Thank you so much to all of you who came to our final Okan show on the 18th October and supported the tour this year. It feels big to have completed.
This year I have been learning a lot about leadership… the highs, the lows, the loneliness and the power in walking our path…
And that leadership is about walking our own path so clearly that others are inspired to walk theirs too… recently… in the wintering months, that path led me to the softest place: rest, restoration, and the deep knowing that we are all worthy of care simply because we exist (more on this coming later) 🥰
Today’s blog post includes:
The JOY Hour
Crowd funder: Wear the Change
What is Happening at EMC and Maya Gandaia ltd
Reflections on rest
The JOY Hour Podcast
Last month, I launched a podcast: The JOY Hour, which has already ranked at position 184 in the category Self-Improvement in the United Kingdom which I think is pretty cool! The vision is to share conversations with beautiful and brave creative souls who have remembered that when they put joy at the heart of their art, their business, and their life, everything transforms. The next episode features Nidhi Bhatia, exploring the theme of ‘taking up space’. This episode drops on the Winter Solstice (21st December).
Crowdfunder: Wear The Change
I would love to ask for your support today Ella, because for the past year I’ve finally been getting over my fear and procrastination and raising funds to make magic happen with my limited but passionate knowledge around clothing and sustainability.
The first seed of this creation happened in 2015/16, when I did my first ever Land of Plenty, (I invite you to experience your own Land of Plenty during my 14 day challenge, which starts this month on the 23rd December).
A Land of Plenty is a kind of meditation where you see what you would truly love to create outside of your identity, outside of societal conditioning and outside of what you ‘think’ you want…
In mine, back in 2015/6, I saw myself living between Portugal and a beautiful home on a tropical island, running a fashion business, with a very lovely husband… all of these things at the time were kind of shocking and the vision was completely different to what I ‘thought’ it should be, especially because I didn’t think I would ever get married, I knew absolutely nothing about fashion, and most of all, because the man who was my husband in the vision was in the same room as me at the time I did my Land of Plenty but I had never even spoken to him before (more on this during the 14 day ritual)!
The second seed of this creation happened a few years ago, when I made a dance piece called A Jellyfish Love Song, which involved a lot of research around the oceans. During that project, I learnt how micro-plastics, such as in polyester and in clothing, are ending up in the sea and are affecting the coral, and the whole ecosystem of the ocean. As I started doing more and more research I learnt how much clothing that we think is being recycled or reuses in the Global North world is actually ending up being dumped in the Global south for example in Ghana where it is destroying beaches, taking up space, and polluting…
And then the third and final seed… a huge catalyst for me was on the 6th January 2024, at the end of last year’s 14 day challenge, when I pulled the one choice I needed to work on for the year: my sustainable fashion choice
And I laughed when I pulled it, because this is the one choice that has been oscillating/stuck for me ever since that first Land of Plenty… I have had so much resistance and ‘stuff’ coming up and have always ‘justified it’ and ‘reasoned’ that because so many of my other choices were flowing and ‘needed my full attention!’ I would do this one later… and later… and later… so of course it was the choice I was left with, and this was why I had to smile when I pulled it.
It’s not been an easy journey though: there was still a huge resistance, and there have been so many moments this year as I have built it that I have felt like caterpillar soup (again to go back to that life cycle of the butterfly metaphor!). But I really have committed to this project, this year and to finally making it happen… and here is what has unfolded:
- I’ve had an amazing mentor via the Digital Boost programme
- I have worked with four designers to create eight pieces in 100% organic cotton and eco-silk (each with a second life as butterfly wings or jellyfish for creative play)
- I found a sustainable factory in Portugal – just like in my first Land of Plenty vision!
- I applied for the She Begins programme by Digital Boost and Natwest for new women-owned businesses, where they match what I raise on a crowdfunder… and I was accepted!
So here I am… asking for your support Ella, in whatever way you are able. I am not allowed to donate to this crowdfunder myself (of course!), but, every single penny donated by my readers will be doubled by Natwest! And to make your money go a long-long way, I have come up with 11 amazing rewards that mean that you get something of high value with every donation. You can choose an amazing reward (including access to this years 14 day challenge!) here… and experience something magic at the same time as supporting to get this exciting project off of the ground!
We have three weeks left to raise 3,000 pounds, and it would mean so much to me to do it! It’s been a huge journey for me, a huge transformation: there have been so many moments I have wanted to quit… but I am determined to honour the magic of the 14 day challenge and my Land of Plenty, and I am really committed to this cause and to making it happen.
Even if you can’t support with money, please may I ask you to share the crowdfunder it with someone who it might inspire?
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/maya-gandaia-wear-the-change
Thanks so much!
Upcoming Events
As the end of the year approaches, here are some invitations for you to join the company in making magic:
👥 FREE In-Person Event: The Wheel of Consent
9th December, The Place, London | 9:30am-12:30pm | 9 Spaces Only
Join me for an intimate container to experience the 3 Minute Game and practice the Wheel of Consent in person. This powerful work around boundaries, touch, and consent transforms how we relate to ourselves and others.
Free. In-person. Limited to 9 people.
Email [email protected] to secure your spot.
🎁 The Bridge Between Worlds: 14 Day Challenge Ready to complete 2025 and set powerful intentions for 2026? Join me for 14 days of ritual, reflection, and course-correction during the sacred Rauhnächte 23rd December – 6th January 2026, (when the veil is thinnest and your intuition is most on point!) Intuitive planning for creative souls. Includes 3 live calls, a course and a group to connect into daily. £44 for the first 22 registrations (20 left currently), then £55 thereafter.
🌴 3rd-8th March 2026: Yucatán Retreat Sacred medicine ceremonies, embodied alchemy, and creative rebirth in the sacral chakra of Mother Earth. Deep pelvic bowl work in one of the most potent energetic locations on Earth. Early bird pricing until December 31st 2025 (Get £400 off if you book before the 31st December!).
Final Invitations and reflections on Rest
As we move toward the longest night and the sacred Rauhnächte (part of the 14 day challenge A Bridge between Worlds), I invite you to consider: What would it look like to lead through rest?
To complete and acknowledge all you have created this year with rest?
To honour your own needs so completely that you lead the way for others feel they have permission to do the same?
This is the medicine I’m choosing as we close 2025…
Because rest itself is an act of leadership in a world that profits from our exhaustion.
