What does it look like to build a life from scratch, not once, but again and again? Nuray Krein Yilmaz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nuraykreinyilmaz/) has done it more times than most people ever will, and her story is one of the most quietly extraordinary ones we've shared on this podcast.
Nuray grew up in a small farming village in eastern Turkey, the eleventh of twelve siblings, in a community where girls' futures were largely pre-written. She lost both parents to cancer before she turned 13. She taught herself to dream inside boarding school libraries and across chess tournaments — and she never stopped.
In 2018, she moved to the United States through a cultural exchange program with limited English, no safety net, and an enormous amount of courage. Today she is a content analyst in tech, a published author, and the founder of What If You Can — a community for people navigating immigration, grief, career transitions, and the question of whether they belong.
In this episode, Lori and Nuray explore:
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How losing both parents to cancer before age 13 became the unlikely foundation for a life built on education and agency
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The role her father played in naming a different future for her — in a place where most men didn't
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What chess taught her about being underestimated, competing, and winning on her own terms
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The layers of learning agility required to navigate new languages, new cities, new countries, and new cultures
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Practical advice for first-generation immigrants: mentors, community, salary negotiation, and the courage to ask for help
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Why storytelling and community are not soft extras — they are the infrastructure of belonging
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The vision behind What If You Can and what she most wants to say to the girl she once was
Nuray Krein Yilmaz is a first-generation immigrant, content analyst working via Highspring at Google, a published author, and founder of the What If You Can (https://www.linkedin.com/company/what-if-you-can%E2%80%A6/) community. She holds a degree in business administration and builds spaces for people navigating uncertainty with curiosity and hope.
TIMESTAMPS
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00:00 — Introduction & welcome
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02:00 — Growing up on a farm in eastern Turkey; losing both parents before 13
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05:00 — Her father's pivotal role; chess as a gateway to confidence and travel
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10:00 — Arriving in the United States in 2018; navigating visa challenges and a new culture
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18:00 — Education, self-learning, and tools for first-generation immigrants
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22:00 — Salary negotiation, unwritten rules, and asking for help
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24:00 — How storytelling builds belonging and motivation
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29:00 — What If You Can community and the difference Nuray is making
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33:00 — Where to find Nuray, her book, and her community
Find Nuray Krein Yilmaz at:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nuraykreinyilmaz
Instagram: @nuraykrein (https://www.instagram.com/Nuraykrein)
Book: Notes From My Mind (available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FGWT91Z6?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_R16Z8D1XR6NKKCM73AE3&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_R16Z8D1XR6NKKCM73AE3&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apan_dp_R16Z8D1XR6NKKCM73AE3&bestFormat=true&pdEvent=nDeal&previewDohEventS) )
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