About me
Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Mariana Leila.
I accompany people in connecting with who they are and shaping their expression in the world.
I am an art therapist with a Jungian approach, an artist, researcher, and educator.
My path to get here wasn't linear. It was a journey. Discover my journey so far.
Between worlds: multiple and sensitive
I was born between two worlds, French and Brazilian, inhabiting from an early age the contrasts between the mental and the sensitive, structure and creativity.
I grew up curious about the diversity of the world and human experience , which led me to travel, learn languages, and live in different cultures. Today, I speak four languages , have lived in four countries, and visited more than 30.
I belong to the arts and to creation. To dance, to painting, to writing.
From the body, from movement and from feelings.
I balance depth and lightness, intuition and structure, poetry and pragmatism.
I nourish myself with presence, listening, and soul-deep conversations.
I am a highly sensitive person (HSP), and this influences how I perceive, feel, and relate to the world.
I am many things in one.
Paths that shaped me
From an early age, I felt the desire to contribute to a better world.
Early in my career, I chose to work in this field through public policy. I graduated in Political Science and International Relations in France and, for 12 years, worked in local and international public management in Brazil, France, and Mexico. I worked in governmental organizations, the UN, and the third sector, leading projects in innovation, international cooperation, and partnerships.
I loved this experience and everything I went through in it. It was fundamental to who I've become.
The crossing: from rupture...
On the outside, everything seemed to make sense ; she was following a recognized and successful path. On the inside, something was out of place , and she lived in dissatisfaction.
I found myself trying to fit into external standards , living on autopilot and disconnected from myself.
Over time, this distance made me ill, physically, mentally, and existentially. The pandemic, burnout, and the loss of loved ones marked a breaking point . That's when I was faced with a void and a question that echoed loudly :
Who else can I be besides what I've learned to be?
It was like being between two worlds. The old one no longer made sense, and the new one didn't yet exist.
... to reconnection
So, in 2023, I took a break . I needed to take care of my health and reassess my path.
I didn't know exactly what I wanted, but I knew what I didn't want anymore : living just to keep up, at a fast-paced, mental rhythm.
That's when I began a deep dive . I left my head and returned to my feelings. I started listening to what, within me, was asking for movement.
I understood that it wasn't just about changing professions, but about transforming my way of being in the world .
By recognizing my inner territory, I rediscovered forgotten parts of myself and allowed them to be expressed . I awakened new layers of being and began to give them form in life.
This journey brought me awareness , vitality , re-enchantment , and a profound alignment with my soul.
Today, everything I create is born from this journey through the Dark Night of the Soul.
Art as a portal
Returning to my feelings was essential for me to reconnect with myself.
But it was through creating that something truly opened up and I found myself.
Dance, painting, writing. It was through art that I was able to access my inner callings , understand and organize my inner world , and transform what I was experiencing within myself.
Art has become a portal for reconnection, expression, and healing . A space where I can be, feel, and exist beyond the logic of performance and utility.
What I believe
It was during this process that I understood something essential:
When we don't express who we are, it blocks us and makes us sick. When we put our expression into action, we find meaning, vitality, and wonder.
I believe that each person carries a unique expression, and that the world needs it.
In a society that tends towards standardization and a productive logic, nurturing the unique expression of each person is essential. And this begins early in life.
Children naturally live in contact with imagination, sensitivity, and creativity. But, throughout life, many of us become disconnected from that place.
Therefore, I deeply believe in the importance of spaces where it is possible to feel, imagine, create, and express oneself freely. Spaces where each person can be who they are and flourish in their uniqueness.
My service
My work stems from this place. From my own journey and the passion for accompanying other people in their processes of discovery and expression.
To support this work, I have been training in different approaches that integrate body, art, psyche, and transformation processes:
-
Jungian Art Therapy (Postgraduate | 2023–25)
-
Dance therapy using the Maria Fux method (2024–...)
-
Yoga hatha and vinyasa (Adarsha Ma Prem 2021)
-
Facilitating women's circles (Teser Juntas 2022)
-
Leading creative and decision-making processes (Germinar Program 2023)
-
Bioenergetic and somatic body practices (Gaiarsa - 2025)
-
Mentoring in personal transformation (2024)
-
Tarot, Psychomagic, Metagenealogy, methods of A. Jodorowsky (2025-2026)
My service
Since 2023, I have been creating spaces where children, teenagers, and adults can connect with their inner world and give shape to what lives within them.
Through creative and symbolic resources, I support the movement of internal content, the strengthening of confidence and the expression of that which needs to exist, opening paths of transformation in life .
For me, bringing art into life is about nourishing the soul and giving way to its expression . Art plays a fundamental role in re-enchanting life . It reconnects us with sensitivity, vitality, creativity, and the pleasure of existing with more truth and meaning.
This is who I am and what I do. I nurture a field of re-enchantment in our relationship with life.
_JPG.jpg)