Meet Marla Hughes

My name is Marla Hughes.  I have worked with children my entire life.  I have a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology.  I have worked in the pediatric transplant unit at UCSF Hospital in San Francisco, teaching children about exercise, good nutrition and relaxation. I also worked at the Center for Attitudinal Healing, founded by Dr. Gerald Jampolsky, working with art and music therapists to help young children who had life threatening diseases or who had a parent or loved one who was severely ill.  My greatest teachers, however, have been my children.  I have never experienced a love that deep or profound…

Ethiopian Family Fund

In 2006 I founded the Ethiopian Family Fund (EFF), a non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of Ethiopians through educational opportunities and access to healthcare, while respecting their cultural integrity. We have cultivated close relationships with friends and businesses in Africa, which has allowed us to honor and respect Ethiopia’s rich culture and local knowledge, and adapt to the needs of the people we serve. EFF provides support in several different ways, but one of the programs that is most dear to my heart is called “Roman’s Girls which we formed in response to the severe shortage of educational opportunities for young Ethiopian girls. Under this program, which was funded by the gifts of generous and compassionate sponsors, young girls from one of the poorest areas of Addis Ababa were selected, and given the opportunity for an all-inclusive private school education. To date, two students from the program have graduated from the University, and 4 are currently in universities enrolled in various disciplines with the hopes of graduating in the next few years. And the rest of the students are currently attending high school.

”For us, it was always about the children; What could we do to make a lasting change for them?”

Podcast

In 2019 I Iaunched my podcast, “Interviews With Innocence” because I am intrigued by how children can help us reconnect with our spiritual selves.  I believe the young are our greatest teachers; after all they are the masters of living in the moment, enjoying the messiness of life and curious about the universe in all its dimensions. They are not concerned with ego or comparisons.  These young souls enter life with driblets of heaven clinging to them, still in touch with their memories of past lives and the people and places they had known before. My podcast in a means to explore and share this wisdom.

The experience of creating Interviews With Innocence has been transformative for me, as I have had the privilege of becoming acquainted with a multitude of individuals who have expertise and/or first hand experience in a total array of subjects near and dear to my heart. These include scientists, doctors, educators, spiritual guides, shamans, mediums, authors and storytellers, all with the common thread of being passionate about the healing power of spirituality and the exploration of the continuity of consciousness. In addition I have met with individuals who have had personal experience with near death experiences. I have learned about plant medicine and how it can be safely incorporated into the process of spiritual growth and transformation. I’ve learned about the power of ancient rituals as a means for achieving spiritual connection with oneself and others. And the list goes on… In most, but not all of the interviews, the topic of children features predominantly in the conversation. Please visit my PODCAST page to browse through the various episodes.

Presentations and Workshops

I’m so passionate about the topic of spirituality and children that of course I would like to share it in as many ways that I can! Over the past few years I have been very active in creating presentations and offering workshops at a wide variety of venues, both online and in person. I have traveled throughout the United States in this effort, as well as in Europe and Africa. Presentations range from demonstrating a simple ancient ritual to preschoolers, to leading an in-person workshop about chakras to educators gathered at Columbia University. In addition, I have met with Ukrainian families living in exile in Poland, and I’ve worked/played with orphaned children in Ethiopia using art, puppetry and role-playing. For a more detailed list of some of my more recent presentations, please see EXPERIENCE.

If you are interested in reading any testimonials from people who have worked with me, please click HERE.

Rituals

Rituals are an important part of the social fabric of many cultures, particular amongst indigenous peoples. Ancient customs and rituals provide an avenue for people to connect spiritually with themselves, their community and their ancestors. I have found that children of all ages, from toddlers to young adults, love the practice of ancient rituals as a way to calm their minds, gain clarity and connect spiritually with themselves and loved ones. There are a number of ancient rituals that can be customized beautifully in ways to resonate with different age groups. A ritual can create a “spiritual footprint” for children which can impact how they interact with themselves, others and the world/universe by providing trust that there is something bigger than they are. Please visit RITUALS for a deeper discussion of this topic.

I am currently offering a Rituals Package in which I will work interactively with your family to create a customized ritual, based upon ancient practices and wisdom, but mostly on what is sacred for your child. Each package is personalized so that there is a deep connection within the family to support the child. And of course the individual goals, personalities and dynamics of your family will also be considered. The intent is for this ritual to become a sacred part of your family culture, to be used over the years in order to foster spiritual connectedness between family members. Visit RITUALS PACKAGE for more details.