About Us

About Us

Meet the Founders

We started Solra with a shared belief: cultural intelligence isn’t just a skill — it’s a way to deepen connections, promote personal growth, and create change.

Solra is rooted in cultural wellbeing. Our work is the meeting point between identity, belonging, and personal and community growth. We believe that by strengthening this foundation, individuals and communities can lead with more authenticity, empathy, and resilience.

Though our paths are different, they’re deeply complementary. 

Together, we bring both the inner and outer dimensions of cultural intelligence and wellbeing to our work: the emotional and the strategic, the reflective and the practical.

Solra is our offering to you. It is a space where cultural wellbeing is constructed in collaboration with each other.

Meet Our Team

Maria Garcia

Maria is Portuguese and grew up across several countries, attending international schools and experiencing cultural transitions from a young age.

  • Completed the IB program
  • Studied intercultural psychology and specializes in cultural transitions and identity
  • Experience teaching and mentoring across age groups — from toddlers to seniors
  • Taught in the PYP curriculum and worked in socio-emotional development through positive education
  • Hosts and coordinates creative and personal development workshops
  • Offers individual mentoring focused on emotional resilience, creativity, and belonging
  • Writer and editor on Medium and Substack, exploring cultural identity and wellbeing
Maryam Shams

Maryam is Iranian, with a background in business strategy, education, and inclusive leadership. She works with entrepreneurs and organizations to help them align values with purpose — designing systems and strategies that are not only culturally aware, but rooted in integrity and innovation. Her work focuses on fostering leadership that is conscious, collaborative, and adaptive to a globally connected world.