Snapshot

As a scientist turned well-being coach, I bring together years of research, personal healing, and holistic training to support people in reconnecting with their inner rhythm and creative power – to explore, unlock, and elevate their multidimensional well-being.

Journey INTO COACHING

Scientist Turned Well-Being Coach

I’m a well-being coach – alongside being a scientist and faculty member in the Department of Neurology at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). My work is rooted in both science and lived experience, and my coaching style lives at the intersection of research and real-life healing – where science meets intuition, and where data supports meaningful personal transformation.

My academic path began with a BS and MS in Telecommunication Engineering, followed by a PhD in Underwater Acoustics and a Master’s in Clinical Research. Over the years, I’ve worked across multiple disciplines – mathematics, physics, electromagnetics, engineering, and oceanography– before shifting into the realms of yoga, mindfulness, human physiology, brain health, neuroimaging, sleep, and digital health. Along the way, I became a certified Yoga & Meditation Teacher and an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, as my own healing journey began to deepen and unfold.

It’s the weaving together of knowledge, experience, and inner calling that led me to the work I do today. And it all began – with waves. First electromagnetic, then oceanic sound, and eventually, the subtle waves of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid.

A Journey from Sound Waves to Brain Waves

Trained as a scientist in mathematics, physics, engineering, and ocean acoustics, I spent years exploring how sound waves travel through the ocean. I was fascinated by how energy moves, interacts, and shapes its environment. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was also being pulled by deeper currents – ones that would eventually guide me inward.

While dedicating myself to academic research, I was also navigating my own health challenges and seeking healing on a personal level. This journey led me to explore holistic well-being tools – expanding beyond research and into realms of yoga, meditation, and integrative healing. Alongside my academic work, another path was quietly unfolding: one of self-discovery and multidimensional well-being, which led me to complete a yoga teacher training and embrace new dimensions of inner well-being.

Over time, my focus expanded naturally. My path carried me from the world of marine physics and underwater acoustics to the study of yoga, brain health, and sleep. This transition ultimately led me to receive the prestigious and highly competitive NIH K99/R00 award (~$1M over 5 years), one of the nation’s top early-investigator grants –which laid the foundation for the world’s first study investigating how yogic breathing influences cerebrospinal fluid dynamics in the human brain. It also paved the way for my current role as a PhD scientist and faculty member at OHSU.

My research explores mindfulness, sleep, brain health, and aging through innovative study designs, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods with digital health technologies. I use tools such as MRI, EEG, ECG, respiration monitoring, wearable sleep tracking, data science, and self-reported surveys to advance biomedical knowledge and uncover novel insights into health and well-being.

I also contribute to neurodegenerative disease research, including projects on aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis, where I provide expertise in data analysis, algorithm development, visualization, and scientific writing to support interdisciplinary teams.

Why I Created YILDIZ OCEANIC WELL-BEING

As I continued my scientific career and deepened my own multidimensional well-being journey, I felt a growing mission to support others – not just through research, but in a more direct and transformative way. To offer meaningful guidance, I completed formal training in Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching, equipping me with the tools to support individuals beyond research and into real-life personal transformation.

Through all of this, I’ve come to realize that true well-being is not one-dimensional. It’s not just about the body, the mind, the soul, or the emotions – nor solely about our careers, finances, or relationships. It’s about every dimension of life coming together in balance, aligned in harmony – guided by joy, inner clarity, and a sense of purpose, fueled by our own inner rhythm and creative power.

When we begin to live in tune with that inner rhythm, we open the door to meaningful action – rooted in bravery, determination, surrender, and a peaceful knowing that doing our best is enough. This alignment helps us embody who we’re here to be – and bring our unique mission to life.

To bring this vision to life, I created YILDIZ OCEANIC WELL-BEING – a coaching space where science meets soul, and where personalized guidance is grounded in both research and lived experience.

Here, I integrate science, holistic practices, and individualized coaching to help others overcome limitations, restore balance, and explore, unlock, and elevate their multidimensional well-being – so they can live in alignment with their truth and thrive from within, guided by their own inner rhythm and creative power.