Intentional change starts with longing and imagination.
Future Foreword
helps innovators everywhere
turn their longing and imagination into
action and adaptation.
Welcome! I´m Maya.
Storytelling futurist. Adaptation activist.
Change strategist. Realist with a twist.
I have helped women in 18 countries create a deeper connection with their own longing and leverage their imagination for the common good.
From climate initiatives to social programs, community gardens to artistic endeavors, wellness support to entrepreneurial ventures, we have partnered to craft crystal-clear concepts and presented compelling stories that connected and inspired their chosen communities.
It has been an incredible honor to work with so many women as they faced deep loss, found their way to resilience, rebuilt their lives, and rediscovered joy.
Now, I am deeply committed to helping three different groups:
🟦 individuals moving from climate anxiety toward collapse awareness, post-grief optimism, convivial solidarity, and creative action
🟦 collapse-aware leaders and innovators working toward a regenerative future
🟦 transition-oriented groups ready to reframe their narrative in order to connect more deeply with those they serve
Debilitating despair harms people and our planet.
¨Despairalysis¨ is a combination of climate anxiety and unprocessed grief that can lead to helplessness and inaction.
It´s preventing us from facing our polycrisis and building our collective efforts to adapt.
We must:
◻️recognize the looming risks and our own grief about what we are losing
◻️move forward with full awareness, post-grief optimism, and inspired engagement
Post-grief optimism is my specialty.
We can face the reality of our future with our eyes and hearts wide open, and funnel the power of our pain into developing resilience and connection.
While there is plenty of personal work to do on our journey forward, creating together is essential for expanding our commitment to adaptation.
By creating space for longing, imagination, grief, optimism, and joy,
we can co-create stories that inspire us to build our new future.
PLEASE NOTE: I NO LONGER CHARGE FOR MY WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS.
Though I do accept payment when collaborating with groups,
I offer my services at no cost to
🟦collapse-aware innovators and
🟦individuals working through climate anxiety toward deep recognition and post-grief optimism.
If you feel you could benefit from working with a skilled, compassionate mentor in your personal or professional shift toward our regenerative future, I would love to hear from you!
Want to expand your view of the future in just five minutes a week?
Sign up below to receive creative-thinking prompts weekly in my Substack.
My work is a rich blend of my:
◻️great gigs (author, artist, educator, mindfulness trainer, mediator, creative breakthrough mentor, business owner)
◻️diverse interests (ecology, regeneration, psychology, art, culture, tech & business)
◻️playful approach to disruption to shift mindsets and solve problems
◻️global view from living in six countries and exploring many others
◻️love for localization to enhance cooperation
◻️grief work from my own life experience and helping others around the world face their losses
◻️future focus as a grandmother of five
I have a lot of experience grappling with grief.
I have been wracked by grief,
walloped by grief.
and 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.
From loss and grief to connection and JOY.
Whether dealing with a daunting personal crisis or the realization that we have profoundly (and perhaps irreparably) damaged our planet, we can find ways to move toward deeper inspiration, connection, action, and yes, joy.
Below are eight [non collapse-related] client stories that show the types of difficulties that we can overcome together through new narratives and creative action.
Which one resonates most with you?
Akiko
friendship coach
Japan
¨Loneliness is a big problem in Japan. After my husband died and my two children moved to Tokyo for jobs, I was very lonely, too. But I had moved many times, so I knew how to make friends! I helped my neighbors and co-workers make friends, too. But I didn´t charge money. Soon, I had too many people to help.
Maya showed me how to make a fun friendship course online, like a game. Everyone loves it!
So many people all over Japan take my course. I have private clients, too. I have a big wall with so many photos they send to me with their new friends. It makes me so happy!
I never dreamed I could be a professional friendship coach. My children are so proud! I am very honored to help with this issue in our society.¨
Sharon
grandparent mentor
South Africa
¨My daughter died suddenly of cancer, and I gained custody of my two granddaughters, then ages 2 and 4. I was still grieving from the loss of my husband the year before, and had a stressful job as a social services director. I was completely overwhelmed.
Maya showed me that I could help other custodial grandparents. I had worked with many in my job, and now I truly understood their challenges.
In our session, it became clear that I could start by creating support groups within the agency I worked for. I really enjoyed helping other grandparents, and decided I was ready to start my own organization.
Within a few months, I quit my job to expand my services to grandparents outside of South Africa. I now work from home, where I can spend time with my sweet girls. It has been a joy to devote my time to helping other grandparents.¨
Rana
retired journalist
Lebanon
¨I turned to Maya after a young woman in Beirut died of her injuries while reporting on the street in front of my home. I was heartbroken. As a former war correspondent, I wanted to help these brave new reporters protect themselves from harm.
Maya encouraged me to partner with one of my conflict-experienced colleagues to offer free safety training, supplies, and mentorship to street correspondents. The work they do in bearing witness and creating informative videos for social media and news sites is crucial for Lebanese citizens and the world.
I am thankful for the chance to help these committed citizen reporters stay safe.¨
[NOTE: I have lost touch with Rana since the recent Israeli bombing of Lebanon began.]
Marla
herbalist
Canada
¨After I was diagnosed with multiple auto-immune diseases at the age of 44, I felt like my life was over. I had always been active and healthy. Suddenly, I was bedridden.
I moved in with my mother, who had a small farm.
I am so lucky that she became a skilled and passionate gardener in her later years! I paid close attention to the lessons she taught me. As I got stronger, I quite literally dug into understanding more about the power of herbs to heal our bodies.
And then my mother died. I was devastated. Maya helped me to see the potential for using the farm to help others who were suffering.
As a certified herbalist, I now teach parents of immune-compromised children how to use medicinal herbs to improve their family´s health and happiness.
I have so much gratitude for the chance to live in this beautiful place, and to honor the ground my mother so lovingly tended.¨
Irina
psychologist
Ukraine/Poland
¨Our city was destroyed. My son and I fled to Poland. As a psychologist, I recognized the severe trauma that all war refugees were experiencing, but I was terrified to try to help anyone. I felt too fragile. I feared I would be overwhelmed by their grief.
Maya helped me to see that I could use my grief as my power. I had empathy and the skills to guide others through this unimaginable misery.
I started a free clinic for displaced Ukrainian mothers here. Working with them has helped me to heal myself each day.
I have brought my remaining family members here, and I support them through the work I do with private clients. Although the horrors continue, we focus on caring for each other and finding small everyday joys.
This is the most deeply fulfilling work I have ever done.¨
Zahra
muralist/instructor
U.S./France
¨When the pandemic hit, I crashed. The pain of helplessly witnessing the deaths of so many of my neighbors in New York City broke me.
Maya got me going again. I created an online course for other muralists. Helping artists brought me back to myself. Decision makers started to approach me. I was offered projects that I never would have attempted to apply for.
Then, my mother fell ill. I left New York and moved back to France to care for her. (I am French Algerian.) Returning to a predominantly African community touched me deeply.
Again, I reached out to Maya for help. Her process gave me clarity. Now, I work with young artists in immigrant communities to create murals that instill cultural pride.
As my mother was dying and our neighbors offered loving support, I realized that this is truly where I belong. I am honored to do my life´s work here.¨
Helena
tiny home designer
Finland
¨My partner died in an accident. A few months later, the architecture firm I worked for was acquired and moved abroad. As a single mother, I needed to find work, but in my small city, options were limited.
Maya helped me to see what I truly wanted. I had designed a tiny home that was built on my property for my mother. Having her so close truly enriched our lives, and I wanted to help other families bring their older loved ones closer.
I had my first client within two weeks of working with Maya! I started my own firm, and now have two employees.
Each day, I look forward to talking to the team and meeting with clients. I love the work we do together!"
Sonya
vocal coach
UK/Italy
¨After getting panic attacks during my last two performances, I had to stop doing what I loved most and had trained my whole life for. I was grieving.
To pay the bills, I worked six days a week teaching local voice students in my flat. I became physically ill, and my anxiety was at an all-time high.
Maya walked me through the tech, and within a week, I was teaching all my students online! I got healthier and more relaxed.
Next, she showed me how to start an online voice course. It attracted high-level clients from all over Europe, allowing me to raise my rates and work fewer hours.
Then, Maya revived my long-forgotten dream of living in Italy. Within a year, I bought a charming little house in a small city in southern Italy. I helped my mother refurbish her own home near mine, and my daughter (who works remotely) now lives with her.
I have partnered with a local teacher to create a free after-school music program for over 200 schoolchildren here.
At 56, I am happier, healthier, and more connected to my community than ever.¨
Curious about how I started doing this work?
Like so many things, it was sparked by the pandemic.