I help women* turn their longing and imagination into bold acts of joy that heal, inspire, and connect during this pivotal period for our planet.
Together, we bear witness to all that is crumbling AND open to new ways of being and belonging.
Our superpower? Embracing JOY as a tool for transformation.
Welcome! I´m Maya.
Post-grief optimist, storytelling futurist, and accidental grief worker.
I help women transform their dissonance, anxiety, and grief about the state of the world into intentional acts of joy.
And we wave that flag of joy as:
ritual
resilience
resistance
rebellion
regenesis
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 powerful, 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, but all are welcome here!
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.
What we are experiencing is unprecedented.
It is a form of trauma that is:
🔶collective (though unevenly distributed)
🔶ongoing (and accelerating rapidly)
🔶unfathomably high-stakes (ultimately affecting all of the world´s landscapes and ecosystems and the vast majority of the human population)
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 and collaborative way of living.
Things are changing quickly.
Maybe you're beginning to recognize that collapse is happening.
Maybe you have seen it coming for years.
No matter where you are on the collapse-awareness continuum, I can help you move into a more engaged and energizing level of acceptance and adaptation that stirs up some joyful mischief and strengthens you and 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 deep 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 and cumulative 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.)
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 emotions AND your flow of ideas, and that sparks energy and creativity.
¨I lost the job I had loved for twenty years. I spent months at home, watching terrible news.
I hit rock bottom, fearing for the world and myself.
Maya worked her magic in loving ways. It felt like plotting with my best friend.
In that first month, I put up a flyer and held my first group meeting.
We did our first joyburst.
A week later, I was offered a paid position based on my idea and leadership! I am beyond thrilled to continue this exciting work.
I feel transformed by this experience with Maya.
Maria - event facilitator for a community organization in the U.S.
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 joyful action that uplifts you, activates your unique gifts, and inspires others.
And you start right away.
¨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.
+ + + + + + + +
¨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 into my mission feels aligned and inspiring."
Laura - executive director of a climate-focused organization in the U.K.
+ + + + + + + +
"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.
+ + + + + + + +
"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.