Towards Elementalite: Ipek's Story
From day one, I have had many jobs and many people in my life. I have never had just one job, never stayed tied to a single circle. I have been giving private lessons for 28 years, working as a guide for 10 years, running my own real estate company for years, and before moving to Montenegro, I worked in countless concerts, festivals, and event organizations. I even spent six years as a nanny for a French-Italian family…
No matter what work I do, people have always been at the center of it. Because even though I enjoy solitude, I am, at my core, a social butterfly… I live, work, and breathe centered around humans. I listen to every age, every experience, and I learn from all of them. I love sharing what I learn and feel with others. And I think one of the main reasons I am here is to act as a mediator. Wherever there is a gap, wherever two sides struggle to hear and understand each other, I always find myself there.
I have listened to conflicts between parents and teenagers. I have observed the changes of each generation. I have felt the suffocation and constraints of white-collar workers. I have witnessed those who have graduated yet cannot find their path dreaming of becoming students again. Everyone had a different story, but underneath it all, the common search was the same: to know oneself, to feel a little lighter, to find a way out, and to seek meaning.
For years, my own journey with philosophy, psychology, and various educational and certification programs had this purpose: to know myself! Why have I been battling illnesses unnoticed by others since childhood? Why do I feel tearful when everyone says, “You can do it”? Why does the inner me, Ipek, want to run away just when I seem most confident? What is the source of my longing for love? Why do I exist?
Following these questions, the trainings I pursued have illuminated my path. They continue to do so, because I believe learning never stops as long as life goes on…
And I never wanted to keep what helped me only to myself. I always thought: if it gives me breath, it can be of benefit to others. Knowledge grows when shared.
I have never liked teaching in a didactic way. I couldn’t learn that way myself. I need to like my teacher first; otherwise, I cannot learn. I have never forgotten what I learned through play, joy, conversation, and forming beautiful connections. That is why play has always been the key in my lessons, work, and relationships. Because I have always believed this: the greatest deficiency of life is that as we grow, we stop playing… Yet life itself is a game.
Play is not merely entertainment; it is the most natural way to connect, learn, and heal. Working with people, I have seen that when play disappears, life loses its color. That is why I have always loved playing games and creating playful experiences with everyone I meet. And no matter what, I have preserved my own space for play…
During the times I had to stay bedridden due to health issues, I devoted myself to a psychology certification program focused on children and parents. I was imagining how I could share what I learned through a program with others.
I moved to Montenegro ten years ago, and six years ago, I met Ceren, who over time became a friend after being a client. She shared her idea with me, and I immediately thought about Celil. Celil also had a project that excited me, and I felt they could merge their ideas.
“You should meet,” I said to Ceren and arranged a meeting that evening. Again, I was the mediator… Celil shared his dream, Ceren shared her path. They turned to me and asked, “Why don’t you join us?” I shared the projects I had been contemplating for years: working with teenagers, parents, people wanting to reconnect with their bodies, with adults feeling trapped… That evening, we realized our paths had already intertwined long ago.
And what came next? Lots of blood, sweat, tears, debates, disagreements, laughter… but most of all, play. We used each other as testing grounds, pushed our limits, fell, got up, and started again. From all of this, something new was born: Elementalite.
Today, here we are. Elementalite is no longer just an idea; it is alive, growing, with roots reaching deeper every day, and branches stretching toward the sky.
And we invite you to join this journey.
Because this is not a teaching.
Not an awakening.
Not an enlightenment.
This is a journey.
Welcome!
Cok ilginç geldi. Ben de öyleydim. Sonra ne olduysa herseyi ertelemeye başladım. Hala cesurum yeniden korkmuyorum ama adalete düştüm ve sağlık dahil milyon bahane üretmeye başladım. Paylaşacaklarinizin belki de bana yeni bir ivme kazandıracağını düşünüyorum.
Çok iyi yapmışsınız! Kimse kimsenin yaşadıklarından öğrenemiyor maalesef. Ancak ilham vermek, örnek olmak, cesaret vermek çok değerli. “O yapmış, ben de yapabilirim”duygusuna yol açmak bile o kadar kıymetli! Yolunuz açık, yoldaşınız bol olsun!