Ana Maria Santuario

“Everything you already are is perfectly okay.
Come join me in accepting yourself, just as you come.”

A letter from me to you:

Dearest reader,

There is a growing lifeline here on this website, a lifeline of self-compassion found in self work. When the world tries to make you think of yourself as anything less than acceptable, it creates a story inside of your body and mind, one that it feeds on until you die.

I am here to write new stories, not everyone will like what I say, but being liked has never really been a concern of mine, although being understood has. I like to explain things well, usually because any conflict resolution comes from clear communication and a compassionate understanding of where The Other is coming from.

This world contains so much conflict, I’ve seen it begin on the playground in primary school – yes, I was a teacher once; and having graduated first in my class at university, I am well versed in child development; teaching and learning strategies; as well as particular areas of special educational needs, which can (in my book) include PTSD, depression, selective mutism, and other lesser targeted emotional needs; I am also an avid fan of communicating boundaries and clear expectations for behaviour that seems to naturally flow into harmony.

I have nurtured and sustained harmonious tiny communities many a time, and I class it as my forte to love your children, as well as you, the parents and/or carers. It is my forte, but it is not something I have found to be valued or very much treasured as the gift I am born to share and bestow upon others as I work. Therefore, I decided to make peace with feeling rejected by the world, and embraced the becoming of this thing I was born to be – love.

For now, I write for the adults here on this platform, since you are the gateway to the tiny humans, who I love more than anything, since their light fills up days with sunshine and splendour. Watch out for powerful resources and tools to support you on becoming a happier version of yourself, and thus a happier parent (if you are one). This is important to model for your kids, for they have been born to a world so complicated and bursting in fear mongering, that to protect their mind has to become the new priority in raising them well.

The lessons you learn for yourself will become applicable to those tiny minds and bodies too, and I will eventually be producing a lot more for the kids. But as I tell those I work with… Slow and steady, be gentle with yourself. I will get there, and I hope you are there with me when I do.

Now a little about me…

A photograph of a brightly coloured meadow of flowers.
I love nature, flowers in particular… to me, they are the greatest decoration on earth.

Rather than tell you about who I was, I prefer to share with the world the woman I’ve become, for she holds more wisdom in her stories than the one who came before.”

The sun setting over a paddle-boarding individual, who is floating on the sea.
Paddle boarding, sunsets and open water – three of my favourite things.

“I have changed so much for the better, I suffer less, enjoy life more, love and cry with equal freedom, and choose myself each and every day… which means I get to choose to support you too.”

An empty hammock, with cushions waiting to rest a head on.
Time spent in hammocks is a dream to me…

“I am here to serve, to support, to see your sorrow and pain because I know what it means to suffer – and I don’t want anybody to feel as alone as I felt in my darkest hour.”

A photograph of fruits and vegetables, all brightly coloured and looking delicious.
Growing them, cooking them & eating them 🙂

“At a time when life called for it, my body and mind became necessary priorities… and when I focused on these two aspects of self, the rest of my life seemed to brighten up too. Self-care is self-love.”

An empty bed with fresh white linen, looking very inviting.
Sleep. Restorative, restful sleep.

“There is nothing wrong with a little sadness. But when you are sad more often than you are in any other state it can become debilitating. I learned that to cry meant to release… let it out, I say.”

An art-therapy self portrait drawn by Ana Maria, where her mouth should be there is a cross instead.  She has coloured her face blue, the head is solid colour, whereas the body is empty and covered in swirls.
Art helped me to unlock my voice and express the unexpressible. There’s a freedom to letting go of the rules!

“There are so many ways to release your inner world and relieve yourself of the strain it imposes on your life. Dance, draw, paint, sing, scream even, just let it out. It’s so important to let it out.”

New seedlings popping green leaves up through dark, damp soil.
Planting, growing & gardening.

“A simple life beckons me. I desire nothing much beyond the meeting of my basic needs. This world is mad in its busyness and I don’t want much to be a part of it anymore. I want peace, love, harmony and hope, beyond any other state of being.”

A beautiful photograph of turquoise, crystal clear ocean waters.
A holiday where I may snorkel and see bright and beautiful fish is always welcome.

“Gratitude showed me the way home. To be grateful for each easy breath I take, for the sustaining of my life with nutritious food, for clean drinking water. These are all things I came to value, for not every person on earth has access to them.”

A gold or bronze hot tap.
Hot running water – a blessing of the modern age. Well, for some of us.

“A hot bath became a privilege to me as I travelled the world and observed the tremendous array of life being lived in variety. There is no right way to live life, only ever life being lived. I find respect for life in all its forms.”

A few more of my likes and interests…

A family of elephants.
Travel, both near and far… In India, I saw my first ever wild elephants, and then there were the birds, the multi-coloured flying squirrels… the food… all without compare.
A beautiful bird in flight.
Birds are my favourite form of life… to fly must be the greatest of freedoms. Maybe it’s why I like to be on an aeroplane.
A kangaroo with her joey in her pouch.
Exploring the weird and wonderful of the world is a favourite pastime. I happen to love Australia and every adventure that it has offered.
A photograph of stuffed olive.
Olives? Can’t get enough of them!
A delicious looking tiramisu dessert.
Making cakes as well as eating them.
An abstract splash of water.
Water – drinking it, swimming in it and mixing it with other things…
A fiery sky at sunset, taken from above the cloud line.
The sky and the vast and varied spectacles it provides for my eyes.
A silhouette of a rose being held over a sheet of music.
Singing, mostly alone when I’m in my car, although jamming with experienced musicians frees me to explore myself in new and interesting, but very scary, ways.
A woman dancing, legs in full forward squat, as her head is thrust backwards, and her arms too. Powdered sand blows around her.
Dance will forever free me more than any other art, to be in my body so fully is never an easy thing, but once I am there… I am home.
An opaque screen shields the form of a human and create their silhouette.
Always here, in the ways I am able to be.

“Why am I anonymous? Because I choose to be. My world is mine and I rather like the idea of being an enigma. Plus, my stories are intertwined with those of other people, and another person’s stories will never be mine to tell. I’ll let you all know who I am in my own time, maybe after my kids have grown, maybe when I’m dead, maybe not even then. I do not desire fame, fortune and all it comes with, least of all the invasion of privacy, especially for my children. Just because the world likes to know things, doesn’t mean it has a right to.

I am protecting myself, my family, my friends and I hope you all support me here and respect my choice to remain invisible. It’s my safe space, one that took half a lifetime to discover, and that’s not easily compromised on when you need safety as a way of life. And I don’t want to experience any unnecessary pain, I just choose to be safe in a world that makes it hard to be so, and do indeed encourage you to contemplate your own safety in this growing wild of the modern era. Thank you for accepting me as I come, with only a hand in the public eye – the rest of me is only mine to know.”

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