Özkan ✧ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozkanozlem/ ✧Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozl...

Dave Aron is a marketing professor and director of the graduate programs of the Dominican University in Chicago. Dave shares with us his teaching of marketing and how marketing is connected to human psychology. He explains why your target audience isn’t everybody but only the people that you can help the most.  Host Özlem Özkan ✧ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozkanozlem/ ✧Linkedin: https://...

Gulshanoy was born and raised in Uzbekistan, a country in Central Asia. Step by step she became the international marketing and e-commerce manager of two Danish fashion brands, Pieces & Mamalicious. Gulshanoy and I talk openly about the way we were raised as a girl. While we both strived for having the same rights as men do, we sometimes operated from two totally different identities. Work isn’t t...

Val Streicher, a French-American entrepreneur was only 22 years old when he started his own company in coaching. In only six years he went from earning fifty dollars a month to having a million dollar business. For him it was life or death, whether he would make it work or die homeless in the street. Val shares generously his insights and why his business was the right bamboo tree to plant.  Host...

Starting off as a car mechanic, he became an entrepreneur in the growth industry. Val Streicher, a French-American emotional fitness coach and I are having a conversation about money. Even though most people agree that money alone won’t bring happiness, why do we still pursue to have more money? We openly explore our beliefs around money, question if everyone can make a lot of money and if everyon...

Maria Sanchez Gonzalez, born in Madrid has played basketball on a high level in Spain, USA and UK. She works nowadays as a manager at ‘Nike’ in Paris and is co-founder of ‘We are KIIN’, a startup in Paris who promotes movement. Özlem played different sports and games on the streets and always wanted to win and be the best. Competing is a constant state for these women in any dimension of their lif...

Aviléne Arrindell was born and raised in Curacao, a Caribbean Island with only 160.000 inhabitants. Growing up with three languages shaped the Polyglot in her. She is fluent in seven languages and believes that a language breaks the barriers between cultures. Leadership was one of the most important skills that she was taught by her mother. She lives a life where she takes responsibility for her o...

Nakena Cromartie is an African American woman with a level of faith, courage and bravery. Together with Nakena we go down to the art of self in an age of #blacklivesmatter. While she believes that she is not defined by the perceptions of others and her skin color, she strongly believes that a contribution to the world starts with getting down to the art of self and getting in alignment with your t...

Eva Cristina Pérez Ramos was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She grew up with big appreciation for some basic needs which are often taken for granted in the West, such as life security, food and water. Her appreciation for these basic needs and freedom in her life started expanding even more when she moved to Denmark, China and Spain. Living nowadays in Spain, facing the global pandemic, sh...

Malika Ouacha was born and raised in the Netherlands by Moroccan parents. In her words the death of her mother first crashed everything inside of her and then became the fundament of the anthropologist she is today. She is doing her PHD in cultural and social anthropology at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and serves at different organizations. Yet, she is much more than her...

Maria Garcia Rojo was born and raised in Spain. From the age of nine, she spent her summers at a boarding school in Ireland, which created her foundation of living a curious life. Born in the 60’s during the dictatorship in Spain, she craved for freedom and her curiosity made her move to Germany, Egypt and later on Turkey. She says that curiosity is like a door, once you open it you cannot close i...

In this episode we go to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where I am based (at least for now!). This episode is an introduction to me. I openly tell about why I started this Podcast, how I was born into cultural diversity and entrepreneurship which started way back in 1968 when my grandfather moved to The Netherlands. I tell you more about my personal development journey and how my striving mentality...

A bridge is a symbol for communication and connection. It’s necessary to provide passage over something and take you somewhere else. When you cross a bridge you take yourself somewhere else, sometimes somewhere familiar and sometimes somewhere new. Each episode takes you inside the minds and hearts of life experts with a story to share. Stories of entrepreneurship, cultural diversity, self-empower...