I didn't plan to build a storytelling platform. I just wanted to connect with my daughter.
Eva was 6 at the time — smart, sensitive, full of questions I didn't always know how to answer. One night, after a hard day, she asked me quietly:
"Baba, is it my fault when people are angry?"
That hit me harder than I expected.
I paused. And instead of giving her a neat answer, I did something instinctive: I made up a story. It was about a little fox who thought she caused the storms around her. Over time, she learned that storms come and go — and they're not her fault.
Eva listened in silence. Then she smiled.
The next night, she asked for the fox story again.
And that's how it started.
It became our evening rhythm — not just stories, but gentle tools for making sense of big feelings. No lectures. No pressure. Just imagination, safety, connection.
Eventually, the product builder in me kicked in. I started sketching out how these kinds of stories could be created at scale — personal, age-aware, emotionally intelligent. A kind of tech-enabled parent sidekick. One that helps us say what matters when words feel hard to find.
That's what led me to build NurtureStories.
It's not about screen time. It's about story time — done thoughtfully.
Stories that help kids feel seen. And help parents show up, even on the days they don't have the energy to explain the world.
I'm not building this because I've figured parenting out.
I'm building it because I needed it, too.
If any part of this resonates with you, I hope you'll join us.
— Sal Kaya
Founder, NurtureStories.com