About me
Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Mariana Leila.
Here I share a bit of my journey, what I believe in, and what's at my core. If anything resonates with you, let's talk!
It's in my essence
I'm French and Brazilian, I speak 4 languages and I've lived in 10 cities, in 4 countries, in addition to visiting 35.
Curious about the many ways of living, I am enchanted by the knowledge, cultures and traditions of the world.
I live in São Paulo, but I feel at home in nature - among waterfalls, mountains, trees and open skies.
I'm always seeking expansion and growth - like learning to live authentically, following the callings of my soul.
I'm into the arts, into creation - I love dancing, painting, music.
I am of the body, of movement, of feelings.
I dream of and act for regenerative futures and cultures.
I love to delve into the mysteries of life and be attentive to the subtle language of existence.
I love studying ideas in depth and also living in light and spontaneous play.
Creative flow coexists in me with structure and planning.
I balance poetry and conscience, my head in the stars and my feet on the ground: idealistic in dreaming and pragmatic in materializing.
I create connections between people, ideas, and cultures.
I value hospitality, listening, presence, soulful conversations and sincere hugs.
I love celebrating the achievements and flourishing of others.
I have within me enchantment, joy and love for life.
I am eclectic: multiple in one.
Paths that shaped me
From an early age, I dreamed of contributing to a better world.
At the beginning of the journey, I chose the path of transformation 'from above', thinking about the potential impact of government structures.
I went to study:
Political Science and International Relations in Paris.
Journalism in La Havana.
Urban planning in São Paulo.
Female leadership in New York.
For 12 years, I worked in local and international public management, in Brazil, France, and Mexico. I worked in government, the UN, and the third sector, leading projects in innovation, international cooperation, partnerships, and knowledge management.
I loved and believed in everything I did during this cycle. It was essential to becoming who I am today!
The crossing:
from rupture to reconnection
From 2020 to 2022, life shook me: pandemic, burnout, losses, chronic illnesses.
The emergencies showed me that I was disconnected from myself, attached to labels and external expectations, living a script on autopilot.
In 2023, I took a break. I needed to take care of my health and reevaluate my path.
I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew what I no longer wanted: to live just "getting by" at a workaholic pace, always in my head.
The question resonated loudly: who else can I be beyond what I've learned to be? What would it be like to live in alignment with my inner calling?
So I dove into my depths. I got out of my head and back to feeling. I let my heart guide the way.
Be whole:
embracing multiplicity
I understood that it wasn't just about changing professions, but about deconstructing and changing my outlook on life: moving away from the "life happens to me" mindset and choosing to create a life from the inside out.
By acknowledging my inner territory, I rediscovered forgotten parts that never had space to exist. I awakened new layers of being and authorized their expression in the world.
This journey brought me awareness, re-enchantment and alignment with my soul.
Today, everything I create and offer comes from this process.
Mariana, artist, researcher, therapist and educator, emerges from Mariana who crossed the darkness of her depths and today has the ground to accompany other people on their journeys.
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The art that inhabits me
Artistic expression emerged as a deep calling from the soul and as medicine that helped me navigate the journey.
I longed for a way to express myself beyond the productivist logic of performance and utility. I wanted a space to simply be, feel, and organize my inner world.
Dancing, painting and writing are forms of expression that I experiment with and that allow me to find pleasure and freedom to feel and create.
More than a hobby, recognizing myself as an artist is a way of life: it is authorizing and giving body to the voice of my soul.
As an artist, I experience dance, painting, and writing as spaces of creative freedom, both for the simple pleasure of creating and as a path to emotional self-regulation and exploration of my inner world.
Research territories
As a researcher, I am driven by three major areas:
• The human psyche and soul: authenticity, vital energy, transformation, shadow, integration, creativity, materialization of dreams.
• The world we want: regenerative cultures, interbeing, ecology of love, diversity of knowledge, ancestral worldviews, micropolitics of re-enchantment.
• The invisible that passes through us: spirituality, myths, symbols, archetypes, poetry of mystery.
Expansion of knowledge: training
I have been deepening my studies in:
Jungian Art Therapy (Postgraduate | 2023–25)
Dance therapy method Maria Fux (2024–...)
Yoga hatha and vinyasa (Adarsha Ma Prem 2021)
Facilitation of women's circles (Teser Juntas 2022)
Conducting creative and decision-making processes (Germinar 2023 Program)
Bioenergetic and somatic body practices (Gaiarsa - 2025)
Mentoring in personal transformation (2024)
I love formal education, but I know that true learning comes from everyday experience. My commitment is to share what I've experienced and integrated within myself.
My service as a therapist
I continue to dream of a better world and choose to support the transformations that come from within.
As a therapist, I reveal souls: I guide adults, children, and adolescents, in individual or group sessions, to care for their mental health, deepen self-knowledge, and blossom in their authenticity. I walk alongside them through processes of transition and change, helping each person create a meaningful life, aligned with their soul's calling and the multiplicity that each person possesses.
I don't offer ready-made solutions: I offer companionship, sensitive listening and a loving presence.
My approach integrates artistic and somatic practices, psychotherapeutic resources and organizational strategies, balancing sensitivity and pragmatism, caring for the invisible and giving shape to what wishes to be born in the visible.
My vision: what I believe in
The root of the world's illness lies in the paradigm of separation (from oneself, from others, from nature...).
Healing begins when we remember that we belong to the web of life and that love is the force of reconnection.
The future is ancestral: reconnecting with ancient wisdom traditions and bringing together different knowledge is essential to regenerate society and the planet.
The transformation of the world begins within each person. When someone changes, they also transform their surroundings.
Changing paradigms requires both individual actions (micropolitics) and collective and structural actions (macropolitics).
The world lacks soul. It is urgent to reclaim the intimate experience of the mystery and sacredness of life.
Spirituality is not about escaping from matter, but anchoring oneself in it: in everyday life, in relationships, in choices.
Self-knowledge, spirituality and art are forms of activism: micropolitics of re-enchantment.
In a world that pushes us outward, it is vital to reconnect with the inner universe.
In a society that overvalues the mental, doing and having, we need to cultivate feeling, being and creating.
Inhabiting the body with presence and love is a path to healing and liberation.
Art and beauty are tools of transformation.
We are all artists: to live and love is to create.
Life is a laboratory: we come to learn and grow, and also to experience, feel, create and celebrate existence.
Our mission is to become more and more ourselves and to express what pulses within. The world needs the unique expression of each person.
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My values
Courage
Authenticity
Integrity
Pragmatism
Responsibility
Depth
Commitment
Diversity
Confluence
Apprenticeship
Enchantment
Love of Life
Presence
Careful
Sensitivity