How did
the idea
come about?

 

Didde Gökpinar - Founder

I started my corporate career in 1999 as a 19-year-old expat in London where I became an IT project manager in a surveying company.

Since then, I have helped build two successful companies, sold pork in Dubai and been part of the HSEQ team in a global group.

I used to go to work in my fancy Hugo Boss suits with matching heels and feel pretty unbeatable until my life changed dramatically on September 3rd, 2018, at 4:15 am.

I woke up due to a severe feeling of dizziness. I stumbled around my apartment, and everything seemed upside down. It was confusing and scary, and it didn’t stop. Over the next months I ran to one doctor after the other. Well, I didn’t run, I meandered. At some point it was clear, that there was no physical reason for my dizziness. I remember the chief physician at the hospital informing me that I had a depression and that the quickest way to cure it was through acceptance.

 

I felt ashamed and scared of what people might think of me. But another side of me had heard the second sentence the doctor said. It spoke to my liking for efficiency. So, I took a long hard look in the mirror and promised myself to be truthful all the way through the journey I had ahead of me.

Back in 2014 I had already started doing yoga, this helped me calm my nerves and guide me through my divorce.

Yoga ultimately helped me through my depression as well. With gentle exercises on the yoga mat and under the expert guidance of wise yoga masters who took the time to take care of me when I was too weak to do it myself, I slowly healed from within. 

Through yoga I have reduced my stress level immensely. This released energy for something more important. I became aware of patterns in my behaviour that I could then change - For the benefit of all of those around me

I spent 5 years studying yoga philosophy, yoga theory and how to teach yoga, as well as relevant anatomy, physiology, and pathology. It was something I did just for me. I wanted to understand why yoga worked so well for me, I wanted to learn more about the wisdom of this old tradition. But along the way I realized that this is what we need, to find a healthier way in the corporate world.

I started this company to prevent my story from repeating itself. I know that there are a lot of employees out there, who just want to do their best, who want to deliver and be on top of their game.

I also started this business because I know there are many employers who want to proactively take care of the well-being of their employees. There is a need for a solution to deal with, more and more long-term illnesses due to physical pain, stress and depression. I understand that Executives must think about numbers, I appreciate that they need to be performing to the best of their abilities to stay relevant in the market.

I found a perfect solution to those two challenges. Yoga has been proven to reduce stress and makes you more focused.

The last reason for starting this company was the inspiration of my kids. I wanted to be able to be there for them when they got sick or had a bad day at school. I know that I am not the only one who needs that. A lot of us need flexibility to make all ends meet. I wanted flexibility to be one of the key factors in the setup of the company. Across languages, time zones and daily unforeseen happenings. The internet is a great tool for this, but without the powerful team of Happy-Home-Office this wouldn’t be possible.

We are very different individuals, but we all have one thing in common: We want to give our participants something valuable! We want you to get the most out of every session. This resulted in the Happy-Home-Office approach.

Of all things concerned with Happy-Home-Office, the team is my proudest achievement!

Namasté