I’m Delfina Hoxha. My name means dolphin in Albanian (among other things). I live in Vienna, Austria and I write.
A monthly-ish publication and a website you’re meant to explore as if you’re diving into it
Somewhere between your best friend’s blog and your city’s government-provided mental health platform, The Inner Dolphin is dedicated to using stories intentionally, covering Albanian culture, careers, mindfulness, psychology research, the concept of time, writing and creativity.
“If I were asked what I want to accomplish as a writer, I would say it’s to contribute to a literature of hope.”
– Barry Lopez and me as well
I used to write an article a day, then switched to weekly, then to one on the first Sunday of every month. One thing about me, I’m always examining what feels right for me in the moment and right now. This has manifested in an irregular I’ll write when I feel like it schedule.
A lot of people like starting from the first article and working their way up, reading The Inner Dolphin like a book. Some readers prefer sticking to a category (like this one). Some like to be surprised. Whatever floats your boat!
I also have a podcast
The Inner Dolphin articles, read aloud by me.
Editing is kept to a bare minimum so you get a very raw version.
The first 5 episodes of The Inner Dolphin Podcast are live on my YouTube channel and on all streaming platforms.
Yes, I have a job!
I’m a Senior Content Designer at 10up.
I don’t really talk about content design here, however, more than 60 of the articles I’ve written are about work. I have a lot of thoughts on how we can build joyful, successful careers that align with our values.
This is The Inner Dolphin logo. My graphic designer friends have offered to make a new one, but I like how the dolphin seems to be smiling and the color contrast. I like the delicate dolphin outline and that it’s a circle logo. My first tattoo was a circle outline; I got it for free too. I like that the logo is something I made in Canva years ago, back when I was aware of analysis paralysis and understood that thinking about the logo and things like that too much would make me lose focus from the only that mattered: the writing itself.
Whether you look at picking a niche, content strategy, SEO, or the logo, you’ll find that this site is filled with gaps and imperfections. But things work. The site is accessible. There are no notifications, pop-ups or other stimuli vying for your attention. It’s just you and the words… and the inner dolphin.