About Maya
hi, i’m
maya.
I’m a relationship and life coach based in Portland, Oregon, working with people everywhere. For twelve years I’ve sat beside individuals, couples and small circles in some of the hardest, most hopeful conversations of their lives.
12
years coaching
2,400+
hours in session
6
people per circle, at most
My story
Most of what hurts between people isn’t a lack of love. It’s a lack of words for the hard parts.
01 Why I do this work
I grew up in a warm, loud house where the tender things went unsaid until they came out sideways, usually at dinner and usually about something else. It took me years to see that nobody was the villain. We just never had a way to talk about what we needed.
That gap is where I work now. Most people I meet aren’t short on care. They’re short on a shared way to bring up the hard thing and still feel safe with each other afterward.
02 How I work
Slowly, and on purpose. We start with what is actually happening this week, not the story about it. I’ll ask about your body as often as your thoughts, because a tight jaw usually knows before you do.
Sessions move between talking and noticing. We pause when something lands, follow it, and leave room for quiet when quiet helps. You always leave with one small, concrete thing to try before we meet again.
03 Training & credentials
Twelve years of coaching, built on formal training I keep adding to. The short version:
2021
Somatic Coaching Certificate, 200 hours
Embodied Leadership Program
2019
Attachment-focused couples externship
Four-day clinical training
2018
Couples method training, Levels 1 & 2
Relationship research institute
2016
Certified coach credential, professional level
International coaching federation
2010
BA, Psychology
State university, Oregon
What I believe
A few things I hold to, in every session.
Curiosity before fixing.
When something hurts, the urge is to solve it fast. I’d rather we understand it first. Most problems soften once they’re fully seen, and the ones that don’t become far easier to name.
Your body is information.
A held breath, a clenched hand, the sudden urge to leave the room. These aren’t interruptions to the work. They are the work, and learning to read them early changes how a hard moment goes.
Repair matters more than perfect.
Every relationship ruptures. What counts is how you find your way back. I care less about never fighting and more about knowing the road home afterward.
You set the pace.
Nothing here is forced. You choose what we open and when, and you can always say not yet. Change that lasts tends to arrive at the speed you can actually hold.
A note before you book
“Most people come to me hoping to stop fighting. What they leave with is better: a way back to each other after they do.”
Maya Ellis.
Relationship & life coach
Begin
let’s talk.
Book a free twenty-minute call. No preparation and no pressure, just a chance to see whether we’re a good fit.
