Intentional change starts with longing and imagination.
I help innovators everywhere
turn their longing and imagination into
awareness and adaptation.
Welcome! I´m Maya.
Storytelling futurist. Inquiry activist.
Post-grief optimist. Adaptation specialist.
Collaborating with collapse-aware innovators.
I help those working in (mostly) climate-related roles move from dissonance and anxiety about the future to a deeper understanding that fundamentally shifts their awareness and leads to creative adaptation and crafted resilience.
The good news: despite the losses we face, collapse can actually move us toward other things we are longing for:
nature connection, deep community, and simple living.
We go on a wild journey together...and it´s not for the faint of heart!
But, in addition to the list of longings above,
we can find new levels of clarity, energy, and a surprising sense of relief.
Debilitating despair harms people and our planet.
¨Despairalysis¨ is a combination of anxiety and unprocessed grief that can lead to hopelessness and inaction.
It´s preventing us from facing our metacrisis and building our individual and collective efforts to adapt.
We must:
◻️recognize the looming risks and our own grief about what we are losing
◻️move forward with full awareness and inspired engagement
How can we serve emergence rather than attempt to deny, ignore, or prevent it?
Now is the time to accept our reality in order to shift our mindset and actively engage in Choosing Adaptation practices that will support our Earth and each other.
For those already choosing adaptation, we use active inquiry to focus on Crafting Resilience.
Are you ready to think, live, and work in more conscious and collapse-aware ways? One or both of these two-week series will guide you there.
Choosing Adaptation is a journey from grief to gratitude.
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.
How my clients feel before and after the Choosing Adaptation series:
Most people are reluctant to share their stories about collapse awareness publicly.
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 struggle with this, too. So, I fiercely protect their privacy as they navigate this process.
But to give you an idea of the transformation that is possible, I share these anonymous stories from a few of the 22 individual clients I worked with in late 2024 (post-U.S. election and COP29) using my Choosing Adaptation series.
¨I was already struggling with my new business before the election. Afterward, I found it impossible to imagine a positive future.
Maya worked with me every day for two weeks. I have to say that I not only have new energy for my business, but I have a clearer sense of where to focus that energy.
I know things are going to get harder, but Maya helped me find my balance in uncertainty without feeling helpless. I feel ready and able to tackle whatever comes next, and I have tools to help me find small wonders every day to keep me inspired."
J. - owner of a regenerative start-up in the U.S.
"I was basically the class clown in our small company, but everyone knew I took my work seriously. I think that's why what I said caused such an uproar. They didn't see it coming, and certainly not from me.
So when we had that meeting where 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 tapped on my door. He closed it behind him, sat down, and sighed.
He said, I understand what you're saying. But we can't move forward with that mindset.
In this work, positivity is everything.
I went home and cried. I knew I had changed the course of my life in that one meeting.
Thankfully, I had seen Maya on LinkedIn. I reached out to her, and honestly, it was the best thing I have done for myself in years.
I´m still not sure what´s next for me, but I know I´m not alone. Maya has given me tools to see the future for myself and the planet in a realistic but also pretty exciting way. I have connected with others in this same situation, and I know I will land on my feet.¨
S. - climate risk analyst 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 long to feel optimistic - but in a REALISTIC way. I'd rather know than NOT know. Honestly, knowing is a huge f#$*ing RELIEF.
How many days did I sit at my desk, head in hands, beating myself up? Walking around with that pit in my stomach. Dreading the meetings of back-slapping about tiny goals met. Keeping it all to myself. Who could I ever talk to?
But the sooner we start talking about this, the sooner we can work together using this new knowledge to build something different.
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.
Knowledge is power. I want to be among those who choose to use it wisely and share it for the sake of the world. Who WOULDN´T want that?¨
T. - sustainability lead for a U.S. company
¨The news just kept getting worse day by day. COP29 made me recognize that we may not be able to avoid a catastrophic collapse. I spent days in bed, unable to function.
Maya responded immediately to my request. She helped me reach a level of acceptance that could work for me. After a day (in bed) of back-and-forth conversation with her, I started feeling able to cope. 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 face each day with a new reality-based focus on building resilience in myself and those I lead.
Weaving my new Creative Adaptation guideposts with my mission goals feels aligned and inspiring."
L. - executive director of a climate-related organization in the U.K.
"I was ready to close up my non-profit at the end of 2024. I felt like I was facing an uphill battle with the leadership change in the U.S. and in my state. I knew my work was important, but I just did not have the energy to keep pushing.
I felt guilt and shame for giving up right when we need to do so much more.
Talking to Maya was incredibly valuable. She helped me see that I was overwhelmed by my tasks rather than feeling hopeless about my mission.
By zeroing in on just two areas, I felt so much lighter. I am already seeing better results because I actually LOVE these tasks and bring my best ideas and energy. Momentum feels much more likely.
I wasn't seeing how much work I had created for myself that wasn't serving my mission. I am so thankful for this new sense of resonance and for feeling re-inspired to do this work."
R. - founder of an ecology-based non-profit in the U.S.
My work is a rich blend of my:
◻️great gigs (author, artist, educator, mindfulness trainer, mediator, creative breakthrough coach, business owner)
◻️diverse interests (ecology, regeneration, psychology, art, culture & tech)
◻️playful approach to disruption to shift mindsets
◻️global view from living in six countries and exploring many others
◻️love for localization to deepen community resilience
◻️grief work from my own life experience and helping others around the world face their losses
◻️future focus as the grandmother of five little ones
Curious about how I started doing this work?
Well, it was not exactly planned.
And, like so many things, it was sparked by the pandemic.