Stories Of Our City

This week’s episode is part two of a two-part series. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to the first part of Elles’ story, check it out in Episode 189! In the first half of her story, Elles shared about her start and life as a model. This week, she shares some of her other passions and achievements—touching on a multitude of topics such as mindset change, gaining courage to give her first TED talk, changing direction in her career, fast fashion, small steps toward living a more sustainable lifestyle, and being a learner and leveling up!

As a lover of fashion from a young age, Stories of Our City producer Jessica Spann spent her childhood cutting out photos from magazines of gorgeous models wearing brilliant outfits. Now living in a large city, on any given day on her commute she will likely see and admire fashion trends on a billboard or in an advertisement with a model posing for a brand wearing their latest products. One day, Jessica had the chance to meet one of these billboard models. Elles (pronounced “Ellis”) has been modeling all over the world for the last six years. She secretly dreamt of becoming a model as a teenager, and it came to fruition. She shares what a typical day in the life of a model looks like and how her career has shaped her into the woman she is today. In an industry where appearance is everything, Elles found that her true worth comes not from her looks, but from feeling good enough from the inside. This is part one in a two-part series, so be sure to stay tuned for the second half.

We never know when—or even if—and where love will find us. It happened to find Nazife Uner of Izmir, Turkey, as she travelled home from high school in the early 1960s. At that time in Turkey most marriages were arranged by family members, but the mysterious stranger of fate seemed to have orchestrated Nazife and Mustafa’s relationship as their eyes met on a ferryboat one afternoon 57 years ago. One could call it love at first sight, but sometimes a simple, silent glance speaks powerfully. After Nazife transferred to a bus for the final leg of her journey home, she looked back as the bus began to push off to see if Mustafa was in pursuit. He was. And after their eyes locked for a second time he began to run after her bus. Listen as Nazife shares the rest of her and Mustafa’s unconventional Turkish love story and learn how dedicated devotion can overcome even the most ingrained cultural customs.

At eleven years old and suddenly an orphan, Sandy found himself without a home and on his own. All he had was a friend with a plan for how they could make it rich. But as Sandy and his friend set off on their adventure, events quickly took a turn, and Sandy found himself even further from home and now even more alone. From collecting scrap metal to make a buck to sneaking into a church to catch some shut eye, learn how perseverance, helping hands, and encouraging hearts propelled Sandy along, moving him from orphan to education sponsor who seeks to pay the blessings forward—or pass a dollar, in his words. May Sandy’s story encourage the downhearted and alone and remind us all that life often has many pleasant surprises up her sleeve.

It had just started to drizzle again. My family and I were headed to Richmond, Virginia, via Interstate 64, confronting a bit of rain along the way. We had just taken a timed family selfie at the Virginia is For Lovers sign outside the state welcome center, when a man on what I thought was a motorcycle pulled up—camouflage jacket drenched with rain. He asked if I would take a photo of him. I obliged, taking his cellphone, thinking that if he’d arrived a minute earlier we wouldn’t have had to use the timer on mine. Given the amount of gear he was carrying, it was clear this was a man on a mission. Detecting an accent, I asked where he was from. He said he was coming from San Francisco, a city we had also recently departed, but by air. Pressing further, I discovered this sopping, sociable sojourner came all the way from Germany and was on the tail end of a remarkable journey. Sixteen thousand eight hundred and forty-seven miles. Eighty days. Eighteen countries. Three Vespa scooters. One man. A few weeks later,

Meet Cemre (Gem-ray): a researcher, scholar, and prolific writer in the field of child psychology. Much of her career focuses on the weighty subject of child exploitation and abuse, and she spends many hours in counseling sessions with children and their families working through a variety of problems—trying to bring wholeness to broken family systems. Cemre’s passion for children has led her to write children's books that help them and their families process big issues in a way that young minds can digest and in which they can have discourse. In this podcast, Cemre highlights one of those books, which was born out of her own feelings during the 2013 Gezi protests in Istanbul. These protests started as a demonstration to save the Gezi Park greenspace from being turned into a shopping mall but evolved into an historical event where thousands of Turkish citizens from all walks of life gathered to protest the policies and general direction of the government. Listen as Cemre explains how this book came to be and h

Sami Malik (ma-lik), an Uber driver from Pakistan, and his wife have devoted much of their adult lives to fostering children in the United Kingdom. Since his arrival in Scotland more than 25 years ago, Sami and his bride have fostered nearly 70 children—ranging in age from newborn to five years old. Hear Sami share about his heart for fostering, its joys and challenges, and what keeps this couple carrying on as they help care for humanity.

In the middle of the ongoing Syrian War, Esra, a Syrian national from Kuwait, and her father founded a small orphanage in Istanbul, Turkey, where she is helping oversee and care for a group of high-potential, yet vulnerable Syrian children. Esra credits her father with inspiring and motivating her to do good even when it goes against others’ expectations and to be a source of change in the world. He also encouraged her, she says, to set the standard for attitude and behavior rather than simply letting her thoughts, attitudes, and actions be dictated by her surroundings. In her father’s words, she was taught to “be a thermostat, not a thermometer.” Listen as Esra recounts the endeavor this father-daughter duo began on behalf of their family and other Arabs worldwide who want to make a difference in the lives of those affected by the Syrian crisis.  Editor's note: The subject’s name in this week’s story has been changed to protect her identity.

Nuray (nur-eye), an accomplished teacher who runs her own language school in Istanbul, has been teaching the Turkish language to foreigners for over a decade. Although an experienced educator, Nuray still considers herself a student of sorts who is consistently learning something new from her diverse pupils who have taught her everything from basic cultural lessons to different parenting techniques. Some of these lessons arose from cultural mishaps that still make her laugh to this day. Listen as Nuray shares the joys and challenges of cross-cultural education and how the "yabancilar" (ya-bon-ja-lar), or foreigners, help bring the great, big world a little closer to her heart and home.

Music is a powerful thing. It’s the language of life that transcends culture and has the capacity to unite people from a variety of backgrounds and belief systems. Music greets and confronts us throughout day-to-day life in a plethora of environments and circumstances. Ayça (ī-cha), of Izmir, Turkey, has been singing since she was a young girl and especially enjoys choral singing. Being in a choir, with the close-knit community and opportunity for artistic expression it affords, helps this practicing lawyer escape the daily stresses of life and further explore and enjoy the cultural diversity of the seaside city of Izmir. Listen as Ayça shares how her local choir encourages and promotes diversity, unity, and joy in the city she loves.

The country of Liberia is nestled on the Atlantic coast of West Africa between Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire. In recent history, civil war and disease have wreaked havoc on the country's already small population. The country's healthcare sector in particular has taken a big hit and remains understaffed with a largely undertrained workforce in many areas of the country. Sadly, Liberia is also one of the most dangerous places in the world for a mother to give birth. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, out of every 100,000 live births in Liberia, 725 mothers will die. This is compared to six in Australia, 14 in the USA, and nine in the United Kingdom. But great strides are being made in equipping the next generation of healthcare workers in Liberia through the work of organizations and individuals such as Seed Global Health and Waltona Cummings. Take a listen as Waltona, a native of neighboring Sierra Leone, shares her story of being a nurse and nurse midwife educator. She and her colleagues in

In some small towns, having long hair can be dangerous business. Such is the story of Ufuk (u-FOOK), a thirtysomething from Istanbul, Turkey, who had long hair and earrings as a university student in a one-restaurant town far away from home. Listen how he overcame prejudice and violence with a combination of a strong spirit, a desire to change the world, and the help of some unlikely allies … some former Turkish gangsters.

Once hailed as ‘the Paris of the Middle East,’ Beirut is a city of contrasts, a cosmopolitan crossroads where East meets West. As such, it is a city that unabashedly embraces art. Retired visual artist and art instructor Mahmoud Safa shares his journey as an artist growing up in this famed artsy city, which began when he was four years old and has taken him around the world.  

Multi-family living arrangements, communal decision making, and arranged marriages are all indigenous elements of Pakistani culture that may seem foreign and unfamiliar to many Western ears. For Kiran, a native of Karachi, however, these cultural components are the formative building blocks of Pakistani family life and culture and are the things she loves most about her heritage. Editor’s Note: The subject’s name in this week’s story has been changed.

Ever wanted to ditch your job, the nine-to-fiver, the good old daily grind and traverse the world? Meet Nathan and Sarah. This husband and wife pair from Boise, Idaho, did just that. Quitting their jobs last spring, the couple is currently fulfilling a decade-long dream of traveling the world for an entire year. Beginning at Springer Mountain in Georgia they stepped foot on the Appalachian Trail and hiked north for five months straight.  They traversed 14 states and ended in Baxter State Park in Maine. After a month of rest, they are back on the road—or in the air, or on the sea—finishing their year of travel with a six-month jaunt around the Pacific.  Their nomadic journey has taken a bit of both planning and an open mind, but these two adventurers are living a lifestyle that some only dream about and are building relationships and memories that will likely remain with them long after their return home. But as with many major commitments, this exciting excursion wasn’t met without cold feet. Listen as the co

As one of the world’s most populous cities, Istanbul boasts more than its share of human residents. But this famed historic city also boasts its share of another kind of resident: the fluffy, furry kind. The many cats and dogs of Istanbul’s streets have nuzzled their way into the hearts of many of the city’s residents, who at large have welcomed their fellow city-dwellers, who serve as one of the reasons why people generally fall in love with Istanbul. Common citizens and shop owners alike tenderly care for these street animals, who in return grant the people their faithful companionship. In this week’s podcast, allow Hale, a native of Istanbul, to take you on a virtual walk down an Istanbul street where you yourself can see what all the bark is about.

In our previous episode, we shared the story of Sonya Iverson, a slacklining and highlining enthusiast who shared how these related sports have helped her succeed in life beyond the line. In part two of this two-part story, Sonya shares how her passion for slacklining has compelled her to start an organization that she believes can change the world by helping refugees and connecting and empowering people through the sport of slacklining.

To some, slacklining, along with its cousin highlining, is nothing more than an extreme and dangerous sport. But to Sonya Iverson, a geneticist by training, slacklining is a passion and a path to overcoming more than just a fear of heights. In part one of this two-part story, hear Sonya explain the sport of slacklining and how it has helped her succeed in life beyond the strip of webbing.

In our previous episode, we shared the story of Cathy Rude and Connie Blokkum, two midwives who collectively started a birthing center in west Houston, Texas, six years ago. This week, hear Connie share more about the privileges of being a midwife, particularly in being able to encourage women in all aspects of their lives, both medically and spiritually.

In a labor of love, three Texas midwives collectively started and are running a birthing center in the west Houston city of Katy six years ago. Hear from two of these women, Cathy Rude and Connie Blokkum, as they share pieces of their journey and how they are loving and serving their community by following their passion for giving other mothers a safe, non-medicated and natural birthing option.