Intentional change starts with longing and imagination.
I help women* turn their longing and imagination into bold acts of joy that heal, inspire, and connect.
Welcome! I´m Maya.
Post-grief optimist, storytelling futurist, and good-Natured grief worker.
I help women move from dissonance, anxiety, and grief about the present and future to a reality-based recognition that moves them to engage in intentional acts of joy.
And we wave that flag of joy as ritual, resilience, and resistance!
These acts are visible, community-focused, and contagious.
They have ripple effects that inspire and transform others.
If you're looking for a way to do something that is meaningful, healing, and (dare I say it?) fun, you're in the right place!
*Psst! Collapse Into Joy is designed for those who identify as women. I am committed to working with women only for the rest of 2025. (It's our turn now.)
Let's be clear: collapse is already happening.
Social unrest and war.
Political dysfunction and authoritarianism.
Climate emergencies and ecological destruction.
Financial instability and economic inequity.
We are beginning the most tumultuous time of our transition.
The silver-ish lining offered by this metacrisis:
even with the losses we face, we can move toward
a deeper connection with Nature,
a stronger sense of community and belonging,
and a more conscious way of living.
Things are changing quickly.
Maybe you're just now recognizing that collapse is happening.
Maybe you have seen it coming for years.
In either case, I can help you move into a more engaged level of acceptance and adaptation that stirs up some joyful mischief and strengthens your community.
My approach has worked beautifully for 130+ individual clients in 18 countries.
It's a creative disruption of the typical methods of moving through the stages of grief.
Rather than weekly counseling/therapy/coaching sessions over a period of months,
I accompany you through
a process of inspired storytelling (yours!) and
daily imaginative envisioning of the future you long for.
This builds momentum toward what you truly want from the very first day,
with mind-shifting insights that are continuous and compounding.
This is NOT about denying or ignoring grief.
Healing is an ongoing process, especially during this time of collective trauma.
We recognize the despair while tapping into the energy of longing and funneling it forward.
Despite the heaviness you may feel when we begin,
you will emerge with greater
clarity, creativity, and commitment...and a surprising sense of relief.
You will have:
🔶a strong concept and strategy for your action
🔶awe-inspiring adaptation practices that support you
🔶tangible progress and grin-worthy momentum
Oh, and it all happens in about a month.
Collapse Into Joy is a journey from grief to gratitude to glee.
(Yes, really.)
¨I lost the job I had loved for twenty years. I spent months at home, watching terrible news.
I hit rock bottom, fearing the worst for the world and myself.
Maya worked her magic in loving ways. It felt like plotting with my best friend.
In my first month, I put up a flyer and held my first group gathering.
We did our first joyful action.
A few weeks later, I was offered a paid position based on my leadership!
I feel transformed by this experience with Maya.
Maria - event facilitator for a community organization
I am good at grappling with grief.
I have been wracked by grief,
walloped by grief,
and yes, I have wallowed in grief.
Each time, I walked back into the world
more wide-eyed and full of wonder.
And I help others find their way there, too.
How did I learn so much about grief?
VOLUME....and a very early start.
We dive into your longing and imagination, discovering your optimal joy action that uplifts you, activates your unique skills, and inspires others.
And you start right away.
You can start blooming faster than a marigold grown from seed. 🌱
Because rather than working your way through a group course or doing one coaching session per week, you get personalized 1:1 attention every day for two weeks.
Being heard deeply and encouraged consistently releases your flow of ideas and sparks energy and creativity.
¨Maya guided me almost daily during our time together. Our voice chats were like having a personal coach in my pocket!
I feel so much lighter despite everything that's going on, because I can see that I am having an impact.
Instead of fearing the future, I am actively creating it.
I have new rituals and tools for building resilience that energize me daily. I bring this bright energy to those I serve (who are facing cuts right and left) and it truly is contagious.
I did not expect such deep change in such a short time."
Noreen - owner of a community-building consultancy in the U.S.
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¨After COP29, I spent days in bed, unable to function. For the first time, I realized that there may be no way to stop the collapses that are already happening.
Maya helped me reach a level of acceptance that could work for me - more savvy wisdom than doom and gloom.
And after two weeks, I felt like a new person! I can recognize my triggers and reflect on my reactions without sinking into despair.
Grief and anger? Still there when I read the news. But I embrace each day with a real and upbeat sense of what is possible. I focus on building resilience in myself and those I lead. Weaving my new joyful adaptation habits with my mission feels aligned and inspiring."
Laura - executive director of a climate-focused organization in the U.K.
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"I was ready to close up my non-profit at the end of 2024.
I felt guilt and shame for giving up right when we need to do so much more.
Maya helped me see that I was overwhelmed and fearful rather than hopeless.
We worked on ways to build resilience for myself and my organization.
I am already seeing results!
I am so thankful for this new joy and resonance, and for feeling re-inspired to do this work."
Reyna - founder of a social justice non-profit organization in the U.S.
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"I was basically the class clown in our small company, but everyone knew I took my work seriously. So when I explained that we needed to dramatically ramp up our efforts like 10x or not bother, they thought I was joking. But I brought the graphics. They could see the truth.
At the end of the day, the CEO told me that we couldn't move forward with my mindset. He said that positivity was the priority.
I went home and cried. I knew I had changed the course of my life in that one meeting.
I reached out to Maya, and honestly, it was the best thing I have done for myself in years.
She has given me tools to see the future in a realistic way that still gets me excited about what I can do.
I cannot overstate what a life-changing experience this has been.¨
Sara - freelance climate risk consultant in the U.S.
Curious about how I started doing this work?
Like a lot of other projects, it started during the pandemic, when things were rocky and foggy for so many of us.