Testimonials
Before I signed up for The Creative Sphere, I was stalled in the uncomfortable state of limbo with my creative work. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was making excuses for why I couldn’t put pen to paper, when in reality, I just needed the right nudge into breaking free from my own resistance. Working with Maxine was the catalyst for this next chapter that gifted me with support, wisdom, connection with my inner world, and newfound inspiration. The amount of “a-ha” moments throughout our sessions were too many to count- but the body keeps score. Another magical addition to this program was the opportunity to do dreamwork with Alisa, which I looked forward to each month. My entire paradigm has shifted since our dream sessions, and the gifts that have unearthed from within me because of this work feels like an unlocked superpower. Both Maxine and Alisa are deeply kind and intuitive, which feels infectious and warm. They hold a beautifully balanced space for you where you can feel safe and heard and held. I carry such gratitude for their time and knowledge, as well as this entire experience. I finished writing the script for my first feature film during the middle stages of our program, something I wasn’t sure was going to happen with how blocked I was when I first began this journey. Your creative work is woven tightly with your spiritual self-work and The Creative Sphere truly guided me into the energetic place I destined to be.
Nikki Lorenzo ~ Actress, Screenwriter, Singer/Songwriter
What an incredible, life-altering experience working with Maxine, especially in such a supportive container of other women who were doing different things yet shared similar experiences that were equally profound. I needed something to change before I signed up with the group, but I didn’t know what it was. The container helped shine light on what needed to change and progress, but the most beneficial aspect of it was how empowering it was to learn how to tap into my own intuition and, most importantly, trust my own intuition. Maxine, herself, is an awesome person to work with — kind and strong, sheds wisdom in unexpected ways (always knows how to see a “third” way) and you can always rely on her honesty and authenticity.
Ariela Rose ~ Writer, Actress, Mother
I reached out to Maxine in a time of searching. I was a new mother and simultaneously at loose ends in my work. I was in a new place in my life, and I knew I needed support to navigate the unknown and clarify a sense of purpose. I had left my work as a commercial photographer in NYC and moved to the country to discover a deeper connection to my own values, and an art practice that aligned with them. I had left much of my former understanding of myself in the world behind, but wasn’t sure what would or could arise in its place.
Having worked with Maxine 1:1 for a couple of months before she invited me to join the group, I was apprehensive about being witnessed doing such vulnerable work by a group of strangers, and I could also feel the possibility for growth in healing in that. What I could not have anticipated is the skill with which Maxine held a transformative space for each one of us, and how firmly my own shame and self-judgement were rooted, and what relief lay on the other side of allowing myself to be seen in a compassionate and nurturing space. I always felt safe in the group, and when my own internal fears arose, I could feel the difference. Maxine’s discerning spirit, deep intuition, and integrity of practice guided and held each of us and all of us at once as we unfurled into greater freedom. The experience with these humans also expanded my compassion for the suffering of all beings, and with that to release a lot of internalized perfectionism and hierarchical thinking.
I trust myself more deeply after seeing myself through the loving eyes of sisterhood. The concrete details of this new cycle in my work are still unfolding but along the way I have felt an unwavering sense of grounded confidence that has allowed me to open to my life with greater curiosity and to weave an infinitely more expansive path than I had ever imagined. I told someone just yesterday that YAH was a pivotal experience in my life. A Before/After kind of moment. Maxine created a space for deep, root-level change to happen. Most recently I have discovered a practice of earth pigment making that integrates my spiritual and ecological selves with my creative practice, and am slowly also developing and revealing the writing face of my work. I feel the potency of my work and leadership to unify others in community and turn us together toward embodying the kind of future we all want to live in. When I think back on YAH, I see it as a moment of returning to the creative potential of my youngest self, shedding the layers of fear and pain that had muted her over the years. I’m forever grateful to Maxine and our cohort!
In my experience, my career has turned out to be the very tip of the iceberg of the transformation I was seeking. It’s the visible body of change. The invisible body of change is where the work is most needed and most potent. The contraction of leaning in to those hidden places with a guide like Maxine will yield to a beautiful expansion on the other side.
Emily Joy Johnston ~ Fine Art, Painting and Photography