Training and background
Maria C. Tello is the founder of Working Sabbatical, a personal and group process facilitator, and a Brennan-trained practitioner and teacher. Her work focuses on women: their lives, their leadership, and the patterns that shape both. She works privately, one to one, and with groups, primarily with women, and also with men.
Training
Barbara Brennan School of Healing
Seven years of professional training
Founded in 1982 by Dr. Barbara Brennan, a former NASA physicist, psychotherapist, healer and bestselling author of Light Emerging, the school is internationally recognized for its rigorous training in human development, transpersonal psychology, the human biofield, and personal transformation.
The training is grounded in Core Energetics, the body-centered approach developed by psychiatrist Dr. John Pierrakos, who studied under Wilhelm Reich, a colleague of Sigmund Freud. Barbara Brennan studied with Dr. Pierrakos and trained as a Core Energetics psychotherapist. She went on to evolve this therapeutic approach through her work with the human biofield.
- Bachelor of Science in Brennan Healing Science
- Advanced Studies in Brennan Integration Work
A two-year postgraduate program in personal and group process facilitation, grounded in body-mind psychotherapy.
- Teacher Training
Postgraduate program co-leading students through personal and group process development, 2025–2026.
Complementary studies
Three years of additional training
- Native American healing traditions
- Neuroplasticity
- Jungian depth work with the collective unconscious and its archetypes
Working alongside other care
Maria's work complements medical and psychological care. She often works alongside a client's physician, therapist or other clinicians in support of their process.
Professional background
Before this work, Maria was Director of Development at a major engineering company, where she led global projects for Fortune 500 clients. She knows from the inside what it takes to lead in large organizations, and what it can cost.
She holds a B.S. in Business and an MBA.
Life
Maria lives in Austin, Texas, with her family.