About

I grew up on a council estate in North London, and when I was four, my mum had a life-changing stroke. As you might expect, that made my early years a little… unconventional. Becoming a young carer meant balancing school with responsibilities most people don’t encounter until much later — which sounds dramatic, but mainly involved learning to be adaptable, resilient and organised before a normal person would need to be.

Unsurprisingly, that mindset didn’t go anywhere — it just became extremely employable. It carried me to the University of Cambridge, and later into an intense corporate career. I followed the usual path: worked hard, progressed quickly, and ticked off the milestones I’d once thought would make me feel settled and successful. On paper, it all looked perfect. In reality… it felt fine. I was grateful, even privileged, considering how tough things are for most people, but honestly, I was tied to a demanding job selling software I didn’t really care about, which wasn’t exactly how I imagined “making it” would feel when I was younger.

Somewhere along the way, it became clear that my idea of success had been slightly off. What I actually wanted was freedom, variety, and a life that felt nourishing and exciting rather than neatly contained between meetings and annual leave. I didn’t want the world to exist as something I occasionally visited or mostly consumed through screens in the evenings after work. I wanted to decide what to do and when — not live for the brief relief of switching my out-of-office on.

So in 2025, my husband and I left corporate to start our own business, Plantish, while slow travelling through Asia — partly because we love it there, and partly because London rent is… London rent.

Over ten months, we built the business across six countries, figuring things out as we went and embracing a level of uncertainty that would have horrified my former, calendar-loving self. It wasn’t always easy, but it confirmed something important: this was the kind of life I wanted.

Once Plantish was largely running itself, I finally had the mental space to return to things I’d slowly pushed aside — learning, creating, helping others, and trying new things purely for the sake of it.

That return to creating is what eventually led me to YouTube: a place where the aforementioned could coexist. On my channel, I share my career journey, travel experiences, and more — not because I have all the answers, but because I know I’m not the only one questioning the default paths we’re handed.

Right now, I’m not trying to present a finished version of anything. I’m just being honest while figuring it out — and trying to put something useful back into the world along the way.

Timeline

1994

Born in London to Turkish parents who had moved to the UK a decade earlier and sensibly decided to raise me with strong opinions and zero chill.

1998

My mum has a stroke, my parents divorce, and childhood takes a brief but formative wobble. It’s an early lesson on how quickly life can change its tone.

2007

Teenage years unfold in the usual way: confusion, angst and general anxiety about what the hell I’m supposed to be doing with life, with the added bonus of being a young carer. The untraditional childhood means I become adept at managing a household at a young age, and it sets me up to be adaptable and ambitious.

2013 – University of York

I don’t quite know what I want to be when I grow up, but I go to York and study History, largely because it’s the subject I hate the least. It turns out I don’t mind it at all, especially when it involves arguing in essays and flexing my best muscle: overthinking.

2016 – University of Cambridge

I decide I like History enough to keep going, and also that delaying the working world to accept an offer from one of the best universities in the world feels like a very reasonable life choice. I do an MPhil in World History and crush it, but don’t crush it quite enough to get PhD funding.

2017 – Michael Page Group

Eventually, adulthood arrives. I move back home to care for my mother, get a proper job, learn what “stakeholders” are, and discover that most people are just making it up as they go along. It’s nice to be earning money, and finally feeling “grown up”.

2018

I develop a rare neurological disorder, Visual Snow Syndrome, out of nowhere and it completely wrecks my life for about six months. Work, plans and confidence all go on pause while I try to work out if I’m dying, and Chris, my boyfriend of 2 years, and mum help me get through the worst of it.

2019 – Experian

I get well enough to resume my career and transition into tech, finding my footing pretty quickly. I learn how to build relationships, navigate corporate life, and sound confident on calls even when I’m Googling most things mid-meeting.

2022 – 6sense

I transition into a fast-growing SaaS company and grow quickly alongside it. The work is the most intense I’ve ever experienced, and as I slowly start to lose my free time to the crazier schedule, I quietly begin to question what I’m doing with my life.

2023

I go from Aila Bicer to Aila Collins after marrying Chris on 20th May, which happened to be our 6th year anniversery (just kidding, we totally planned it to be that way lol).

2024

I step into my first leadership role, managing a team of five. It’s very rewarding, slightly terrifying, and a crash course in how to be everything to everyone all at once. I love parts of it, but when I realise I’m capable of all that I’m doing, I wonder why I’m still working for someone else.

2025

I walk away from the respectable, well-paid and deeply draining career to start a journey of learning and experimentation, to give building something of my own a go, with my husband Chris as my teammate. If I’m going to work my ass off and be good enough to climb the corporate ladder, maybe I can do it for myself?

Today

I’m spending time learning, creating, and helping other people, all while building a business as a digital nomad. The business isn’t profitable yet, and it’s all very confusing, but I’m enjoying the process more than any job I’ve ever had.