From Tech CEO to Wellbeing Seeker: A Journey from Chasing Success to Living with Awareness

Dear Friends,

I’d like to begin this note by sharing the story of how TheLifeCo began. And since I’ll be turning 70 soon 😊, I also want to tell you how my “give back” journey is set to expand in new directions.

TheLifeCo recently celebrated its 20th anniversary—a journey that began as a passion project, a hobby pursued from the heart.

Over these two decades, across our centers in Bodrum, Antalya, and Phuket, we’ve hosted more than 50,000 guests from all around the world.

Today, what matters most to us isn’t the awards we’ve received, but the fact that 65% of our guests return regularly; that’s our truest measure of success.

Yet we know that the world still hungers for balance, wellbeing, and deeper breaths, perhaps more than ever before.

That’s why in 2026 we’re taking another step forward: new centers are opening in St. Lucia in the Caribbean, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, and in Uludağ, Turkey. Each will reflect TheLifeCo philosophy while embracing the spirit of its native land, offering healing from the troubles of our time.

Many people ask me how this journey began, and why I shifted from the world of business to the world of wellness. To answer these questions properly, to inspire more people, and to share our story more widely, we’re launching a personal website and a YouTube channel where we’ll be airing videos. We’ll also become more active on LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

And now, as part of that launch, I’m sharing the first chapter of my story below. After reading it, feel free if you wish to share your thoughts in the comments.

From Tech CEO to Wellbeing Seeker

A tropical island. Palm trees. A turquoise sea. Thailand, 2002. My first wellness retreat.

The therapist accompanying me on that holiday said: “Ersin, you’re a good man—but you haven’t yet learned how to live.”

Her words are shocking, but true. For over twenty years, I had run telecom companies, built networks, and done business around the world. I thought I knew what it meant to live. I hadn’t even scratched the surface…

Getting to My First Wellness holiday

After two decades of a global career, a quiet desire to change direction began to grow inside me. I had travelled to nearly fifty countries, from Machu Picchu to the Galápagos, and experienced rare adventures and tastes. Then, in 2002, a friend suggested a different kind of holiday. I decided to give it a try.

And so I went to Spa Samui on the island of Koh Samui. And this decision changed the course of my life.

Living Half a Life

The founder took one look at me, seeing that I was unable even to touch my toes, and said bluntly: “I’m sorry, Ersin, but you’re physically disabled.”

My ego immediately fought back. “What do you mean? I’m strong, I go to the gym, I run…”

That is my first lesson: being fit doesn’t mean simply being able to get up and walk, it means being able to use your whole body to its full potential.

That’s when I realise health isn’t black and white. There’s no simple divide between sick and healthy. It’s a scale from zero to one hundred. You might be 80% healthy, 20% unwell. For most of us, that’s normal.

Health is not something to be chased in the pursuit of 100% perfection, or by rushing to the hospital for every little pain.

True health means observing the trinity of body, mind, and spirit each day, and taking the necessary steps.

The goal is for the body to have a level of functionality that is ‘good enough’. And most importantly, to be able to shape our lives by discovering the way of being that suits us best.

A New Life

That awareness pushes me to start changing things. Around that time, at another retreat, a Japanese professor approaches me:

“Ersin, you’re a good man. But I think it’s time you learned how to live.”

“How?” I ask.

“I’ve made a list for you. You can visit these places and learn all kinds of things.”

I look at the list she gives me; there are some truly unusual things on it. For example, she suggests that I go somewhere for three or four days just to learn how to chew. So that’s where I go first. They give me a bucket of pumpkin seeds. I chew each seed 40, 60 times, with my eyes closed. Then I stop chewing and describe my experience; the taste, the smell, the texture, how juicy it is...

And so, that’s how I first learned how to chew, and how to eat. My education in wellness continued with detox programs, seed sprouting workshops, and breathwork courses. For example, I learned how to breathe properly over the course of 21 days. “Notice the connection between your emotions and your breath.” So simple, yet a truth I had missed for 45 years. Seeing that link between emotions and breath created a profound new awareness in me. Driven by curiosity, I kept learning. I travelled to different parts of the world, beginning with breath, movement, and nutrition. And then came the nourishment of the soul: meditation, yoga, mindfulness.

My 10-Day Battle with Silence

Vipassana, the meditation of silence, almost defeated me. You sit in silence for ten days. And on the tenth day, you share your experiences with the others in the group. The first four or five days were truly hard. I felt exhausted and was on the verge of leaving on the fifth day. Because they take everything away from you. No phone, no books, no talking, no eye contact. You just sit and observe. But on the sixth day, an awakening came. A voice within said, “Stay.” For the first three days, you focus only on a one-square-centimeter area beneath your nose; then you expand that focus to all the sensations throughout your body. And one morning, suddenly, you realize: “There is life in every cell of our body.” We simply don’t stop to feel it. We live constantly under external influences, under occupation by the outside world, so much so that we no longer even know how we truly feel…

A Flash of Awareness

My journey of relearning life continued through reading ancient wisdom, learning from experts and fellow travellers, and cultivating new awareness.

I came to see that wellbeing isn’t just the absence of illness; it’s the growth of body, mind, and soul all together.

Then one day it struck me like lightning: “No one really knows how to live, not my successful business friends, not the people around me, no one.”

So in 2005, I found TheLifeCo. Not because I’d “figured it all out,” but to create a place where we can learn together, to be well, and to feel well. With my family, my friends, and with you…

From Chaos to Inner Peace

I get easily bored. Routine drains me. Perhaps that’s what led me to this transformation. From the chaotic streets of Istanbul and the fast-paced world of business, I stepped onto this inner path.

After a career spent connecting millions through technology, I learned the most valuable lesson of all:

“The foundation of living well is learning how to really live.”

When I was 45, I sometimes felt like I was 70. Now I’m almost 70, yet I don’t feel very different from how I was in my 40s — at least physically 😊.

How come? Because now I know what my body needs, what my mind longs for, and what my soul is thirsty for.

And I can say that this change has rewarded me, in wellbeing, in quality of life, and in a deep sense of wholeness. It wasn’t just a career change; it was a complete restart.

At 45, I sometimes feel like I’m 70. Now, as I approach 70, I don’t feel so different from my 40s, at least physically 😊.

Why? Because now I know what my body needs, what my mind longs for, what my soul thirsts for. And I can say that this change has repaid me in terms of prosperity, quality of life, and wellbeing.

If there’s one thing you take from my story, let it be this: Chasing success without true wellbeing is nothing but dying without having lived. The first thing we must learn is to live, and to live consciously. Our health and quality of life are the direct results of the choices we make.

I lived for 45 years without knowing this. And you, my friend – how about you?