About

Mariya Graestone

Love Coach / Lighthouse

The truth is: it’s not about me.

It’s more about you – but it’s even bigger than that…

It’s really about Love, the frequency that vibrates through you and me and the entire Universe.

Dappled sunlight in a room with a chair and a blanket

My Love Story

As a lifelong student of personal development, coaching became a natural expression of my passion.

And when I discovered Relationship to be the most fertile ground for my deepest inner work, a new specialty began to take shape.

The roots of it go back to the early stages of a budding romantic intrigue that quickly brought on a particularly familiar unpleasant realization: This person wasn’t going to meet my needs.

As it dawned on me that I had been here before – and on more than one occasion – I decided to try something different. When everything around me was urging me to leave, I cupped my ear to my heart, and I opted to lean in.

What I discovered through my triggers was an unfulfilling reliance on external validation for my sense of worth and acceptance, and the salvational ability to validate myself.

From there, I embarked on a journey of self-love and acceptance that took me through 7 years of a relational crucible that purified my relationship with myself.

In that process, I learned how to accept myself and others as we are, to stop trying to change anyone or even wish for either of us to step out of alignment, to change dynamics instead of people, to prioritize alignment over “togetherness”, and to provide my own approval and security.

As it turns out – I am the greatest love of my life. And from this awareness, I can show up to Connection with a full and pure heart.

Background

My credentials aren’t the formal kind…

I completed a self-paced personal development course when I was about 10 years old, and later went on to devour several books on the subject, including “The Road Less Traveled”, by M. Scott Peck.

As I matured out of adolescence and pursued a variety of interests, I continually took notes on anything I came across that helped me better understand myself and flesh out a comprehensive worldview.

By my mid-twenties, I began to compile all that I’d learned into a book, with the hopes that it might ease someone else’s journey.

After exploring a wide variety of professional exploits (including Travel Agent, Dog Trainer, and aspiring Hosteller), I made my way to a coaching course (created by an ICF certified coach), and embarked upon my Path of Purpose, which eventually came to be clarified as Empowering Compassion.

Studies

In the following few years, I consumed several Mindvalley courses and webinars, completed Bob Proctor’s 24-week course, “Thinking Into Results”, studied Nonviolent Communication, practiced Authentic Relating and Circling, did an intensive Authentic Leadership and Facilitation Training, read countless articles and inspiring posts, as well as numerous books, and apprenticed with energetic masters.

Some of the most influential books I’ve read include Ken Wilbur’s “Integral Life Practice”, Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth”, Charles Eisenstein’s “The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible”, Pema Chodron’s “When Things Fall Apart”, and Michael A. Singer’s “The Untethered Soul”.

Through it all, my own personal development has perpetually evolved and become brilliantly refined. I have worked with a number of guides and a variety of modalities, made all of them my own, incorporated what fit for me, discarded what didn’t, learned to hear my own inner guidance, and released the drive to “fix” myself and others. What I have now, I call my Peaceful Power Practice.

Contribution

Along my journey, I’ve discovered that I find the purest joy in connecting with other humans, and that I’m a naturally gifted teacher. I have a deep appreciation for the human experience, and I have found nothing more fulfilling than guiding others to the light within themselves.

I am now working on a more comprehensive book that will advocate for love, self-love, and empowered compassion. Stay tuned!

In Humble Service

I don’t pretend to be an idealized human with all the answers. I do offer my authentic self, though, and a loving space for you to express your authentic self and to learn to bring it into your relationships and your whole life. If you would like to explore working together, please reach out. If we decide to move forward, we will find an arrangement that works for both of us.

If you require a guide who exudes certainty and authority and will tell you exactly what to do, then I am not for you. I AM NOT YOUR GURU. I am not your savior. I am a naturally humble, ever-learning supporter and lighthouse for fellow travelers on this journey of life, in service of Love.

Choosing a love coach is a very personal matter. Find one who resonates with you. Read through some of my blog posts or watch some of my videos to learn more about my philosophy. If you think I might be the one, let’s have a chat to be sure.

Please note: I’m not here to save you or fix you, and I only work with clients who exercise Personal Responsibility. I do respect wherever you’re at on your path, though, and when you’re ready, I’ll be here.

Namaste