Rising Together

Marina Curtis-Evans

Marina is spirited, inquiring and engaging with a profound love of nature, connection, travel, spiritual inquiry, dancing, animals and has a penchant for heavy bass lines.  

A large part of her career has been working with young people in difficult circumstances - victims of sexual abuse, of war and with drug-related issues. She worked for a year in India with an environmental charity then with an NGO promoting women’s rights and education.

She was Director of Communications for ‘The Children of the Andes Foundation’ in Colombia and then worked for 6 years with the United Nations in the Regional Head Office of Unicef for South America and the Caribbean. 

Subsequently, in order to work more directly with people with no bureaucracy or hidden agendas, she became a reflexologist and Thai Yoga Massage therapist.

She is originally from Ireland and has lived in Tanzania, East Africa, Bermuda, England, India, France, Portugal and Colombia and has travelled extensively in several continents. 

Nacho Leiva Perez

Nacho, her husband, is from Malaga and has worked for over 20 years in the restaurant and hospitality sector and has been a 'maitre d' in five star hotels and Michelin starred restaurants. He is a fantastic chef and an excellent and patient teacher. 

He is also a professional DJ and particularly loves electronic music with ethnic fusions and acoustic overlays. He is renowned for keeping folk dancing for days! He loves playing the violin.

They both feel their best roles are those of service and doing what they can to make people's experiences of life that much richer and more fun. 

They love the old Celtic idea that every stranger is a potential friend and live by that in their home and on their travels. 

They are very independent, adventurous travellers who feel blessed to have explored the world widely and to have had amazing experiences, often thanks to the hospitality and generosity of strangers. These experiences inform their lives as do the incredible landscapes and soundtracks which have accompanied them.