Thank God It’s Friday – Yeliz Çiçek

She was editor-in-chief of Vogue and decided to steer her career in a different direction. Being part of a larger whole may be fantastic, helping and inspiring entrepreneurs is what truly makes Yeliz's heart leap. And preferably in a high-fashion ensemble, because you can take the girl out of Vogue, but you can't take Vogue out of the girl. Because Yeliz knows exceptionally well where life is good, I asked her for this column.

Dear Yeliz, if you had to give your life a score at this moment, what would it be and why?

A solid 9.

I always try to be grateful for where I am in my life at that moment. Of course, there are always things you wish for or are working towards, but I think it's important to also see what is already there.

I have a nice home, work that makes me incredibly happy, great friends and family, a nice guy, with a similarly large Turkish family, which brings a lot of joy. And also in Amsterdam, which I don't know, because my own family comes from Nijmegen.

What I think makes me feel extra happy now is that I have really found a warm home with my husband. He is calm and stable while I often have a hundred ideas at once and fly in all directions. That balance is exactly what I need.

Because of him, I have started living much more in the moment. I enjoy the little things more, life as it is now, and also my work. I worry less, have more confidence, and experience more peace. And that might be the greatest wealth there is.

We have known each other for a long time. Just before I went on maternity leave at Marie Claire, you came there as an intern. We hardly worked together, but my French boss was immediately completely ‘épris’ of you, as the French say when they are completely in love with someone. The magazine world had your love, and yet you ultimately went in a different direction. How did that process unfold?

Haha, yes, you have known me for a long time. So you know how long I have been working in the fashion and media world. I started there, as a young girl, really as a guppy, in the editorial office of Marie Claire. That was already 14 years ago. Under the wings of the wonderful Agnès. I learned so much from her. She had something incredibly elegant. Not only in how she dressed, but also in how she spoke, worked, and interacted with people. Chic, in everything.

Many people know me from after that, from LINDA.meiden or Vogue, and when I stopped, it felt very sudden for some, but for me it didn't feel that way at all. By that time, I had already been working in the fashion and media world for over thirteen years. I had made a beautiful journey: from Marie Claire to Glamour, LINDA.meiden, and finally Vogue Nederland.

But somewhere it started to itch. I felt more and more strongly that I didn't just want to tell stories, but also wanted to build something myself. I had so many ideas. A podcast, a platform for women, new concepts, new ways to make an impact. Within a publishing house, there are of course always frameworks. A lot is determined, weighed, and coordinated. Understandably so. But I noticed that I was increasingly craving complete creative freedom.

And maybe I had just become too entrepreneurial for the publishing world. Entrepreneurship has literally been instilled in me since childhood. I grew up among entrepreneurs and always knew that I would eventually create something under my own name. So at some point I thought: if I have all these ideas, why should I wait for someone else to give the green light? I just have to do it myself.

That was exciting, of course. But also liberating. For the first time, I could fully follow my own vision, without compromises. And looking back now, it was exactly the right moment. Sometimes you just feel: the chapter has been beautiful, but it's time for a new story.

Now you are a multi-faceted woman. You are a consultant, author, podcaster, journalist, and founder of fi.business, or the Female Initiative Business Academy. What does an “average” week look like for you?

No week is actually the same for me. With all those different companies, projects, and hats I wear, every week looks different. But honestly? That's what I thrive on. I am a Gemini, easily bored, and love doing different things at the same time.

On average, I do reserve certain days for specific parts of my work. So I usually have a day for my consultancy agency, with discussions for new projects, strategy sessions, and consultations with founders and brands. Another day is often dedicated to podcast recordings for How to Get the Job (Done). Additionally, I spend a day on Studio NK, the fashion label I have invested in, and there is often a day for various other things: giving a keynote, recording content, hosting events, or interviews.

What I also consciously schedule nowadays is a CEO afternoon. One Friday afternoon a month where I zoom out and look at my own companies and personal brand from a helicopter view. Where am I? Where do I want to go? Is everything getting enough attention? What opportunities are we missing? Do we have enough content? That moment of reflection is perhaps just as important as the work itself.

So yes, it is busy and varied, but it is precisely that combination of strategy, creativity, entrepreneurship, and building different brands that gives me energy.

Back to this column, it is Friday afternoon 5:00 PM, where are you, with whom, what are you wearing, and what is in your glass?

If the weather is nice, I sit on my boat, with a glass of champagne or on the terrace with a spicy margarita. But nowadays I drink very little, that provides more clarity in my head. But in the summer, of course. With the sun, sailing with my love, or friends, nothing more to do.

Perfect weekend according to Yeliz

If you could fill it in completely, what would your perfect Friday look like?

Then I am free. I sometimes try to plan it free, but often it is just too busy. But I find Friday the best day to be extra free. Then I go to Movements in the morning for a yoga class, grab a coffee at Coffee District, and if they have an almond croissant, I take that too, then I walk in the afternoon and read something, and maybe do an hour of emails to wrap up the week. And in the evening something fun with Alkan. We are both busy during the week, so on Friday evening I always want to be together and have quality time.

And Saturday, how does that look?

We often walk to the Albert Cuijp and then we eat all kinds of delicious things at the market and buy fresh vegetables and fruit. We eat 'gözleme' every week - they make them fresh at the Albert Cuijp, which are a kind of Turkish pancakes. The owner knows us by now and expects us to come every Saturday, haha. Reading, listening, and restaurants.

What is being read, listened to, and watched in the Çiçek household?

I love to read, not only novels,

but also self-help books, . I also listen to many podcasts about self-development. Joe Dispenza, Jay Shetty, Lewis Howes, Roxie Nafusi, I love them. I turn them on while cooking, my little moment. Furthermore, we really have a bipolar playlist: from Turkish classics to R&B sliders to indie pop, anything can come up.. There are surely restaurants on a list that you still want to discover and test.

I want to test Rotate, just new in the city. Furthermore, I recently went to Little Bonfire, which I can really recommend. Fantastic terrace, right on the canals, delicious cocktails, and divine food.

And there is probably a restaurant that you keep going back to, while you should actually be testing all new, hipper things.

At least, that's how it goes for me. Peekelharing! My local pub. It's in my street, and it remains a fantastic place. I often sit at the big reading table there, then I really feel like I belong, as a regular pub guest. I never get tired of it.
Does your Sunday look different from your Saturday? And if so, how does it look?.

Sunday means rest for me. We have agreed at home that we try to put our phones away as much as possible, because a lot of work takes place on the phone for us. We often go for a walk, in the woods or to the beach.

Imagine: flight shame, time difference, and other earthly matters don't matter. What does your ideal weekend look like then?.

On Friday a cocktail on the roof of Soho House in Istanbul, with an amazing view over the Bosphorus. On Saturday, I stroll through New York for inspiration and visit museums, and on Sunday I relax at the natural pool of hotel Forsthofgut in Austria. I think it's one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever been to, right in nature.
You are also a podcaster, as your Insta bio says. Which podcast makes you mute incoming calls nowadays because you just want to keep listening?.

I love listening to the interviews of Jay Shetty (On Purpose) and Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy).

And finally: how do you prepare for Monday again?.

By really taking rest on Sunday and looking at the week for an hour from 4 to 5 PM and making a plan for it. That gives me peace.

This is what the weekend of Yeliz Çiçek looks like.