“Healing is hard work, but it’s about reclaiming your identity and becoming the person you were always meant to be.”
Maz Alexander’s journey, as shared during our interview, is one of profound self-discovery, resilience, and healing. Born into a family where emotions were often suppressed, Maz was raised with the belief that strength meant silence.
As she recalls, “I was sent to Jamaica to live with my grandmother at a young age. It was supposed to help me become more disciplined, but I felt stifled.
There was no space for free thinking, no room for emotions." This formative experience of being sent away left a deep wound, one that shaped much of her early life. It was in Jamaica that Maz first encountered the "mother wound"—the generational trauma passed down from her own mother and grandmother. "It was damaging," she reflects, "but I didn’t realize it fully until much later in life when I was on my own journey of healing.” Maz’s time in Jamaica was a pivotal moment. Growing up in an environment where children were expected to be “seen and not heard,” she learned to suppress her emotions, an act that would haunt her well into adulthood. “I wasn’t allowed to express myself, and that stayed with me.”
“For years, I lived in survival mode, always trying to meet expectations, to be the good daughter, the good mother, the good worker,” she explains.”
This experience set the foundation for a life where outward success masked an inner sadness. "I was functioning, sure—being a mother, having a job, but there was always a deep melancholy that no one could see," she recalls.
Her professional background adds another layer to her depth of understanding. As an adult social worker and mental health professional for over 16 years, Maz has worked within the NHS and the local authority, supporting individuals dealing with mental health challenges. Her decision to become a coach further empowered her to help others on their journey of healing and transformation. “Coaching allowed me to work in a more empowering way,” she notes, having fused her expertise in social work with coaching to address the needs of women struggling with feelings of unworthiness, overwork, and emotional exhaustion. This professional experience enriches the advice and strategies she shares in her book, Arise Kintsugi Queens, as she has witnessed firsthand the emotional and psychological toll that societal pressures can take on women.
This professional experience enriches the advice and strategies she shares in her book, Arise Kintsugi Queens,
…as she has witnessed firsthand the emotional and psychological toll that societal pressures can take on women.
Maz’s book was born out of her own journey of healing. She describes how she had to unlearn the idea that strength meant enduring everything in silence. “We are told to be strong, to be the 'strong Black woman,' but that stereotype is outdated. It forces us to suffer in silence," she says. This concept of “strength” is one that Maz works hard to dismantle, both in her own life and in the lives of the women she coaches. She emphasizes that true strength comes from acknowledging when help is needed, from being vulnerable. “Strength is about being brave enough to ask for help, to admit when you’re struggling,” she says.
But the path to self-realization and healing isn’t always met with encouragement.
In fact, as Maz began her journey of self-improvement, she encountered resistance from those closest to her. “Sometimes when you try to elevate yourself, people around you will try to pull you down,” she shares. "They are comfortable with the version of you that’s broken because it’s familiar to them." This is a struggle many women face when attempting to break free from toxic environments or relationships. Maz explains that it’s often easier for people to stay in unhealthy situations because it’s what they know, even when they know it’s not what’s best for them. “We sabotage ourselves because we think we don’t deserve better, or we’re afraid of what change might look like,” she says.
Today, Maz is dedicated to helping women heal from their emotional wounds and embrace their full potential..
Her book encourages women to break free from limiting beliefs, to understand that they are deserving of happiness, and to take control of their lives. “It’s about more than healing the past,” she says. “It’s about reclaiming your identity, owning your story, and stepping into the life you were always meant to live.” For Maz, and the women she inspires, becoming a “Kintsugi Queen” is about finding beauty in brokenness, and transforming into something even more powerful than before.
The title Arise Kintsugi Queens is inspired by the Japanese principle of Kintsugi
Which is the art of repairing broken pottery with gold. Rather than hide the cracks, Kintsugi highlights them, creating a piece that is even more beautiful and valuable for having been broken. This concept mirrors Maz’s belief that our emotional scars can become our greatest strengths when we learn to embrace them as part of our journey to becoming whole.
Get your copy on Amazon: Arise Kintsugi Queens
Connect with Maz on LinkedIn: Click here