Maria Kefalogianni is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her wisdom and spirituality.

She has been on a profound path of self discovery, fueled by a relentless pursuit of truth and freedom. Her decision to leave behind a deeply patriarchal society and an abusive relationship, in just three days, set the foundation for a life dedicated to helping others uncover their authentic selves. Through her work as a spiritual coach and mentor, she channels her transformative experiences into guiding clients toward their own awakening and healing.

She has a truly unique approach to coaching. What sets her apart in the coaching world is her unwavering presence and her deep understanding that true empowerment comes not from fixing, but from simply being… being present, listening, and reflecting the innate wisdom within each individual. Her own path and life experience add even more value to her clients as she pours herself and her spirit into each session.

She is highly innovative and she customizes each session based on the client’s needs. Her innovative approach blends art, nature, sound, and a variety of therapeutic tools to meet clients where they are, offering a unique, holistic healing experience. Through her presence, she helps clients reconnect with their creative spark, awaken in all layers of their being, reclaim their dreams, and rediscover their worthiness of love, all while cultivating a deep sense of inner peace and clarity. Here is what she said…

Meet Life Coach Maria Kefalogianni:

Name: Maria Kefalogianni

Pillar: The Spirit

Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to awaken in all layers of their being and experience new states of reality.

How they can help: By active listening, presence, and using various tools and techniques as well as creating a customized approach according to each client’s needs that can include metaphors, poetry, therapeutic writing, movement, sound, sand tray work, Jungian and imagery cards, and nature.

First of all, how are you and your family doing after these Pandemic times?

The pandemic was a pivotal period of reclamation for me.

A deep, dark night of the soul as an aftermath of a profound shift in consciousness back in June 2019 during a meditation retreat.

It was a well orchestrated deep initiation by life, a deep shedding of the old shell, and the birth of a new me.

A deep awakening.

My orientation to life has shifted poignantly ever since.

The prophecy that I’d die in my mid thirties was given to me as a child.

This was the symbolic death of my ego, precisely in the middle of the pandemic!

I was also given the insight that we, as humanity, will experience shifts in human consciousness.

The pandemic was a global awakener for all of us, it’s up to us to truly see what matters.

Clients have been seeking me for their inner awakening ever since.

How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

I was pregnant at the time with my second child, so I wasn’t working.

I was pregnant and suicidal.

I was brought to my darkest of times.

Despite that, Grace’s whispers continued like a golden ray in my heart.

I had a deep, subtle intuitive knowing that this was a transformative time for me.

In the middle of my darkest moments, I heard a voice say, “Trust, this is clearing you from the inside.”

Life was gifting me creation, both physically and symbolically.

I was being (Re)created into a new me.

My life perspective and consequently my practice shifted ever since.

Finding gold in the thick of shadow is the path of the holy human.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

Light is found in the thick of the dark.

They are not two polarities but one.

There is no lotus without mud, or mud without lotus, as Thich Nhat Hanh beautifully said.

We are both human and beyond human.

The two are not separate but unite in the core of our heart, so we become a living prayer: love walking.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

I left my hometown in Crete three days after receiving my acceptance letter for my MSc in Counselling Psychology.

I had a five day window to be in the course on time.

My words to my then boyfriend were, “I must go to meet myself.”

It was one of the most shaking moments of my life, yet the whispers of Grace were louder than ever.

The rest is history!

I have also trained as a supervisor for therapists and coaches based on an integrative developmental model, and I bring tons of passion to that area!

I am a sound healer with my voice, and currently, I’m serving as a catalyst and a spiritual coach (mentor).

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

I left the chains of a deeply patriarchal society and immigrated for the sake of freedom and to discover and fulfill my deepest inner belonging.

This longing had been burning deep within me since childhood, as an obsessive desire to discover “truth.”

Leaving an abusive relationship to come abroad for my studies in the span of three days was my biggest achievement!

Of course, each moment of my life has made me who I am.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

John Rowan, a famous transpersonal psychotherapist, said, “We can only take our clients as far as we have gone ourselves.”

I have lived by this principle as my direct investment in my clients.

I am a devotee of life, cultivating deeper presence and states of consciousness and assisting my clients in discovering their innate joy, freedom, and authentic expression in life.

I assist clients in getting out of their own way and allowing the intuitive intelligence of their life to take the lead.

My job is to get out of the way and truly listen to their unique signature of being and simply reflect it back.

I use various means to help them drop into their timeless nature, from art to sound to nature.

We enter a deep, transformative, and nourishing state of presence in which healing occurs spontaneously, with very little guidance.

I am currently developing my own model and always looking to work with people who are keen to participate in this project and assist me in putting it into words based on their feedback.

Supporting other coaches is a special passion of mine to help them refine their depth of presence and respond with clarity to their clients!

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

I am deeply rooted in knowing that I know nothing… but I KNOW who I am as my true essence and love the human in her sacred human(mess).

From this place, a well of wisdom arises, meeting the wisdom revealed in my clients.

I am wholly present in a moment to moment unfolding with my clients.

I am NOT separate from them, but we are one stream of consciousness expressing our unique qualities and personalities.

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

I am quite sober about true empowerment, empowerment that lasts a lifetime and equips people with a deep conviction of how deeply worthy of love they are.

My clients report true awakening at heart and mind levels, reconnection to their creative spark and zest for life, reclamation of their dreams, and deep healing of sacred wounds.

I have no magical formula, but deep presence and my heart.

This itself appears to be incredibly healing for them.

They often report glimpses of deep states of reality, which require deep care, as if this cork pops, it is a journey I do not take lightly.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

I struggle to answer this question.

The old me would have listed my favorite tools.

And YES, I have plenty of tools in my toolbox, with thousands of hours of training and growth in the psychotherapy field, but more than anything, presence is my embodied state.

From this place, the portals back to our true selves are limitless.

By allowing myself to be malleable, like clay molding to their needs, I am used in metaphor, poetry, therapeutic writing, movement, sound, sand tray work, Jungian and imagery cards, and nature (whether through direct connection or walking in it) as a way to find the portals back to the wisdom of our soul.

The “tools” I use meet my clients exactly where they are.

I consciously draw upon their inner resources (I simply help them see those resources more clearly)!

I love pointing people to how Grace and Spirit, or their intuition, are already guiding them.

It’s like I have a hawk eyed view of the situation, and I take joy in highlighting the wisdom hidden in the spaces in between (their unconscious) rich with impregnated wisdom and blossoming potential!

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

You ARE the place you leave to find yourself…

You are the belonging you long for…

You are the quench of your own thirst…

You ARE worthy of love, and even more, you ARE love itself.

We are, indeed, powerful beyond measure and it is our duty to make use of this power for service of the wider WHOLE.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

The greatest lesson I have learned is that the most profound learning arrives spontaneously, without aim, grasping, or attachment.

True surrender brings us to life!

When I let go of the need to “get somewhere,” I am met with direct knowing in my intuition and heart.

I am embraced by life and its aliveness.

There is joy in the beautiful messiness of our humanness, and a sense of wholeness even when we believe we are broken.

Above all, our human imperfections are not flaws but guides, pointing us toward the inner divine perfection that unfolds throughout our lives.

Your final thoughts?

Waking up from the thought stream of samsara reveals a garden of peace, inner freedom, and true love at the heart level.

Our thoughts can align with our authentic Divine Mind and serve as guides to our truest purpose in life.

Grace makes no mistakes, life is always supporting us, even when we lose touch with this truth in our darkest moments.

It’s in those very moments that we need a gentle reminder of the unwavering presence of grace and the deeper wisdom guiding our path.

Where Can You Find Maria Kefalogianni?

If you liked this interview and if you would love to experience new states of reality and awaken in all layers of your being, go to presencecenteredpsychotherapy.com and see how Coach Maria can help you do that.

If you want to peak a glimpse into her coaching, follow her Facebook page, her YouTube channel or subscribe to her Substack to receive beautifully designed newsletters of her wisdom.

And if you’d like to connect with her more personally, you can do that through LinkedIn or by sending her a direct message on her Email maria.kefalogianni@gmail.com. It was an honor having this interview with her.