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In today’s conversation, Elizabeth sits down with her good friend Ruana, co-owner of Dunie, a multidisciplinary design studio in Almaty, Kazakhstan to talk about how having a special needs child has affected her life and her creativity as a writer.
Ruana’s young son Idris suffers from a very, very rare genetic disorder that severely impacts his life and future. During the course of the long, frightening and uncertain journey to stabilize him, Ruana needed a heart ablation for what some considered a broken heart. If you are a parent of a special needs child, please be aware that some of the conversation might feel triggering. Please be gentle with yourself.
Thank you so much to Ruana for sharing her journey with us and of how she overcame her loss of creativity to express it in new and wonderful ways. Ruana is a truly inspiring person and I am grateful for this meaningful conversation that will encourage many listeners.
About Ruana:
Ruana Esengosova is the co-founder of Dunie Design. With a background in International Management and Japanese Art, she has always been passionate about heritage and culture. After living for 14 years in the UK, she has come back to Almaty with dreams of establishing Dunie as an international Central Asian brand and gaining more insight into her roots. When she’s not juggling motherhood, she likes to watch anime, write teenage angst romances and send cat memes to her loved ones.
Chapters & Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:42 Thoughts on Borat and Kazakhstan
02:11 Almaty Travel and Seasons
03:10 From Wattpad to Long-Term Friendship
04:54 From Delivery to Diagnosis Journey
07:55 Creativity Through Pain
11:06 Finding Dunie Community
13:53 Starting Dunie Vision
15:55 Building a Design Movement in Central Asia
19:38 Writing Meets Design
22:36 Visual Diary Practice
27:09 Future Goals and Doubts
31:34 Social Media Double Edge
36:22 Two Versions of Ruana’s Life
39:15 Writing Serious Stories
43:15 Closing Thanks and Farewell
Links:
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