Welcome!
I´m Maya, an adaptation activist, imaginative futurist, and creative breakthrough coach.
I help collapse-aware people go from dreading and delaying to dreaming, daring, and DOING.
As the founder of Collapse Forward, I work with those who are longing to start living fully in aligned ways now, despite the chaos and uncertainty.
Join clients in 20 countries who have dismantled their doom loop, electrified their sense of what is possible, and launched thrilling projects that make life better for people and planet.
Being honest enough to face our reality is an act of love and devotion.
We can turn our awareness of what’s ending into energy for what’s emerging.
Our actions don´t need to be huge to have an impact.
In fact, small is beautiful, and local is LIFE.
In about 30 days, you can:
🔶 bolster your balance despite unsettling times
🔶 expand your creativity to see new options
🔶 explore your wild idea (that one that is calling to you)
🔶 take action with clarity and excitement, and
🔶 connect with others who share your enthusiasm
...all with daily personal support and encouragement.
From land regeneration projects to joyful acts of political resistance,
community food banks to local climate adaptation plans,
circular businesses to neighborhood dance parties,
we focus on inspired action that brings us together and protects the places we call home.
If you´re longing to use your curiosity, creativity, and courage to build a better future,
you´re in the right place.
¨I was barely able to get up in the morning. My work felt worse than meaningless--it was causing harm. I reached out to Maya from my bed, hopeless and wanting to quit. She shifted everything.
I started understanding how I was contributing to my own despair. I created new habits, and got excited about the power I had to improve things. Sharing my concerns at work made me feel brave. Maya helped me do it in a way that invited honest conversation.
There is more to do, but I am seeing major progress already.¨
Rana - production analyst for a manufacturing company
¨I lost the job I had loved for twenty years. I spent months at home, watching terrible news. I hit rock bottom, fearing for myself and the world.
Maya guided me through a creative re-imagining process. This inspired me, made me see things differently, and led to being offered an amazing new role!
I feel like a different person now. I honestly believe that this experience with Maya saved my life.¨
Maria - former events producer, now director of a community-building organization
¨Becoming aware of our metacrisis was crushing for me. Then, my dad died. I questioned everything I was doing, how I was living, and certainly how I pictured the future.
Maya´s process helped me reclaim my choices. I committed to big changes, and took action immediately. I quit my job, sold my apartment, and moved to a two-bedroom cottage on two acres. It has enhanced every thought, every relationship, every action.
I have a simple small-town life, but it feels so much richer."
Michael - former media consultant, now founder of a local conservation program
Despair and paralysis have become our new normal.
(It´s all part of the plan to make us feel too hopeless to act.)
But this despairalysis is dangerous.
Waiting to act deepens worry. Procrastinating prolongs pain.
Delaying our aligned, adaptive way forward amplifies despair.
And the curiosity, courage, and creativity we need to protect what matters most?
These wither...unless we choose to revive them.
If you are a:
🔶 change-maker seeking enlivened energy to continue your critical work
🔶 leader recognizing your pivotal role and ready to rise to the challenge
🔶 coach looking to support your clients in new ways as they navigate this messiness
🔶 parent searching for tools and options that help your family build resilience
🔶 thinker longing to do something meaningful with your knowledge
🔶 dreamer imagining turning your ideas into creative and collaborative action
NOW is the time to disrupt your despairalysis.
Instead of waiting for a clear sign to act, you can start making things better for yourself, your loved ones, and your community.
Friendly reminder: waiting for a clear sign to act is what got us here.
TRUTH: taking action enhances healing and connection.
Yes, reality and our emotions are complex. But excessive processing is isolating and demoralizing.
We can pay attention to what´s going on and how it affects us while also taking action.
Let´s begin where you are, and go where you´re longing to go.
I'm not a typical coach.
And I'm certainly not a therapist.
But I happen to have an oddly ideal set of skills and experiences that have given me insight and a long list of happy clients.
How did I learn to creatively disrupt despair?
VOLUME...and a very early start.
We humans are not designed to deal with this continuous flood of both daily triggers and distant threats.
🔶We are designed for collaboration and care.
🔶 Your grief is a clear sign of your love for living things.
🔶 Your anger can be converted into energy for creativity and thoughtful action.
🔶 Your fear can be stabilized by learning how to view uncertainty with curiosity.
🔶 Your guilt can be turned into inspiration to live fully in ways that protect all living things.
🔶 Your dread can be transformed into anticipation of your best possible future.
🔶 Your deepening and breakthrough can lead to real action and meaningful impact.
¨I got to the point where I could barely look at my kids without getting weepy. It felt impossible to protect them. I watched them become fearful. It broke my heart.
Maya helped me pour my sadness about the world into loving action. She offered support as I moved with my children to France. I feel calm and happy here, with a loving community. I am so thankful for this new life.¨
Lisa - former county administrator, now owner of a natural foods store
¨I had not realized how much I had pulled away from people. I could barely get up to face the day. Anything social felt like a farce.
So I was surprised by how much I actually laughed with Maya. With her encouragement, I started a small group to talk about our crises. That changed everything! I no longer feel alone, and we are actively plotting and laughing together."
Monica - library administrator
¨It became harder to imagine a future where people could be universally cared for. I was feeling hopeless about my divided city and the loss of funding for life-saving programs.
Maya helped me turn my advocacy work into something far more local and personal. Bringing the focus to my own neighborhood felt like a relief. I could help those I actually see, and develop a strong web of support that is beautiful and rich. I feel rooted and grateful.¨
Nicole - former national director for a non-profit, founder of a new community program
When I was a child, my grandmother taught me about the power of marigolds as companion plants in the garden, keeping aphids, tomato worms, and squash bugs away.
She told me, "Marigolds are friends that help other plants grow strong."
What I offer is wise companioning rather than coaching or counseling, so I use marigolds as a beautiful symbol of this work.
I spent the pandemic stuck in a studio apartment in Buenos Aires for months during one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world.
I knew there were people who were suffering terribly all over the world.
And I longed to help.