About
Hey, hello, bonjour…
I’m the author of Tell Them My Name, co-author of the anthology This I Know Is True and I’m probably the most inconsistent blogger on the internet.
I’m not one for fancy labels but if I was asked to sum myself up in two words it would have to be: CRAZY. AUNT.
You know how some families have that one quirky aunt who buys all her clothes in op-shops, lives in a converted school bus and sends postcards home from exotic locations no one’s heard of before?
I’m the crazy aunt in my family.
I’m the anti-human trafficking advocate who wears other people’s discarded t-shirts.
I’m the minimalist who lives in a tiny house on wheels.
And I’m the wanderer with no fixed address who travels the world non-stop and loves telling stories…
I’ve been travelling the world for twenty years in search of…
EVERYTHING
I’ve lived and travelled through almost 60 countries in that time but Australia, France, Nepal and Tonga are the places that feel most like home.
These days, through my coaching practice, I help women navigate change and create the life they want. I also freelance as a People and Culture consultant as well as doing a bit of marketing, project management, professional matchmaking and writing on the side. #Multipotentialite
Otherwise, you’ll usually find me chasing ‘impossible’ dreams — the goals that I know must be achievable but feel difficult and unattainable when I first start out.
- Writing and publishing a book
- Learning to speak 4 languages
Starting a couple of businesses (and a couple of charities!) - Overcoming a chronic illness
- Getting married 40 times (there’s a story there!)
- Trekking to the base camp of Mount Everest; and
- Training in Kung Fu.
But I love chasing fun little dreams, too, like:
- Bellydancing in Morocco
- Drinking champagne in Champagne
- Straddling the Equator in Ecuador; and
- Spending six months taking voice lessons so I could stand in front of an audience and sing a song from one of my favourite movies. In Swedish. Which was tricky because that is not one of the languages I speak…
I can’t say I’ve done any of these things exceedingly well (except maybe the ‘drinking champagne’ thing) but my aim is rarely to be the best at anything.
That’s because I identify as “Multipotentialite” — a hyper-curious person who feels called to explore endless different interests, careers, projects and creative activities in my lifetime.
I have a LOT of dreams so I don’t have time to become an expert in any one thing. Instead, I enjoy the challenge and process of learning new skills and becoming good enough at lots of different things.
This goes completely against the grain in a world where people are encouraged to specialise in one field or “choose a niche” if they want to be successful.
Which is why many curious souls like me spend their lives feeling like a failure. A dilettante. Someone who never finishes what they start.
It’s also why people stay in jobs they can’t stand and situations that don’t serve them, afraid to take the leap and chase a dream that might feel out of reach.
And that is why I became a coach.
I can help you make the leap from the life they have to the life they want.
Ironically, by rejecting the pressure to choose just one path, I did actually become a bit of a pro at something: I’m a professional beginner.
I’m constantly practising the art of starting from scratch — switching careers, overhauling my fitness regime, moving to new countries, tackling new languages, taking up random hobbies — and becoming proficient in things that once felt impossible.
Now, through my coaching practice, I help other people take those awkward and uncertain steps out of their comfort zone and into the magical unknown where a new version of their life awaits.
So if you need a little help making the transition into your own ideal parallel universe, we might work well together.
What to expect from this website…
I write stories in the hope the words scattered throughout these pages might inspire you to step confidently into the life you want, even if it’s a life other people don’t expect or understand.
In the beginning, I called this website The Magic of Everything because I wanted it to be a celebration of the magic that happens when we follow our calling to explore EVERYTHING; when we pursue all the wild and unexpected directions our life can take.
That’s still what I want but since becoming a published author, I decided to make myself easier to find and moved everything to plain old lauramaya.com
This website/blog has no niche.
It’s a playhouse where I can have some fun and share my own epiphanies and experiences as I wander the world, write stories and run my online business… without taking myself too seriously.
It’s the welcome sign on the front door of my virtual office.
But most importantly, this website is an evolving platform that will unapologetically change with me.
It’s a safe and inclusive space where no one has to trim themselves to fit into the box.
In fact, in this magical place there is no box. Just a big blank canvas, an open map of the world and endless possibility…
If you want to stay in touch in real time, I’d love to connect with you on Instagram which is my social media drug of choice.
Also please join my mailing list so we can find each other again if the Instagram gods shut me down for some reason.
Thank you for being part of my journey, I’m really happy you’re here!
Laura Maya xx
Laura Maya is a writer, coach and culturally curious “digital nomad” who has spent over 20 years wandering slowly through almost 60 countries. She is the author of Tell Them My Name, an inspiring true story about two indigenous Nepalese farmers who travel to Paris on a quest to explore Western culture (2022, the kind press).