Meet Nesli Akkol | Social Entrepreneur and Magazine Style Blog Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nesli Akkol and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nesli, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Whether to keep going or to give up is a very personal journey and only each one of us can answer this question for ourselves. Here are the key metrics I use: 1) How will giving up, at this stage, affect my overall life goals and purpose?
2) Is this detrimental to my or others’ mental, emotional or physical health?
I list all the pros- and cons- and decide accordingly. But if it’s something I really aspire to do, I am known for not giving up – unless of course it has irreversible negative effects on me or other people.

What should our readers know about your business?
City of Angels with Nesli is a magazine-style blog that aspires to explore Los Angeles through my column and various interviews with an eclectic group of Angelenos, miracle creator nonprofits and small businesses from all industries who do marvelous work in LA – in a way highlighting the “angels” of Los Angeles. It is a byproduct of my multi-cultural perspective and provides a bilingual platform with options in English and Turkish.

Most LA blogs that I follow usually cover the City through restaurants, shops, museums or other similar experiences, and I wanted to create a more organic and journalism-style blog to explore our exciting city through its biggest asset: the mosaic of diverse people and organizations that make up LA.

I want to show that ordinary people can do extraordinary things and I strive to give hope to others. Everyone we meet is an expert in something that we don’t know much about. All people deserve “publicity” and that’s why I started this magazine-style blog – – to give a well-deserved and my version of “Shout-Out” to LA’s hidden treasures and talents. Discovering other people’s stories and strengths is also fascinating in the sense that it provides us with distinctive tools to understand our own journeys better.

The biggest asset that I capitalize on is when people from different backgrounds, whom otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet or collaborate, come together. Following the pandemic, we plan to add in-person events and panels to bring our readers and interviewees together and I am excited to see where this journey will take us next.

Launching “City of Angels with Nesli” in the middle of a pandemic and with my full-time job has definitely been challenging, especially in the beginning, however, this intensive process has also taught me how to multi-task, focus on what really matters and prioritize accordingly.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
After spending the first few days showing them main attractions such as the Rodeo Drive, Hollywood sign and museums like the Getty and LACMA, I would spend the rest of the week navigating less touristy places starting with the Venice Canals. Surprisingly, many people don’t know that this lovely historic site –obviously inspired by Italy’s Venice– is the very place that named the famous LA neighborhood Venice!

Neighborhoods like the Main Street and Montana Avenue in Santa Monica shine an excellent light into the daily lives of locals who live close to the beach, with some great non-mainstream stores and activities including the technology store “Jadis”, where you can find fascinating science and film props such as German director Fritz Lang’s famous robot from “Metropolis”, the first feature length sci-fi movie ever made circa 1927, which was on sale a few years ago. (Costing about 200k!)

Downtown LA’s St. Vincent Court is an absolute passageway gem with unique architecture and great Middle Eastern and French food. It reminds me of the historic passageways we have in Turkey, we adore them.

To me, with its serene and stunning garden designs, the Lake Shrine Temple in Malibu, where some of Gandhi’s ashes are also reserved in a beautiful memorial, is a must-see, especially for yoga and nature lovers.

The breathtaking City Hall and surrounding architecture in Pasadena, would teleport our guests to a cute Mediterranean town in Europe, even briefly. And finally, I would take them to DTLA’s Arts District to experience unique art galleries and street art before we head out to my apartment Metro 417, again in Downtown, to enjoy some Kambucha beers -that we got from the Arts District- on the rooftop of the building as we chill down against the stunning view of skyscrapers. We would also be waving at people across the street who are dining at the renowned rooftop restaurant Perch.

To me, local gems are much more magical than mainstream attractions. I took some visitor friends to these (and similar) places and they were grateful for the unforgettable experiences.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First off, I’d like to give a special Shout-Out to my mom, Atifet Akkol. She is an eternal inspiration not only to me but also to my friends and relatives. We always reach out to her when we seek advice. She is very wise and witty. She has a creative solution for almost every problem you can imagine. She is sort of our individual and family therapist. She is funny too, which helps tremendously. Just ask my family and friends in Turkey, where I am originally from.

Also, my blog and some other life projects would have never happened without my friend and intellectual partner-in-crime Ashley McGullam. She is the sister I never had and I also learned how to lift people up from her. Here’s to many more uplifting and meaningful projects together.

A special highlight to my Angeleno friend Lea Zagaria, who always guides me with her constant love, light and perseverance. Recently, she got her dream job at a major entertainment company – she is the epitome of always believing in yourself and walking towards your dreams no matter what other people do or say.

Recently, I’ve also found inspiration in the book “Alice’s Life Lessons” by Alice Kovalsky which was written and published during the pandemic. We all have the potential to live our best lives and to spread our magic to the world. You can find a free copy of this amazing book here: https://alicekovalsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Uncut.pdf.

As an organization, I would say The American Cinematheque, the world-famous nonprofit movie theatre, where I have been a publicity department volunteer and member since 2010. They believe all movies are meant to be watched on the big screen and offer phenomenal year-round programming for film lovers. They are simply a “tour de force” in bringing very diverse people from different backgrounds together through the common language of film – making our lives much more meaningful. It’s also where my interest in social entrepreneurism was born, and I met some of my best friends there. I simply cannot think of an LA without them.

Speaking of film, I also receive unwavering inspiration from what2watch2night.com, a platform run by a dear movie critic friend of mine, featuring some excellent reviews and recommendations.

And, finally, a very special Shout-Out goes to the New Challenge Ministries. They have been operating a food bank in Torrance for over 35 years serving hundreds of thousands of people in need every year. They are much more than a food bank or a church as they go above and beyond, including collecting clothes, school supplies, Christmas gifts and toys for low-income families. No need to look for Batmen or Supermen in real life, their leaders John and Laura Hernandez are pretty much the real-life heroes fighting hunger in Los Angeles 24/7. It’s been a privilege to have known them since 2013, and to this day I still don’t know how they deliver their mission, every-single-day without a break!

Website: https://www.cityofangelswithnesli.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cityofangelswithnesli/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neslie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cityofangelswithnesli

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl3tdM44yrsSWodb1j3IDOQ