The Virtual Campfire: Ozan Varol Getting Where You Want to Be

One of my recent favorite episodes of The Virtual Campfire is my interview with Ozan Varol, "Getting Where You Want To Be."

Ozan is a former rocket scientist, turned award-winning professor, successful blogger, and author of the number one best-selling book Think Like a Rocket Scientist. His interest in science was piqued as a child, and he then worked in academia for many years. Ozan had early childhood experiences growing up in Turkey that shaped his interest in astronomy. He shared how he overcame a huge language barrier to come to the US to work on the Mars Exploration Rover project. Ozan discussed the many pivots in his life and the things he implemented in order to achieve his end goals, or 'moonshots,' and he described taking a leap, against advice, to start a blog and write his fantastic book. He also tells us of the book and poems that had a significant impact on his life.

"The high that comes from success lasts for the briefest of moments. It's all about the path, the process, the journey, and just retraining my brain to recognize those small moments of joy." – Ozan Varol

Check out the episode here and many others here. The fire is warm, and the stars are bright!