Whispers of Izola with Urška Košir

“Life is like sailing: sometimes the bora blows, other times the sea is calm.”

The new season of the Whispers of Izola podcast moves outdoors. We walk through Izola with our guests, change locations along the way, and show the places they feel most connected to. For the first walk of this season, we set off with a local Urška Košir, a psychologist and researcher in the field of public and mental health, who speaks about health directly—without embellishment and without universal formulas.

This episode was recorded on the move: from Korte and Kaštelir, past the Burja Sailing Club and the old harbour - "mandrač", and finishing at the table in the Restaurant of Hotel Marina. The conversation follows a common thread: health as a relationship, a process, and an everyday practice—not as a goal you achieve once and then simply “move on from.”

Professional path and personal experience

Urška Košir holds a PhD in experimental psychology, which she completed at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on psycho-oncology, health literacy, and psychological adjustment to illness, particularly among young people.

While studying psychology at Yale University in the United States, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Part of her treatment took place in the US, and part in Slovenia, including at the Institute of Oncology in Ljubljana. This experience has profoundly shaped her understanding of health, recovery, and the kind of support people need when facing similar situations.

Sailing as freedom

An important part of Urška’s life story is also sailing. As a teenager, she was a highly successful sailor; in 2009, she became World Champion in the Laser 4.7 class in Búzios, Brazil. In the podcast, she explains that sailing is not just a sporting achievement for her, but an experience that teaches patience, reading conditions, and working with nature—wind, waves, and one’s own limits.

Health without myths or shortcuts

In the conversation, Urška reflects on why discipline without listening to the body is not necessarily a path to health, why health is not only an individual responsibility, and how strongly our environment shapes the way we feel. We talk about bodily vulnerability, the limits of modern “healthy lifestyle” ideals, and everyday rituals that have long-term effects—from movement to the time we give ourselves and those close to us.

What can you expect in the first episode of the new Šepet Izole season?

- A winter walk to Kaštelir and a conversation about what a healthy lifestyle really means in practice
- How Urška contributes her expertise to discussions about more holistic patient care within healthcare systems
- Why sport is not necessarily about discipline, but about listening to your body
- What sailing—even at the highest competitive level—has taught her about life
- How environment, community, and the place we live influence our health
- A closing moment over the flavours of Hotel Marina’s restaurant
- Why food is not just pleasure, but also an important source of energy and recovery

To finish, we surprised Urška with a playful set of personal myths and truths—from bicycles in the living room to a dog guarding her home. How did she do?

Listen to the first episode of Šepet Izole 2.0. #SOON