I Am My Own Life Coach Ecem Karaman

I've always been my own life coach. Some people are born to be “lucky,” but others have to create that “luck” by themselves. Having had to fight obesity at the age of 6 was the first and the biggest challenge that life ever put me through. The first day of school, the news of “the new fat girl”, or “elephant” as my peers put it, spread through the whole school like wildfire. Getting excluded from sports, friend groups and school events and the frequent sneers were a nightmare that haunted me at every encounter.

I was the book that always got judged by its cover, and then forgotten on an isolated bookshelf in the corner of the room. Needless to say, it didn’t take me too long to figure out that I had two choices: get up or give up. So, when I was 11, despite my family’s skepticism, I decided to get up and find my remedy, starting with biking to school and adopting a new healthy diet. My formula was to seize opportunities rather than paralyze myself in the prison of a despairing life with physical constraints. And, yes, I eventually overcame this affliction with faith and perseverance, not superpowers.

Overcoming my difficult past became my biggest source of inspiration as I confronted other difficulties. My decision to leave...