What does it mean to build a village when you're thousands of miles away from home?
In this episode of The Village Podcast with Dr. Naz, I sit down with my close friend Deniz Selin—former fashion blogger, content creator, mother, and marriage and family therapist-in-training—for an honest conversation about motherhood, friendship, identity, and finding your people.
After spending years living in Europe and raising her daughter far from family and lifelong friends, Deniz returned to Los Angeles with a new understanding of what support, community, and belonging truly mean.
Together, we reflect on pregnancy during the pandemic, becoming mothers far from home, rebuilding friendships in adulthood, navigating cultural expectations, and the people who help us through life's hardest seasons.
We also discuss Deniz's journey from one of the original fashion bloggers—long before Instagram existed—to her current path in mental health, helping children and families navigate their own challenges.
This conversation explores motherhood, community, resilience, and why none of us were meant to do life alone.
In this episode, we discuss:
• Growing up between Turkish and American cultures
• Life as a fashion blogger before Instagram existed
• Pregnancy and motherhood during the pandemic
• Raising a child far from family and finding support abroad
• The parenting differences between Europe and the United States
• Rebuilding a village after moving back to Los Angeles
• Friendship, boundaries, and protecting your peace
• Why motherhood changes your identity, priorities, and relationships
• What it really means to find your people
Whether you're navigating motherhood, rebuilding community, living far from family, or simply trying to find your people, this conversation is a reminder that the strongest villages are often built one relationship at a time.
