The Art of Resilient Living

When we get to a certain stage in life, the path before us becomes less clear.

Once the tick-boxes have all been checked - studies, work, relationships, a home - what’s next?

This is the stage Pelin Kazak Bagatur reached five years ago.

A product and UX design leader who’s deeply passionate about the intersection of design and well-being, she made a wish to discover what she wanted in life.

The answer she received took her from falling to the floor with excruciating pain to a healing centre in Thailand and a whole new relationship with life itself.

This one’s for you if…

• You’ve accomplished everything you’ve planned, but are curious about what else is in store

• You are sceptical about meditation and self-care, but what you’re doing isn’t working

• You want to be inspired by someone’s journey from incurable illness to thriving health

• Change feels scary, even though your body’s telling you that it’s needed

Here are nine takeaways from the conversation:

1. Ask yourself a deeper question

Pelin's journey began with a simple but profound question on her 30th birthday. Believing in the power of birthday wishes, she wondered, “Okay, what should I wish for?”

Up until then, her life had moved linearly - school, becoming a designer, taking a masters, moving to Berlin, becoming a design manager.

But on this threshold, she was curious what the next version of herself might be and wanted to get clarity on it.

“The wish was finding out what I want in life." 

Three days later, she was struck by a debilitating illness - the catalyst for a whole-life transformation.

2. When life has other plans

Life often presents us with unexpected challenges that force us to re-evaluate our path. 

Pelin was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, a rare neurological condition that doesn't have a cure in Western medicine. The advice she received from the doctors was mixed. 

After being told that if she couldn’t work, maybe she shouldn’t work, she was advised to stay away from stress and be somewhere warm with people she loved who would help her.

“I said, ‘Tell me something. There must be a way.’ And he said, ‘You didn't hear this from me, but you might look into Eastern healing techniques.’”

This turned out to be Pelin’s lifeline. Building on the reduction of pain she discovered through MBSR, she received word of a healing centre in Thailand, which introduced her to practices that healed her condition.

3. Insight is only the first step

Pelin's experience with chronic pain was a wake-up call that sparked her transformative journey. 

“After that break where I healed, I had answers, but big answers.”

Healing over a matter of weeks was just the beginning. The next challenge was how to maintain it.

“‘How do I change my life now?’ You know, that's the hard work. And it took two to three years to actually integrate all of the insights I got there.”

Embracing these calls for change can lead us to profound self-discovery and growth if we take steps to harness them.

4. The breath of life

All of us breathe, but few of us do it in a way which is intentional. Yet doing so unlocks a wealth of health benefits. 

While a range of therapies were available at the centre, Pelin discovered the healing potential of breath work during her recovery in Thailand. 

“What helped me the most was joining a yoga teacher training there.

I thought, ‘In case I can't do design again, maybe it's good to have another job that could also heal me’... it was the meditation, but more than that, the breathing.”

5. The wisdom of our bodies

Tuning into our bodily sensations can provide valuable insights into how we truly feel about things. Pelin realised during the first three months of her illness that the pain acted as a guide.

“It was like a switch. Any slight thing that bothers me psychologically - it could be a person, it could be a TV show - the pain comes in. 

I started learning that the things I thought were not bothering me, some of them were actually bothering me.”

When we’re disconnected from our bodies, we miss the subtle signals that can help guide our path.

6. Small steps, small habits

It can feel overwhelming to know where to start when we need to make changes in our lives. 

Pelin's journey reveals the importance of taking small steps and building habits. It was her therapist who reminded her to take it all one step at a time.

“First of all, setting some habits that keep me healthy, which is the morning routine I have, and then maybe looking for a job and relationships that would align with my values.

When they come together, I think they really help us stay on the path, because you can see when you're off track.”

Small, consistent steps can take us further than we anticipated.

7. Motivation is an inside job

Sustainable change requires intrinsic motivation, which often stems from a deep sense of purpose or calling. 

After being fully healed for a number of years, Pelin's motivation to share her learnings has arisen from a place of gratitude. 

“I feel very lucky that I'm not living with pain, as I couldn't find the answers around me or online at that point. I just feel like I have to pass it on.”

Feeling inspired to share our learnings is the gift we receive when we complete such a hero’s journey.

8. Wellbeing needs integration

Wellbeing and work are not separate domains but deeply interconnected aspects of our lives. 

Pelin’s ten pillars of wellbeing, which she uses as a yearly prompt for self-reflection, highlight the importance of integrating wellbeing practices into our professional lives. 

And she’s now helping creative leaders and founders explore this more at her upcoming retreat in May 2024.

“I am designing for positive change. I can see how to learn things positively for myself and how to frame them for others.”

9. The gift of support

Embarking on a journey of transition can be challenging, but support and community can provide much-needed guidance and motivation. 

Knowing that she learns best in a group environment, Pelin found tools, methods, and mentorship through our Vision 20/20 program and its follow-up, Momentum.

“The part that wasn't immediately clear to me was how design and wellbeing connect. Now it's very clear.

The guidance was in the right place, and then the frameworks in the programs helped with my thinking.”

They say we change for two reasons. Either you learn enough that you want to, or two, you hurt too much not to.

And health crises can be an attempt by our bodies to shift us onto a path that’s a better fit for us.

Making space for deep self-inquiry can open doors to growth and transformation that we may not anticipate.

Do you want to find community, mentorship, and support as you embark on your own journey of transformation?

Join our community, dip your toes in with a Masterclass, or dive into transformation at one of our life-changing events.

Notes

Many thanks to Pelin Kazak Bagatur for her time.

You can find out more about her and her work via her website, her resource for creative leaders and founders at designbeing.life, and via her Substack.