Loss, change, and trauma.

I was adopted at two days old. My parents divorced when I was four. (When my father told my mother he was ¨homosexual,¨ she had to look it up in the dictionary.)

We moved to Oregon to live with my mother´s parents. Six months later, my grandfather died suddenly while mowing the lawn. My grandmother (primary caregiver) spiraled into early dementia, and attempted to kill me - twice. (She believed I had brought bad luck to the family.)

My father attempted to kidnap my two brothers and me, resulting in a ban on visitation for five years.

My mother remarried to a divorced man with four children. We moved into a garage we built in rural Oregon.

Sexual abuse began immediately. I had just turned 10.  

⬆️ complex childhood trauma 

I studied, saved the money I earned from working in the fields, and acted like I was just fine. ⬅️ denial & suppression

Then, at 15, I was the sole survivor in a devastating accident..It happened while visiting a friend miles from where I lived. My parents and the police insisted it would be best if I never mentioned it to anyone, ever. Nobody suggested counseling. ⬅️ lack of acknowledgement of suffering

I did not tell a single person - not even my siblings - for years. 

At 17, I met my birth mother. We began a difficult relationship. 

Backstory: She had become pregnant at 21 after falling in love with an older married man who lied to her about being separated (his wife and son were planning on joining him once the school year finished) and infertile (he had impregnated his secretary six months earlier).

My birth mother attempted suicide twice while pregnant with me, and showed up at my birth father´s workplace with a loaded gun, threatening to kill herself unless he married her. 

She never had any other children, and was diagnosed with M.S. at age 28. (Research now shows that M.S. can be related to anger and its impact on the nervous system.)

⬆️ intergenerational trauma

I plotted my escape.

As valedictorian of my class ⬅️ perfectionism I got a scholarship/financial aid package and headed off to college. I double majored in psychology and Asian Studies, and spent my senior year studying in nine Asian countries. It opened the world to me.

When I returned to Oregon, newly graduated, it was the middle of a recession. Stuck at home and unable to find a job for months, I became convinced that the future I´d imagined for myself was slipping away from me.

I believed I would be unlucky forever.

⬆️ persistent limiting belief despite recent fulfillment and success

At 22, I realized I needed a new mindset and a fresh start.

So, I legally changed my full name. 

I was ridiculed by friends and family.

My adoptive father even ¨disowned¨ me.

I didn´t care. 

I went from Greta Welchoff to Maya Talisman.

And I fully committed to believing that I was magically LUCKY.

⬆️ switch to a new story to replace the ¨unlucky¨one 

I breathed it in. I chanted it to myself. 

I saw ONLY good things coming my way.

I imagined every detail.

Ding ding! Now watch how everything shifts...

Almost immediately, I landed a job teaching English in northern Japan. 

Within two months of arrival, I met my soul mate, who grew up just ten miles from my hometown.

Two years later, we got married, and had four daughters within five years, fulfilling my dream of creating my own family and doing things differently.

After five years in Japan, we settled in a college town in Oregon. My husband started an import/export business with Japan, and I taught ESL classes at the university. 

When our youngest started preschool, I opened a vintage/resale clothing store that catered to local students and international resellers. Those were fun seat-of-our-pants years, with four young children, three businesses (including a snowboard/skateboard shop), and a long list of community activities. We organized the building of a skate park and a Saturday Market for vendors ages 10-20, and won awards like Hometown Hero and Best New Business.

When our four girls were in middle and high school, I was reminded of my own experiences at their age, including the accident and its aftermath. 

I was also processing the deaths of three of my brothers (one of AIDS, two by suicide).

I doubled down on my mindfulness practice.

And I remembered my fun little mindfulness game. 

I thought it might help others. So, in 2003, I created a simple online course. 

Through my course and newsletter, I was able to help thousands of people in over 100 countries get calm, clear, and creative. My playful eyes-wide-open approach to everyday awareness was featured in over 150 media outlets around the world.

As new empty nesters, my husband and I bought and refurbished a farmhouse in rural Uruguay.

That was great fun, but we missed being around kids. We decided to return to Asia to teach young children again.

We got jobs teaching at a private kindergarten in Beijing. Within a year, I was promoted to vice principal.

Weeks later, I was recruited from a pool of top creative international educators to serve as the private English tutor for the family of Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, in Hangzhou. 

After four years in China, we moved back to Mexico, where we immersed ourselves in creating art.

During an epidemic, I got chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus that causes severe joint pain. (Not so lucky, but wait!)

I developed an excruciating related autoimmune condition similar to rheumatoid arthritis. It came with a terrible prognosis of a shortened life due to progressive joint and organ failure. I skipped the chemo-drugs-for-life prescription and focused on natural healing methods.

Within two years, I became completely symptom-free and healthy without ever taking medication.

I started creating digital art. I turned my work into NFTs that sold to collectors around the world, and donated the proceeds to organizations working effectively on climate change solutions. 

I became a vocal advocate for sustainable blockchain practices and ethical AI standards. I spoke on international panels and published articles in sustainability journals.

My art was shown in exhibits in the UK, Spain, France, and Italy.

There´s a trendy thing now called ¨lucky girl syndrome¨ that inspires some and gets others sputtering. Many insist that it is not possible to ¨think yourself lucky.¨ 

I know it´s possible. And I know how to make it work.

My ¨lucky girl syndrome¨ keeps leading me to new dreams in my personal and professional life.

And I apply this same approach to helping individuals and groups create intentional change for the common good.