Meet the community: Arkayla
Can you share a bit about your personal journey? What led you to move to Costa Rica and join The ARK?
Living in Costa Rica was never part of our plan—until about two years ago, when I started repeatedly hearing “Costa Rica” from my guides. As a shamanic healer, I’m very attuned to the intuitive messages I receive, though they can often be quite cryptic!
For months, “Costa Rica” would drop into my mind at random intervals. At the time, Alex (my husband) and I were happily settled in Australia, each with our own businesses. Life was steady until this time last year, when everything shifted—both of our fathers passed away, just 66 days apart. It was an incredibly heartfelt and challenging time for us, and, on top of that, Alex’s business had been struggling post-COVID.
By March 2024, Alex had closed his company and needed a break to reset after such a tumultuous period. That’s when a friend called him unexpectedly: “I hear you have some free time. I’m building a container-based mushroom farm in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica—would you consult for us?” Alex, who is obsessed with maps, immediately looked up Santa Teresa and stumbled upon The ARK. Curious, he sent me the link, and I was overjoyed. For the first time, Costa Rica felt tangible and alive, and I’d been longing to live in a community of like-minded people for a while.
The ARK seemed to offer a beautiful balance of heart-led autonomy and community, which appealed to us both. Six months later, we arrived in Costa Rica, ready to begin a new chapter.
What do you hope to bring to The ARK community?
I am passionate about living a heart-led life and see every day as an opportunity to step into greater authenticity in embodying that desire. Coming to The ARK has been a truly phenomenal experience—connecting with a beautiful community and feeling so immediately welcome and supported.
I feel that what I bring is an invitation to participate in and receive from intentional soul connection, through the ceremonies I hold and help facilitate.
What excites you most about this new chapter at The ARK?
I feel that as this community evolves—which it is doing so beautifully—I will have the opportunity to develop greater personal skills in collaborative communication and teamwork. It’s becoming clear to me that this is truly the essence at the heart of any thriving community: its ability to navigate both challenges and triumphs, collectively and individually.
I’m really excited (and curious!) to see how we navigate this journey as a group, cultivating the ability to honor personal freedom of choice while enabling effective collective decision-making. I feel this is a vital skill set for the future at many levels of society. If we can weave our magic around this at The ARK, it will truly be a haven and a shining example for free thinkers and heart-centered leaders—which is so exciting.
And, of course, the icing on the cake is that we get to build a beautiful home in a stunning place, surrounded by wonderful people. What more could I hope for?!
Arkayla