She loves working with clients through their triggers, because triggers are a secret doorway into our most profound healing of past trauma. Somatic trigger healing IS the way to transmute challenges into opportunities and massive breakthroughs! 

She went to a therapists’ office and asked - is there such a thing as therapy through the body?

She was sent to a Somatic Experiencing therapist, and began a 3 year super intense and deeply healing journey, at the end of which she was SURE: this is something I MUST bring to my clients!

Her business started to soar as she connected to her body and truth - it became like a magnet, calling in all the best things.

After many certifications and lots of (always continued) inner work: Marina now brings somatic healing approaches to both individuals and businesses, as her biggest healing was triggered through her business experiences.

Moving out of the head and into the heart, gut, lungs, and throat - Marina started her deeply transformative somatic journey.

THE BODY

Up until this point, Marina thought of trauma as an intense response to an intense event, and trauma response as a repeated traumatic experience.

But this was her first business - nothing was repeating here.

Still, deep in her bones, she could feel the truth of this, and she began to explore what transformation through the one part of her she never touched on before could be:

“your business is a trauma response”

It was here that she was exposed to and in the presence of the deepest traumas - described in great detail. She vowed to continue this kind of work, in whatever capacity possible. During her time in Jerusalem, Marina also worked at the Association of Rape Crisis Centers, and was led to come face to face with her first abusive partner at the police station. This was an experience of profound boundary setting and speaking truth - a healing, transformative moment in her life. 

BUT IT WAS NOT HAPPENING.

When she moved back to San Diego 5 years later, Marina decided to start her first business as a plant based coach. This was sort of accidental - she just wanted to spread her enthusiasm for the plant based lifestyle, and this happened to be a great way to do it. During this time, Marina had a vision - to support hundreds of thousands in changing their lifestyles for a better planet, people and animals. 

It was here that she was exposed to and in the presence of the deepest traumas - described in great detail. She vowed to continue this kind of work, in whatever capacity possible. During her time in Jerusalem, Marina also worked at the Association of Rape Crisis Centers, and was led to come face to face with her first abusive partner at the police station. This was an experience of profound boundary setting and speaking truth - a healing, transformative moment in her life. 

This experience deeply shaped and impacted her.

After 2 years in deep learning by sitting in dialogue as an adult in Jerusalem, Marina spent 10 years working in the field of dialogue facilitation in conflict, working with Israeli and Palestinian teens in co-facilitating deep dialogues with her Palestinian co-facilitators in multiple organizations. 

Observing the violence, hatred, and also deep longing for peace and connection of her neighbors in Jerusalem, Marina decided to enter the field of dialogue facilitation.

Marina just finally started to feel like she fit in with her peers, and was accepted into the school’s renowned choir.

As a child, Marina was highly sensitive but didn’t find the right spaces to express her emotions and sensitivity. She was constantly looking for a way to express the depth of empathy in her heart, and this finally flourished in her teenage years.

In high school, Marina participated in a program where she met Palestinians for the first time, and this was a mind-blowing and reality-shattering experience. She learned the importance of emotional connection to other humans, and about the idea of dual narratives regarding the same reality.

During this time, Marina also experienced her first romantic relationship, which was an almost 3-year affair entangled in psychological, emotional and sexual violence that deeply impacted her.

After graduating high school and college at UCSD summa cum laude in Political Science, Marina decided to move back to Jerusalem for her master’s degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

This move was also accompanied by a lot of deep pain, as during this time, 

What makes us FEEL belonging? What can we do to support others in feeling a sense of belonging? How can people feel empowered to create a community and a space for themselves, to claim that they deserve to belong?

Marina experienced bullying and racism growing up in Israel. She was often called names, and was not accepted in her private Art School and in her community. As a result of the violence sparked in Israel in the beginning of 2000’s, Marina’s family decided to immigrate to San Diego, California right around the time of 9/11.

Belonging - and searching for belonging - has been a central theme in her life ever since. 

Born in Ukraine, Marina immigrated to the southern town of Ashkelon, Israel (bordering the Gaza strip) at 2 years old as a refugee fleeing Communism with her family (yes, my family made some interesting location choices). On the flight, she kept calling out, “I want to go home”.

Marina's Life Story