Marissa Jane Integrative Coach

25/09/2025

Imagine standing on the summit at sunrise, spirit soaring, aliveness pumping through your veins,
remembering who you are and all you're made of.

I believe we embrace meaningful challenge alongside likeminded women, we unlock profound personal growth, unshakeable confidence, and authentic connections - with ourselves, each other, and the natural world.

Thats why I’ve created the Women’s Apline Retreat.

This immersive 3-day mountain experience integrates the physical challenge of alpine hiking with the restorative power of mindfulness, breathwork, immersing in nature, and soul igniting connections.

It’s for bold-hearted, adventure-loving women looking to reignite their fire, discover new strengths, release themselves from limitation, and have fun with like-hearted women in the transformative setting of Victoria's high country.

If you or a woman in your life could benefit from this, DM me before 1st October as places are limited 🏔️🙋🏼‍♀️

With love,
Marissa x

17/09/2025

I’ve been thinking about something Michael Easter writes about in “The Comfort Crisis” - how our relentless pursuit of ease is making us less healthy and less resilient.

We’ve engineered beneficial discomfort right out of our lives.

This week I dusted off my corporate gear and stepped in front a wonderful group of 24 engineers to deliver a workshop on Stress Management.

While I wasn’t as nervous as I’d had been in the past, I still had those moments of doubt, that quiet little voice that whispered, ‘Do I know enough? Am I prepared enough? What if they don’t like me?!’

I took a dose of my own medicine (as my clients well know) and embraced the discomfort.

The results: I had a great time. People engaged, laughed and shared some great insights and questions! I felt connected. Meaning flooded in. The discomfort was replaced by growth, awareness and fulfilment!

So what if we intentionally invite discomfort back into our lives?

When we choose deliberate challenges - whether it’s nature’s cold morning air, a trail that tests our limits, or speaking our truth in front of strangers - something powerful happens.

It’s in those moments of overcoming that inner resistance that we know we’re growing.

Science backs this up: deliberate challenge strengthens our stress response system (known as our window of distress tolerance) and builds resilience.

When we voluntarily embrace discomfort, our prefrontal cortex develops enhanced cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation capabilities.

Psychology calls it “stress inoculation” - a psychological armour that serves us across many life situations.

Each time we meet that challenge we connect with parts of ourselves we once left behind or never knew existed.

The space between fear and success isn’t empty - it’s where opportunity lives.

Comfort is the only thing standing between you and your dreams.

How is comfort costing you?

With love
Marissa x

12/09/2025

Did you know that just 20 minutes in nature can reduce cortisol levels by 21%?

Our ancestors had something figured out that we’ve forgotten.

▪️Here’s the truth: We weren’t designed to live in cities.

While our creature comforts feel nice, there’s mounting evidence that the healthiest and happiest among us—both physically and mentally—are those who deliberately seek the environmental challenges our bodies and minds were designed for.

In “The Comfort Crisis,” Michael Easter reveals how comfort creep is killing our potential. As we experience fewer problems, we don’t become happier—we become less resilient, less tolerant to what we consider a problem, and ironically, less satisfied.

The game-changer? Deliberate challenges in natural environments.

This creates profound neuroplastic changes. When we expose ourselves to natural environments—especially with an element of healthy challenge—our brains literally reshape themselves for greater wellbeing, health and performance.

The Nature Pyramid concept recommends:

🌿 Daily: Spend 20 minutes in urban nature (parks, tree-lined streets)

🌲 Weekly: Spend 5 hours in semi-wild environments (trails, forests)

⛰️ Yearly: Experience multi-day immersions in new or remote wilderness—which is exactly what my Women’s Alpine Retreat offers this October 17-19th for those ready to go deeper!

Warning… deep connection, joy & delight may ensue! ;)

Beyond the obvious benefits of a walk in the park, or hike in the forest, consider how an immersive experience in nature might fundamentally shift your perception of yourself, your strengths and your place in the world.

With love,
Marissa xx

If you or a woman in your life would like to learn more about my Women’s Alpine Retreat, held in Victoria’s stunning High Country, follow the link in my bio :)

03/09/2025

🏔️ Those who know me, know that I love the mountains.

They’re the place I feel most grounded and alive. My soul’s home.

My recent snowy mountain trip inspired a lot… deep contemplations, a Women’s Retreat (dets soon) & these musings.

We all have an inner summit.
 
Where our dreams reach toward our potential, revealing a yet-to-be conquered peak.
 
The place where that persistent inner call emanates from.
 
An echo. Exciting. Confronting. Inspiring. Relentlessly pulling our attention.
 
Forward. Upward. Onward. Beyond.
 
The invitation to adventure in a contrastingly familiar, yet unknown direction.
 
The challenge is to overcome the obstacles.
 
To endure the climb.
 
To conquer ourselves, our fears, our doubts and limitations to reach the metaphorical (or actual) summit.
 
“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves” ~ Sir Edmond Hillary
 
There are so many analogies related to mountains. Those that inspire strength, endurance, persistence, fortitude and resilience. Others promise beauty, growth, perspective and breathtaking accomplishments beyond the struggle.
 
The one thing that rings true for me is that the mountains we meet and those we climb (physical or metaphorical) are always honest.
 
Like giant, majestic, steadfast (and sometimes relentless) mirrors, they show us exactly who we are in every moment.
 
Reflecting to us the work we have done, the skills we’ve forged, and what still needs attention and acquisition!!
 
They also reveal to us depths we did not know we had, and what we are truly made of if we are brave enough to say yes to that climb.
 
“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
The pinnacle is the place we want to be, but the climb, the struggles, the strengths and the vistas along the way are what forge us into becoming the person fulfilled by that pinnacle. Not to feel completed, but to be inspired for the next ascent.

What is your inner summit calling you toward? And are you brave enough to answer?

Marissa xx

23/08/2025

“If we want to love who we are, we must become who we most respect, amd admire”🩷

01/08/2025

👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

29/07/2025

Happy friendship day to all of the amazing humans I get to call my friends, the ones who have shown up for me on the worst days, and celebrated with me on the best, for the shared laughs, tears, hugs and everything in between ~ you’re a part of my heart, appreciated beyond’s words and will be cherished forever 💕

It's International Friendship Day.

Thanks to all the great mates who check in, ask R U OK?, and keep showing up for the people they care about.

Find conversation tips to help start a chat with mate: www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask

03/07/2025

Hard choices now, easy life later… good advice for all facets of life, work and relationships 🙌🏼

26/05/2025

New blog… Why Attention Is Our Most Valuable Currency (& how to stop it being harvested!)

https://integrativecoach.com.au/cognitive-performance-series/attention

05/05/2025

Conflict: what are you fighting for…
🖤 Power & control
🖤 Closeness & Care
🖤 Respect & recognition

24/04/2025

To all my ladies who’ve been through it… these are the standards 🤍 (and also… be that person too) ❤️

Find someone like this.

Find somebody who is willing to fix their mistakes when they are in the wrong.

Find someone who knows that date nights are mandatory.

Find someone who never punishes you for the mistakes made by the ones behind you.

Find someone who you have amazing chemistry with.

Find someone who is willing to graduate to a real lasting love with you.

Find someone who is willing to navigate the ship of life together.

Find someone who knows that not a single person on the face of this earth sits high enough to look down on anyone.

Find someone who doesn't make you fall for them without intending to catch you.

Find someone who would rather spend a Sunday morning with you, rather than a Saturday night.

Find somebody who's quick to put their ego aside, and willing to listen and grow with you with every day that passes.

Find someone who chases you .... long after they already have you.

Find someone who will never let you fall asleep at night wondering if you still matter.

Find someone who makes a reservation at your favorite restaurant unannounced.

Find someone who has genuine intentions with you from the very beginning.

Take my advice and .... find someone real enough to treat you .... like they can never replace you.

~ Cody Bret

22/04/2025

This 🙌🏼 Life is now. Do what you love. Love what you do. Laugh, live and love out loud. Look back with stories and memories, not regrets and what ifs. 🙌🏼

Imagine being in your 80's and you catch yourself thinking about your life.

And how you never took that trip to go swimming in the ocean on a beautiful summer day because you didn't like the way you looked in your swimsuit.

Or realising you never laughed until you couldn’t breathe because your teeth weren’t straight enough.

Or how you never embraced the sun on the beach because of the stretch marks on your stomach.

You never allowed yourself to let go and have fun because the pressure to look perfect consumed you.

Just imagine being at the end of your life and realising you’ve hidden yourself away from the fear of being real.

Just think about all the years you wasted hating yourself.

And all this time you were perfect exactly the way you were.

Take my advice and cherish every single day you have left, because tomorrow is never promised.

~ Cody Bret