Selen Gulbahce is a nutrition and lifestyle coach, entrepreneur, a former computer engineer, originally from the Aegean Mediterranean part of Turkey.
She lives in London and helps her clients achieve fast, sustainable weight loss and overall well-being without dieting using her unique nutrition method The Alka-Terranean Method™
Her coaching business started as a side job while she was working in digital banking, and in less than a year, her income from her side gig already exceeded her full-time salary. In three years, she quit her corporate job and became a full-time coach. She is now consistently making five-figure months in her business.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I was born and raised in the Aegean Mediterranean part of Turkey by a strong mother and a very supportive father, both engineers. I was taught to believe that I could achieve anything if I believed in it and put in the work.
Growing up, I was always an inquisitive child, hungry for information, and loved asking questions and reading, which contributed to my drive for knowledge and success. I also always had an entrepreneurial instinct and a drive to take action. Even as a child, I demonstrated my entrepreneurial skills and creativity. At age 5, I collected little rocks from the nearby rocky beach, painted them to match our neighbors’ house decorations, and sold them as “door holders” to prevent balcony doors from slamming shut due to the wind. At age 8, I organized a neighborhood play, wrote the script, assigned roles to the kids, and sold tickets to our neighbors. These experiences showcased my entrepreneurial spirit and ability to unite people and create something unique.
Before founding my coaching business, I spent years trapped in the ‘yo-yo dieting‘ cycle, which led me to prioritize my health and eventually discover the Alka-Terranean Method™. My professional career started in computer engineering within the digital banking sector, where I faced additional stress due to my constant struggle with weight and health concerns.
At 22, I co-founded my first business, a digital content store that sold e-books, digital movies, and music. After 1.5 years, I sold the business and continued my career in digital banking. My breaking point came at 24 when I faced severe digestive health issues and underwent gastroscopy and colonoscopy procedures, leading me to change my lifestyle and eating habits. This transformation allowed me to reclaim my health and lose 14kg in the first two months, inspiring me to obtain various nutrition accreditations and share my method with others, especially women who suffer the most from yo-yo dieting.
Growing up in the Aegean Mediterranean Coast of Turkey, I was familiar with the benefits of a Mediterranean lifestyle, which I incorporated into my signature Alka-Terranean Method™. My passion for helping others eventually led me to leave my engineering career and become a full-time nutrition coach. I now offer online coaching programs and have a subscription-based wellness platform.
My parents’ equal partnership in all aspects of life, from finances to housework and childcare, has significantly influenced my personality and values. I have had a strong passion for feminism, women’s rights, and gender studies since I was 9.
I am deeply committed to empowering other women. I draw inspiration from several successful women coaches who are making a substantial positive impact on the world while earning eight-figure revenues with their coaching businesses. One of these inspiring women is my business mentor, a multimillionaire woman entrepreneur who exclusively coaches women. They demonstrate what is possible when you own your voice, remain authentic, help others, and make millions with your heart-led coaching business.
These role models have informed my goals as well. I aim to continue growing my coaching business, impacting and helping more people while making good money and living a fulfilling life without burnout.
Tell us something about your initiative/business. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?
My business is centered around helping clients achieve fast, sustainable, intelligent weight loss without dieting. I offer bespoke online coaching programs, a subscription-based wellness platform, and a 10-Day Alka-Terranean Reset Program to empower them to break free of the diet culture and build lifelong habits for better gut health, stronger immunity, increased energy, improved sleep, better stress management, healthier hair and skin, and sustainable weight loss using my unique method, the Alka-Terranean Method™.
My Alka-Terranean Method™ combines the principles and biochemistry of Alkaline Nutrition (a focus on plant-based foods) with the flexibility of a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. Since founding it in 2015, I have coached over 4,000 people to reach their wellness goals, with 80% of them achieving their goals in less than two months and 70% feeling confident in maintaining them.
My bespoke coaching programs offer personalized, intimate nutrition and lifestyle support. In these programs, I track clients’ progress on a day-to-day basis and provide on-the-spot feedback, ensuring they feel supported every step of the way. This unique approach focuses on unlimited daily support and external accountability, which has been a game-changer in my clients’ success.
In 2020, I launched a subscription-based wellness platform to reach and impact more people’s lives in a more scalable and less time-consuming way. This platform features pre-recorded explanatory videos about the science behind my Alka-Terranean Method™, meal plans, recipes, evidence-based nutrition information, practical tips and tricks, and motivating coaching snippets. The platform also includes a Q&A feature, allowing members to ask questions and receive support from a qualified team member.
The 10-Day Alka-Terranean Reset Program is a pre-recorded online program designed to kickstart the participants’ weight-loss journey while also improving gut health, boosting energy, enhancing hair and skin, and strengthening their immune system. In just 10 days, participants can see incredible results that reset their metabolism, help cleanse inflammation in their bodies, and bring their bodies into a fat-burning state.
With a background in banking as an Engineer, I am obsessed with numbers, data, and statistics, which I use to track my clients’ progress and provide the best guidance and support possible. My methods have proven to be successful, with my clients losing between 4-12kgs in their first month, and I am proud to have made a positive impact on so many people’s lives.
While the global pandemic of COVID-19 is associated primarily with adversities, it has also brought about a true boom in startups, with successful entrepreneurship in many countries. The pandemic has impacted all of us in one way or another. Would you like to share your experience on a personal and professional level?
As a nutrition coach, I’ve experienced firsthand the pandemic’s impact on my personal and professional life. The stress and uncertainty of these times, particularly concerning health issues, have been challenging. Nonetheless, this situation has also led to a heightened awareness of the importance of health and wellness, which has inspired me to make positive changes.
Although working from home increased my stress and anxiety, it also allowed me to prioritize my mental health. I took the opportunity to meditate, journal, invest in myself, and work with other coaches and therapists. I even explored the world of manifestation and energetics, which all helped me become a better person and, in turn, a better coach. By working on myself personally, I could improve professionally as well, which was crucial to my success.
As a result, I’ve noticed an increased demand for healthier eating habits and a focus on wellness. More people are seeking advice on caring for their health, which has created new opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs to offer innovative solutions. My experience with fad diets and their negative impact on my physical and mental health has influenced my coaching style. I now prioritize long-term solutions that emphasize health and well-being as well as helping my clients achieve intelligent and fast weight loss, if that’s their goal.
Additionally, during the pandemic, I’ve recognized food’s role in coping and have worked with clients to transform their coping mechanisms into positive, productive habits.
The pandemic has taught me the importance of coaching through adversity and has reinforced my commitment to helping people achieve optimal health and well-being. Prioritizing our health and well-being, even during challenging times, can positively change our lives and inspire others to do the same. My mission is to inspire others to prioritize their health and well-being, and I will continue to work hard to help people achieve their health and wellness goals.
What has been the response of the users/consumers towards your venture?
As a qualified nutrition and lifestyle coach and a member of the UK Health Coaches Association, I’ve had the privilege of coaching over 4,000 people worldwide, including influential individuals such as CEOs of large companies and celebrities. My unique Alka-Terranean Method™ has not only helped my clients achieve sustainable weight loss and better well-being but also empowered them to make positive changes in other aspects of their lives.
One remarkable example is a previous client of mine, who is a lawyer from Denmark. After working with me and losing 12 kilograms, she saw her power and realized that she could achieve anything in life if she wanted to. This newfound confidence in her body and abilities led her to take the courage to leave a romantic relationship that wasn’t serving her anymore. Yoga had always been her passion, and with her renewed sense of self, she pursued it further. She got trained and became a certified yoga instructor. Now, she’s giving yoga classes at a very nice hotel as a side job, embracing her passion wholeheartedly. Improving one important side of her life, wellness and nutrition, encouraged her to improve all other areas and gave her the power and confidence she needed to make these changes.
The response to my venture has been overwhelmingly positive, with 80% of my clients reaching their wellness goals in less than two months and 70% confidently maintaining their new habits. My approach prioritizes health and well-being, utilizing principles of Alkaline Nutrition and the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle to create sustainable habits.
I am grateful for the opportunity to positively impact people’s lives through my coaching programs and am committed to helping even more people achieve their health and wellness goals.
How has your life changed because of your initiative/venture?
Since starting my coaching business, my life has been completely transformed. Not only am I now able to help people improve their health and well-being through my coaching programs and courses, but I am also able to do something that I am truly passionate about every day. The joy of creating, inspiring others, and experimenting with new ideas in my work keeps me excited to wake up and work every day.
I have been able to leave my corporate job and work full-time as a coach, giving me the freedom and flexibility to create my own schedule and work from anywhere in the world. This has allowed me to spend more time with my family, pursue other interests outside of work, and create more financial abundance.
Seeing the positive impact that my coaching programs have had on the lives of my clients has been incredibly fulfilling. My business has made me more resilient, teaching me to handle the uncertainty, ups and downs, and income fluctuations that come with entrepreneurship. I’ve learned to trust myself and the process.
Overall, my venture has helped me achieve financial success, flexibility, and the ability to make a positive difference in the lives of others while living a fulfilling and passionate life. I feel blessed doing this work and continue refining my dream life, knowing that we are just starting.
Do you have anyone who is the biggest support system in your life? Please let us know.
I have been fortunate to have a few strong support systems that have helped me get to where I am today. My parents have been a massive emotional support system for me throughout my life. They have always encouraged me to pursue my passions and have been there for me through the ups and downs of starting my own coaching business.
My husband, Conor, has also been an incredible source of support for me. He is always there to listen, provide guidance, and push me to be my best self. His unwavering belief in me has given me the confidence to take risks and pursue my dreams.
In addition to my personal support system, I have also been lucky to have some fantastic business mentors who have helped me grow my coaching company. They have challenged me to stretch what is possible and shown me that anything is achievable with hard work and determination.
Through manifestation, meditation, and focusing on improving self-love and self-power, I have found peace in the journey of building my coaching business. It has been a learning process to trust myself and the universe, and I am grateful for all the love and support that has helped me along the way.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity? OR Share a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
To all the incredible young women who dream of becoming entrepreneurs, know that it is absolutely okay to fully believe in yourself and your ability to make money. Break free from societal guilt and shame that have held us back for too long! Knowing what’s possible for you, trusting in yourself, embracing a positive money mindset is essential to achieving success, financial freedom, and making a positive impact on the world.
I want to see the paradigms of wealth changing, with more and more successful women thriving in the world. I believe more money in the hands of women will change the world because women generally use money more for the greater good, investing in social well-being, education and their families. This shift will create a ripple effect of positive change and growth.
My coaching business is founded on the principles of holistic health, and I’m passionate about making women feel empowered around their nutrition choices, eating patterns, and their entire lives. Everything is interconnected, and when women feel in control of their well-being, they can show up as their best selves in all aspects of life.
For those starting their entrepreneurial journey, trust in yourself and your vision, but also be open to learning and growth. Seek mentors and a supportive community to help you navigate the challenges that come your way.
The world needs us, women, more than ever! We need more women in leadership roles, decision-making positions, and influential spots. With more women having financial resources, we can create opportunities for others, make meaningful contributions to our communities, and pave the way for a more equitable and just world.
As women, we often put others’ needs before our own. But taking care of ourselves first is not selfish – it’s necessary for sustainable success. Let’s commit to prioritizing self-love and self-care. By doing so, we’ll empower ourselves and inspire and uplift others along the way. So, believe in yourself, make sure you do the inner work to reinforce self-love and self-trust on top of hard skills, keep working on your money mindset, and pursue your dreams with confidence and passion. The world is waiting for you, and together, we can make it a better place!
Alka-Terranean Weight Loss Method: https://selencoaching.com/my-
Free Guide: 5 Easy Actions You Can Take Right Now to Speed-Up Your Weight-Loss: https://selencoaching.com/
10 Day Alka-Terranean Reset: https://access.selencoaching.
