I discovered cacao on a journey that took me deep into the lands of Mexico and Guatemala—lands where the ancient pulse of the earth still sings in the winds, where stories are carried by the soil itself. My first ceremony with cacao was a revelation: I sat, surrounded by the quiet hum of a forgotten world, and understood that cacao is more than a plant—it is a story, a seed, a ritual that calls us home. In that moment, far from everything familiar, I realized I was not lost, but already returning home.

And I found my way home through stories—stories of the heart, stories of a world I could sense but not yet fully touch. I’ve sat with many teachers since then: Kiautl from Nômade, Izaias and Izabel from LavaLove, Cacao Source and Mariana Mae, listening to the medicine of the plants, the wisdom of the elders, and the quiet hum of cacao. These stories became a lifeline, a thread leading me back to a place of safety, connection, and belonging. They marked the beginning of a grand journey, one that continues to unfold in ways I could not have predicted, but which I feel, deep down, is exactly where I’m meant to be.

As I began to imagine how cacao ceremonies could take root in my own home, I found myself standing on the threshold of a thousand questions. What does it mean to hold space for such a sacred practice in a place so far from its origin? What is my place within this ancient tradition? These questions danced with me, sometimes filling me with fierce excitement, other times freezing me in doubt. But they refused to be quieted. They demanded to be lived, breathed, and shared.

Held is a response to that call—a place where I can explore, create, and share the magic of cacao with the world. It is an offering, a space where ritual, intention, music, nature, movement, poetry, and meditation blend in reverence for the sacredness of indiginous wisdom and the call to share its story. Through cacao, I’ve learned how to hold space for both the light and the dark, to nourish myself and others with something deeper than sustenance. It has opened me to a well of creativity and connection, a reminder of the aliveness we are all born to embrace.