Collective Soul
PALMA COLECTIVA Brings a New Pathway of Healing
Written by Jennifer Blaise Kramer | Photographs by Julie Pointer Adams
“Never say never.” That’s something Meredith Markworth-Pollack has gotten used to repeating when asked if she’ll ever return to Hollywood. The former costume designer spent her career working tirelessly for shows such as The Afterparty, Impeachment, and Dynasty, often relocating her family for months on end with no time for herself. When the pandemic offered a moment to stay in one place and reevaluate things, she felt a pull away from the industry and toward something she never could’ve imagined—leaving Los Angeles and her warp-speed job to launch a center for healing arts. And so, out of burnout, Palma Colectiva was born.
A tea ceremony held in the Japanese Pavilion at Lotusland.
“It took lockdown for me, and so many others, to pause,” she says. “It was the first time I’d had more than two weeks off in my entire career.”
Craving a slower pace and sense of community, she began hosting mindfulness gatherings, sound baths, and breathing circles. At the time, her husband, Daniel Pozas, an intuitive healer from Mexico, was deepening his own practice, and they decided to collaborate. The couple also felt a pull to Santa Barbara, where they met and to which they felt a deep connection—and where they envisioned raising their family and debuting Palma (named after their daughters, Paz and Alma).
“Men need healing just as much as women do to talk about feelings and emotions.”
“I saw a void here in the wellness community,” Markworth-Pollack says. “Although we have yoga, beautiful spas, and sound baths, there was still space for community events and retail with ethically sourced brands. I felt that this was my path, so we made the leap.”
Palma’s Victoria Court studio offers daily mindfulness practices, including Kundalini yoga, breath work, tea and cacao ceremonies, group Reiki, women’s and men’s circles, a clean beauty apothecary, and sustainable clothing. Walk-ins are welcome, and memberships allow for first access to specialty workshops, energy treatments (think chi machines, biomat, and infrared light), and retreats, where Palma’s presence may expand infinitely.
The first retreat was held at Lotusland, where guests experienced Kundalini yoga in the theater garden and a tea ceremony in the Japanese garden, along with inspirational speakers and a chef-driven organic lunch in a safe, intimate setting for women as well as men, who “need healing just as much as women do to talk about feelings and emotions and maybe even shed a tear,” Markworth-Pollack says.
More specialized retreats include a “female founders” getaway in Mexico for established entrepreneurs to meld their work and soul purposes, as well as wellness weekends for women in film and TV—a full-circle moment where Markworth-Pollack encourages her former community to be vulnerable and open up on everything from mental health to pay disparity.
The first retreat was held at Lotusland, where guests experienced Kundalini yoga in the theater garden and a tea ceremony in the Japanese garden.
“There’s a lot of trauma in film and TV with high stress, high stakes, and long hours—it’s a demanding industry,” she says. “Although I’ve loved being a costume designer, and it’s brought me and my family all over the world, it took its toll on my mental and physical self.”
So will she ever return to Hollywood? “For now, this is my purpose. For so many years I was gone 14 hours a day on set. But now my husband and I are putting down roots. And we want to help people find their path.”
