Temazcal (sweat lodge) Ceremony at Libélula Healing Center, Costa Rica

Kene is one of the founders of Libélula, originally from England. His early life was marked by addiction and deep struggle, and after many conventional approaches failed to create lasting change, it was through plant medicine, meditation, yoga, and grounding practices that a profound shift occurred. This path did not save him — it taught him how to save himself. The passing of Kene’s father from cancer was a pivotal moment that planted the seed for Libélula. His father’s memory lives at the heart of the retreat, inspiring Kene’s devotion to creating spaces where others can find safety, clarity, and transformation. Kene walks this work with humility and responsibility, deeply committed to honouring Indigenous lineages and holding ceremony with integrity. His role at Libélula is to help create a grounded, loving container where people feel safe enough to meet themselves honestly and remember who they already are.

Maisie is one of the founders of Libélula, originally from England. Her journey has been shaped by a deep love of nature, creativity, and holistic living from an early age. She is an avid gardener, forager, and creator, and trusts deeply in the intelligence of the natural world as a guide for healing. Nature has been Maisie’s greatest teacher, informing every aspect of Libélula — from the food and gardens to the pacing and care woven into each retreat. Together with Kene, she dreamed of creating a sanctuary that honours Indigenous traditions while offering a deeply safe, inclusive, and nurturing environment. Maisie’s role at Libélula is to ensure that every detail reflects the centre’s core values: safety, integrity, beauty, and heartfelt support. She is devoted to walking alongside participants with warmth and presence, creating a space where transformation can unfold gently and naturally.

Originally from Argentina, Fito has walked the medicine path from a young age, guided by lived experience, travel, and a deep listening to life’s unseen currents. Leaving home at twenty-one, he spent many years travelling through Brazil, often living simply and working on the road, gradually being drawn into relationship with sacred medicines. A profound life-changing event marked a turning point, leading him into deeper study with the medicines in Brazil and later in the Amazon, where he lived and learned alongside different Indigenous tribes. His path eventually carried him to Peru, where he connected deeply with Huachuma and the spirit of the Condor, spending over a decade in the Sacred Valley holding ceremonies, living in community, and weaving medicine work into daily life. Fito’s journey has included powerful spiritual initiations & deep inner transformation. With the guidance of trusted teachers, these experiences were gradually grounded into disciplined practice, purification, and humility, shaping a steady and embodied way of working with the medicines. He later trained with Shipibo teachers and continued his path with the Huni Kuin, supporting ceremonies with quiet presence, care, and respect for lineage. For Fito, the medicines are teachers rather than experiences, and ceremony is a living relationship rooted in responsibility and devotion. At Libélula, Fito brings the wisdom of a long and deeply lived path, offering grounded support within ceremony and holding the space with integrity, warmth, and reverence.

Short Bio Ghazal is a space holder, artist, and facilitator devoted to inner exploration and healing. Her work is rooted in lived experience, deep emotional honesty, and a commitment to guiding others back to themselves. Through meditation, breathwork, and plant medicine, she supports people in reconnecting with their inner truth and moving through trauma with compassion and awareness. ⸻ Long Bio Ghazal is an artist and space holder originally from Iran, where she spent the first three decades of her life. Her early path was shaped by a deep connection to art, particularly photography, through which she explored themes of human existence and society. Alongside her studies in industrial design, her artistic work was exhibited in various spaces and received both national and international recognition. Her life took a profound turn through migration, a transition that brought intense challenges and emotional pressure. During this time, unresolved grief from childhood, including the loss of her grandmother, resurfaced in the form of depression and a deep sense of emptiness. Coping mechanisms such as alcohol and smoking became a refuge, while her relationship at the time further revealed patterns that required deeper attention and healing. Following the end of that relationship, Ghazal entered a period of deep solitude and introspection. It was during this time that she was introduced to meditation and expanded states of consciousness, which became pivotal in her journey. Her first experiences with psychedelic medicine allowed her to reconnect with her inner self and marked the beginning of a committed path of inner work. In 2022, she travelled to India, where she spent time near the Himalayas and in Rishikesh, immersing herself in meditation and the teachings of Advaita Vedanta. Upon returning, she continued her practice through regular time in ashrams, deepening her connection to spirituality and self-inquiry. Her journey continued in 2023 with a trip to Colombia, where she experienced Ayahuasca there. This was a deeply transformative period, intensified by a near-death experience following a snake bite in the amazon forest, through which she felt a profound calling toward healing and service. In that moment, she recognized that nothing holds greater meaning than supporting others on their path. In 2024, Ghazal travelled to Africa to work with Iboga, a powerful medicine that helped her reset deep patterns and strengthen her inner foundation. Alongside her personal journey, Ghazal has been actively holding space for others. She has facilitated both private and group mushroom ceremonies, supporting around 80 participants through these experiences with care, presence, and responsibility. She has also created online communities for Iranians both inside and outside of Iran, offering integration spaces, group sharing circles, and ongoing support. Ghazal now works as a space holder and facilitator, supporting ceremonies and retreats through presence, care, and creative contribution, including photography and videography. She also offers coaching sessions, group meetings, and guided practices such as breathwork and meditation. Her work is grounded in the belief that separation is an illusion, and that healing is a process of remembering our shared essence and returning to love. She walks this path with humility and devotion, holding space for others to meet themselves with honesty, courage, and compassion.