marisa handler
You've gotten good at fine.
You can hold the job, the conversation, the face — and then you sit in the driveway a few extra minutes before going inside, not ready yet to be looked at, even by the people who love you.
Somewhere underneath fine is the life you actually want.
That quiet feeling of moving through your days instead of living them..
The specific tiredness of being fine for people who need you to be fine.
The version of yourself you've performed so long you've lost the one that came before it.
A grief, a loss, an ending big enough to rearrange everything—and no one to show you where the light switch moved.
If any of that landed somewhere in your chest — that's exactly where we'd start.
Maybe you're not in crisis. You're tired, a little numb, and quietly sure other people have it worse — so you don't let yourself call this anything bigger than stuck.
Or maybe the ground's opened up, and you're in a full-on Dark Night of the Soul.
Either way.
If you can sense there's more waiting on the other side of this — even if you can't name it yet — let's talk.
I won't hand you affirmations. I'll ask the questions underneath your questions, until we reach the beliefs you've been carrying so long you stopped noticing their weight. And I'll stay with you through the places you’re not sure you can face — that's usually where the door is.
APPLY FOR YOUR COMPLIMENTARY STUCK TO SOARING BREAKTHROUGH SESSION
Here's what happens in this session (valued at $300):
● We'll shine a light on exactly what's kept you stuck — the pattern you could describe in your sleep and still can't seem to shift.
● You'll see how that same obstacle can become an ally instead of an enemy — worked with well, it's an initiation into your next level.
● I'll bring my best tools as a spiritual practitioner, teacher, and coach to give you real, doable next steps toward solid ground. Not your old self, restored. Something truer, grown from what broke.
If it's a fit, I'll tell you plainly what working together looks like. No pressure, no persuasion.
Because here’s the thing:
Most people want the obstacle gone. I think the obstacle is generally the point.
The thing you're most afraid to feel, say, or need is usually exactly what's standing in your way.
Go around it, and you get the appearance of healing. Go through it, and something in you actually changes shape.
That's not a metaphor I'm applying from outside. It's how this work actually moves — in your body, your nervous system, the places old patterns live. Insight alone isn’t enough. This is an all-parts-on-board moment, love.
"I've been trying to heal this for forty years, searching for an exit door. I never have to be locked in again." — S.P.
"My capacity to find safety even when experiencing intense emotions or physical symptoms and my ability to find ease, peace, and joy have both increased dramatically. I have so much more trust in life and myself." — Hannah M.S.
"I've been in therapy too and find it helpful — but Marisa's work helps me take my life to the next level." — Jenny S.
I'm Marisa. I did all the right things — until my body called the whole thing off.
By every visible measure I'd arrived: the award-winning memoir, the degree from the best writing program in the country, a Fulbright to write my novel in India. And underneath it, I'd been running on no sleep and rising panic for weeks.
I came home mid-Fulbright. No income, no health insurance, a nervous system that had simply stopped negotiating. For a long stretch after, courage didn't look like art or achievement. It looked like getting myself to the grocery store.
The turning point came when I finally gave myself permission to stop fighting. Let go, I heard. You're not in control here.
What I ultimately found on the other side wasn't the old me, patched up. It was a nervous system that had learned, for the first time, what safety actually feels like from the inside — not performed calm, the real thing. And from that ground grew a deep trust—in myself, and my capacity to meet what arose. And also in life itself.
That’s much of what I now teach. Not "release your limiting beliefs" — actually meet what's underneath them, in your body and your nervous system, until they release their grip and open to what is deeper and truer. It's the same work I do with clients now, because it's the only version of this I know to actually hold.
Because you weren't born to suffer politely and call it maturity — to manage the ache and call it fine, to wait for permission that never comes.
You were born to know full aliveness and ease as your baseline. Not believe it. Know it.
SUCCESS STORIES
“I am fascinated by Marisa’s unique ability to guide me past a monumental amount of crap and get to the heart of matter. After every session I have experienced lasting and growing resolution with each long-suffered subject. I’m always shocked. I’ve been trying to heal this for forty years, searching for an exit door. I never have to be locked in again.”
–S.P.
“Marisa has such kindness, warmth, and depth of knowledge. Thanks to her expert guidance and support, I’ve been able to explore and process loss and trauma I’d been holding onto for five years.”
–Nancy P.
"Words can't describe how amazing my journey with Marisa was — it has been a truly transcendent experience, once in a lifetime. I'm still thankful every day for how life guided me to find her.
When we first met, my brain was numb, my heart constantly ached, and my body was struggling to function daily. I knew I needed help to lift myself out of this deep, dark reality, so I began my search for a guiding light — and Marisa Handler became my Northern star. Marisa is absolutely a delight — smart, insightful, knowledgeable, and deeply intuitive. She has gently guided me through my fear, challenged my self-doubt, and given me nurturing space to grow and blossom.
I'm forever grateful that our paths have crossed. I would encourage anyone to give themselves the gift of a lifetime and work with Marisa — to tap into the limitless possibilities.” —Quynh
"Before working with Marisa one to one, I had previously attended her 'Dark Night of the Soul' course and had felt drawn to her presence, warmth and embodied wisdom as a teacher. She was the first person I thought to reach out to at a time when I was feeling profoundly overwhelmed and full of despair. During the period I have worked with Marisa, my capacity to find safety even when experiencing intense emotions or physical symptoms and my ability to find ease, peace and joy have both increased dramatically. I have so much more trust in life and myself.” —Hannah M.S.
“It is impossible to fully express what a profound impact Marisa has had (and continues to have) on my life and creative practices. Marisa is everything I could possibly wish for in a mentor and a guide. A creative coach, life coach and spiritual teacher combined, Marisa brings depth, wisdom, creativity, and gentle holding to all our interactions. Her holistic methods help to uncover creative blocks at the root and to gently alchemize them into great sources of power and strength. With her encouragement, I have developed my own self-help and creative practices, and I feel myself constantly opening into greater and deeper levels of self. Working with Marisa is a true privilege and a gift. G-d bless.”
–S. Farkas
"Marisa has a powerful and transformative approach to coaching that has not only helped me take my business to the next level, but also supported me to expand into new and exciting ways of relating to myself and the world. Her compassionate, wise, creative, and embodied way of working is exciting and refreshing, allowing for new insights to emerge, and limiting narratives and patterns to be seen more clearly, compassionately challenged and transformed. I feel very grateful to have worked with this generous and wise coach.” —Mary-Rose Clarke, Embodied Relational Therapist
"Working with Marisa has been truly magical and transformative — the best gift I have ever given myself. I found her when she led a workshop at Spirit Rock, and I've been lucky enough to call her my teacher for eight years, from meditation to writing to creativity, to navigating the sometimes devastating twists and turns of my own journey — including my own dark night of the soul.
Marisa has a special way of nurturing you, letting you feel what needs to be felt, while also helping you find the courage and hope that exist even in the darkest night. In our sessions I frequently experience breakthroughs and shifts in perspective that allow me to take the next step forward. She has been the voice of my most compassionate highest self. I've been in therapy too and find it helpful — but Marisa's work helps me take my life to the next level, staying aligned with the creativity that lights up my soul. I consider my time with her worth its weight in gold.” —Jenny S.
“Marisa, a constant thank you for our beautiful sessions. I always feel so gently held and more healed afterwards. Your presence is a balm and your guidance has been such a light and precious gift. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to you.”
–L. A.
“Marisa is among the great teachers of my life. I’ve always felt DEEPLY held by the empathic and intuitive space that Marisa embodies. What a gift to have such a powerful witness and guide to work and play with the goals and challenges of my life. In her wise and gentle way, Marisa has opened up layers of inquiry into my heart, into my life. I tape each session and allow insights to move through me afterwards. After six months, at the very onset of the pandemic, I invented a transformational game to help myself and others achieve our highest goals. I would not have been able to do this without Marisa’s coaching. The planting and cultivating we’ve done together continue to bring a ripe harvest into my life. I cannot recommend Marisa’s work highly enough.”
–T.E.
“Marisa is a truly insightful, engaged and compassionate teacher and coach. Working with her has brought substantial improvements in my life and my ability to deal with life’s hurdles, from self-doubt and social anxiety to procrastination. I find her approach and coaching style to be caring and straightforward, exactly what I needed to be able to open up about my difficult experiences and inner voices. She merges inquiry, active listening, sharing insights and problem-solving seamlessly, and I always feel very comfortable and very accepted with her. I leave every session with a feeling of relief, warmth and excitement. I am so grateful to have her.”
–Xueling S.
“Marisa is highly skilled and deeply intuitive, inviting wholeness, integrity, and celebration into each session. I feel met and challenged, invited deeply into my own life and process with great honesty and compassion. Since I have begun working with Marisa, I have seen subtle, yet profound shifts in my day-to-day life, in how I relate to my work, my relationships, and my daily spiritual practice. I feel a greater capacity to hold the many pieces of my life, while learning to relax, soften, and celebrate in compassion and grace. Above all, I feel I have a safe, caring, and wise mentor who holds me accountable in my commitments to what I want and what I value.”
–Verana
“Marisa has a unique ability to “dig deep fast” to get in touch with key issues, and she does so in a gentle, supportive and respectful way. Her intuitive feedback has been most helpful, and was often oblivious to me before. For the past two years she has helped me deal with relationship and business challenges as well as some of life’s bigger issues. Marisa has a great depth of knowledge and intuition, and I always feel uplifted and enlightened after our coaching sessions.”
–Jon S.
“I began working with Marisa following a workshop on the Dark Night of the Soul she taught at CIIS. The experience has been truly transformative for me. Marisa combines profound wisdom, compassion and intuitive listening with the teaching of practical tools that invite inquiry, encourage greater self-awareness and ultimately lead to freedom. I’ve left every session with Marisa feeling better equipped to be with what is and to meet challenges and obstacles with courage, curiosity and compassion. I am so deeply grateful to be engaging in this work with her open-hearted insight and expansive perspective. She is a gift.”
–Christy Ponte
marisa handler
You've gotten good at fine.
You can hold the job, the conversation, the face — and then you sit in the driveway a few extra minutes before going inside, not ready yet to be looked at, even by the people who love you.
Somewhere underneath fine is the life you actually want.
That quiet feeling of moving through your days instead of living them..
The specific tiredness of being fine for people who need you to be fine.
The version of yourself you've performed so long you've lost the one that came before it.
A grief, a loss, an ending big enough to rearrange everything—and no one to show you where the light switch lives.
If any of that landed somewhere in your chest — that's exactly where we'd start.
Maybe you're not in crisis. You're tired, a little numb, and quietly sure other people have it worse — so you don't let yourself call this anything bigger than stuck.
Or maybe the ground's opened up, and you're in a full-on Dark Night of the Soul.
Either way.
If you can sense there's more waiting on the other side of this — even if you can't name it yet — let's talk..
I won't hand you affirmations. I'll ask the questions underneath your questions, until we reach the beliefs you've been carrying so long you stopped noticing their weight. And I'll stay with you through the places you’re not sure you can face — that's usually where the door is.
APPLY FOR YOUR COMPLIMENTARY BREAKTHROUGH SESSION
Here's what happens in this session (valued at $300):
● We'll shine a light on exactly what's kept you stuck — the pattern you could describe in your sleep and still can't seem to shift.
● You'll see how that same obstacle can become an ally instead of an enemy — worked with well, it's an initiation into your next level.
● I'll bring my best tools as a spiritual practitioner, teacher, and coach to give you real, doable next steps toward solid ground. Not your old self, restored. Something truer, grown from what broke.
If it's a fit, I'll tell you plainly what working together looks like. No pressure, no persuasion.
Because here’s the thing:
Most people want the obstacle gone. I think the obstacle is generally the point.
The thing you're most afraid to feel, say, or need is usually exactly what's standing in your way.
Go around it, and you get the appearance of healing. Go through it, and something in you actually changes shape.
That's not a metaphor I'm applying from outside. It's how this work actually moves — in your body, your nervous system, the places old patterns live. Insight alone isn’t enough. This is an all-parts-on-board moment, love.
"I've been trying to heal this for forty years, searching for an exit door. I never have to be locked in again." — S.P.
"My capacity to find safety even when experiencing intense emotions or physical symptoms and my ability to find ease, peace, and joy have both increased dramatically. I have so much more trust in life and myself." — Hannah M.S.
"I've been in therapy too and find it helpful — but Marisa's work helps me take my life to the next level." — Jenny S.
I'm Marisa. I did all the right things — until my body called the whole thing off.
By every visible measure I'd arrived: the award-winning memoir, the degree from the best writing program in the country, a Fulbright to write my novel in India. And underneath it, I'd been running on no sleep and rising panic for weeks.
I came home mid-Fulbright. No income, no health insurance, a nervous system that had simply stopped negotiating. For a long stretch after, courage didn't look like art or achievement. It looked like getting myself to the grocery store.
The turning point came when I finally gave myself permission to stop fighting. Let go, I heard. You're not in control here.
What I ultimately found on the other side wasn't the old me, patched up. It was a nervous system that had learned, for the first time, what safety actually feels like from the inside — not performed calm, the real thing. And from that ground grew a deep trust—in myself, and my capacity to meet what arose. And also in life itself.
That’s much of what I now teach. Not "release your limiting beliefs" — actually meet what's underneath them, in your body and your nervous system, until they release their grip and open to what is deeper and truer. It's the same work I do with clients now, because it's the only version of this I know to actually hold.
Because you weren't born to suffer politely and call it maturity — to manage the ache and call it fine, to wait for permission that never comes.
You were born to know full aliveness and ease as your baseline. Not believe it. Know it.
SUCCESS STORIES
“I am fascinated by Marisa’s unique ability to guide me past a monumental amount of crap and get to the heart of matter. After every session I have experienced lasting and growing resolution with each long-suffered subject. I’m always shocked. I’ve been trying to heal this for forty years, searching for an exit door. I never have to be locked in again.” –S.P.
"Words can't describe how amazing my journey with Marisa was — it has been a truly transcendent experience, once in a lifetime. I'm still thankful every day for how life guided me to find her.
When we first met, my brain was numb, my heart constantly ached, and my body was struggling to function daily. I knew I needed help to lift myself out of this deep, dark reality, so I began my search for a guiding light — and Marisa Handler became my Northern star.
Marisa is deeply intuitive, and she has gently guided me through my fear, challenged my self-doubt, and given me nurturing space to grow and blossom.
I'm forever grateful that our paths have crossed. I would encourage anyone to give themselves the gift of a lifetime and work with Marisa — to tap into the limitless possibilities.” —Quynh
"Before working with Marisa one to one, I had previously attended her 'Dark Night of the Soul' course and had felt drawn to her presence, warmth and embodied wisdom as a teacher. She was the first person I thought to reach out to at a time when I was feeling profoundly overwhelmed and full of despair. During the period I have worked with Marisa, my capacity to find safety even when experiencing intense emotions or physical symptoms and my ability to find ease, peace and joy have both increased dramatically. I have so much more trust in life and myself.” —Hannah M.S.
“Marisa has such kindness, warmth, and depth of knowledge. Thanks to her expert guidance and support, I’ve been able to explore and process loss and trauma I’d been holding onto for five years.”–Nancy P.
“It is impossible to fully express what a profound impact Marisa has had (and continues to have) on my life and creative practices. Marisa is everything I could possibly wish for in a mentor and a guide. A creative coach, life coach and spiritual teacher combined, Marisa brings depth, wisdom, creativity, and gentle holding to all our interactions. Her holistic methods help to uncover creative blocks at the root and to gently alchemize them into great sources of power and strength. With her encouragement, I have developed my own self-help and creative practices, and I feel myself constantly opening into greater and deeper levels of self. Working with Marisa is a true privilege and a gift. G-d bless.”
–S. Farkas
"Marisa has a powerful and transformative approach to coaching that has not only helped me take my business to the next level but also supported me to expand into new and exciting ways of relating to myself and the world. Her compassionate, wise, creative, and embodied way of working is exciting and refreshing, allowing for new insights to emerge, and limiting narratives and patterns to be seen more clearly, compassionately challenged and transformed. I feel very grateful to have worked with this generous and wise coach.” —Mary-Rose Clarke, Embodied Relational Therapist
"Working with Marisa has been truly magical and transformative — the best gift I have ever given myself. I found her when she led a workshop at Spirit Rock, and I've been lucky enough to call her my teacher for eight years, from meditation to writing to creativity, to navigating the sometimes devastating twists and turns of my own journey — including my own dark night of the soul.
Marisa has a special way of nurturing you, letting you feel what needs to be felt, while also helping you find the courage and hope that exist even in the darkest night. In our sessions I frequently experience breakthroughs and shifts in perspective that allow me to take the next step forward. She has been the voice of my most compassionate highest self. I've been in therapy too and find it helpful — but Marisa's work helps me take my life to the next level, staying aligned with the creativity that lights up my soul. I consider my time with her worth its weight in gold."
— Jenny S.
“Marisa, a constant thank you for our beautiful sessions. I always feel so gently held and more healed afterwards. Your presence is a balm and your guidance has been such a light and precious gift. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to you.”
–L. A.
“Marisa is among the great teachers of my life. I’ve always felt DEEPLY held by the empathic and intuitive space that Marisa embodies. What a gift to have such a powerful witness and guide to work and play with the goals and challenges of my life. In her wise and gentle way, Marisa has opened up layers of inquiry into my heart, into my life. I tape each session and allow insights to move through me afterwards. After six months, at the very onset of the pandemic, I invented a transformational game to help myself and others achieve our highest goals. I would not have been able to do this without Marisa’s coaching. The planting and cultivating we’ve done together continue to bring a ripe harvest into my life. I cannot recommend Marisa’s work highly enough.”
–T.E.
“Marisa is a truly insightful, engaged and compassionate teacher and coach. Working with her has brought substantial improvements in my life and my ability to deal with life’s hurdles, from self-doubt and social anxiety to procrastination. I find her approach and coaching style to be caring and straightforward, exactly what I needed to be able to open up about my difficult experiences and inner voices. She merges inquiry, active listening, sharing insights and problem-solving seamlessly, and I always feel very comfortable and very accepted with her. I leave every session with a feeling of relief, warmth and excitement. I am so grateful to have her.”
–Xueling S.
“Marisa is highly skilled and deeply intuitive, inviting wholeness, integrity, and celebration into each session. I feel met and challenged, invited deeply into my own life and process with great honesty and compassion. Since I have begun working with Marisa, I have seen subtle, yet profound shifts in my day-to-day life, in how I relate to my work, my relationships, and my daily spiritual practice. I feel a greater capacity to hold the many pieces of my life, while learning to relax, soften, and celebrate in compassion and grace. Above all, I feel I have a safe, caring, and wise mentor who holds me accountable in my commitments to what I want and what I value.”
–Verana
“Marisa has a unique ability to “dig deep fast” to get in touch with key issues, and she does so in a gentle, supportive and respectful way. Her intuitive feedback has been most helpful, and was often oblivious to me before. For the past two years she has helped me deal with relationship and business challenges as well as some of life’s bigger issues. Marisa has a great depth of knowledge and intuition, and I always feel uplifted and enlightened after our coaching sessions.”
–Jon S.
“I began working with Marisa following a workshop on the Dark Night of the Soul she taught at CIIS. The experience has been truly transformative for me. Marisa combines profound wisdom, compassion and intuitive listening with the teaching of practical tools that invite inquiry, encourage greater self-awareness and ultimately lead to freedom. I’ve left every session with Marisa feeling better equipped to be with what is and to meet challenges and obstacles with courage, curiosity and compassion. I am so deeply grateful to be engaging in this work with her open-hearted insight and expansive perspective. She is a gift.”
–Christy Ponte
