Intentional change starts with longing and imagination.
I help innovators everywhere turn their longing and imagination into
adaptation and resilience.
Welcome! I´m Maya.
Post-grief optimist. Adaptation strategist.
Storytelling futurist. Inquiry activist.
I help people move from dissonance, anxiety, and grief about the present/future to a reality-based recognition that inspires them to choose adaptation and craft resilience.
The silver-ish lining offered by our metacrisis is that 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.
My radically practical approach has been consistently effective with clients in 18 countries.
By creatively disrupting the typical methods of moving through the stages of grief
via weekly therapy sessions over a period of months,
it opens a powerful pathway to healing and growth through
daily deep and imaginative exploration and reconciliation.
It's a unique blend of principles from Active Inquiry, The Work That Reconnects, creative breakthrough coaching, trauma-informed facilitation, and engaged storytelling.
Despite the heaviness you may feel when we begin,
you will emerge with new levels of
clarity, creativity, and commitment...and a surprising sense of relief.
And it all happens in two weeks.
CLIENT STORY:
N. - owner of a community-building consultancy in the U.S.
¨Maya guided me almost daily during our time together.
Our conversations (calls plus back-and-forth voice messages) gave me a chance to explore key ideas and settle into this new way of being and thinking.
Instead of fearing my future, I am actively creating it!
I have new tools for building resilience that energize me daily, and new adaptation habits that increase my focus and optimism."
Debilitating despair harms people and our planet.
¨Despairalysis¨ is a combination of anxiety and unprocessed grief that leads to hopelessness and inaction.
It´s preventing us from facing our metacrisis and building our individual and collective efforts to adapt and build resilience.
We must:
◻️recognize the risks and process our own grief about what we are losing
◻️move forward with full awareness and inspired engagement
CLIENT STORY:
R. - founder of a non-profit organization in the U.S.
"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.
Talking to Maya changed everything for me.
She 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 and momentum!
I am so thankful for this new sense of resonance, and for feeling re-inspired to do this work."
What I offer is a mix of my:
◻️grief work from my own life experience and helping others around the world face their losses
◻️specialized training in trauma-informed facilitation and creative breakthrough coaching
◻️great gigs as an author, artist, educator, mindfulness trainer, mediator, non-profit leader, and business owner
◻️diverse interests in Deep Ecology, regeneration, psychology, art & culture
◻️creative approach to disruption as a powerful force for systems change
◻️global perspective from living in six countries and exploring many others
◻️love for localization to deepen community cohesion and resilience
◻️future focus as the grandmother of five little ones
How can we observe and serve emergence rather than attempt to deny, ignore, or prevent it?
Now is the time to accept our reality.
We must shift our mindset and actively choose adaptation practices that support our Earth and all life.
Whether you are experiencing eco-anxiety or simply recognizing that our future requires us to proceed in new ways, I can help you feel a sense of control and confidence even as you wade into the uncertainty.
I offer a two-week 1:1 transformative conversation series called Choosing Adaptation.
Choosing Adaptation is a journey from grief to gratitude.
CLIENT STORY:
L. - executive director of a climate-related organization in the U.K.
¨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 by the end of our 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 adaptation habits with my mission feels aligned and inspiring."
I've gotten 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.
CLIENT STORY:
S. - former climate risk analyst for a U.S. company
"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 as the risk analyst, 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.¨
Coming to terms with collapse can be a lonely experience.
In fact, the majority of my clients find it hard to discuss it with even their closest friends, family members, and colleagues.
I understand, because I also struggle with this.
So, I fiercely protect their privacy as they navigate this process.
I'll protect yours, too.
Also: I will steer you toward communities that can be supportive and inspiring.
CLIENT STORY:
T. - sustainability lead for a U.S. company
"To be honest, I have been dissing the doomers. I thought they were just negative people casting doubt on our efforts. But now that I am talking with actual collapse-aware folks, I realize that we all all long to feel optimistic, but in a REALISTIC way.
I thought accepting collapse might change my personality. I'm a positive guy.
Now, my positivity is more balanced. It's based on the truth.
I'd rather know than NOT know. Honestly, knowing is a huge f#$*ing RELIEF.
Knowledge is power. I want to be among those who choose to use it wisely for the sake of the world. Who WOULDN´T want that?¨
Curious about how I started doing this work?
Well, it was not at all planned.
And, like a lot of other projects, it was sparked by the pandemic,
when things were rocky and foggy for so many of us.