About Women Make Waves
Confidence, Breathwork, Emotional Healing & Ancestral Wisdom
Hi I'm Sonia — the Woman behind Women Make Waves
I created Women Make Waves to bring to the world what was missing for me in my journey: a safe, empowering space for women to rise through challenge, reconnect to nature, and reclaim their strength.
My own path of healing — through surf, breathwork, ancestral reconnection, and spiritual growth — became the foundation of this work.
Sonia Houria Essia Rivas
Women Make Waves Founder
Holistic Confidence Coach
Founder, Women Make Waves
Co-Founder of IAMPOWER
Spiritual Guide and Akashic Channeler
Apnea Survival Trainer & Ambassador - Surf Apnea & Breath FX
Shamanic Breath Creator & Facilitator
Mindfulness & Meditation Guide
Founder of The Houria Method
Surf Confidence Coach
Public Speaker
Featured in Adidas Inspire, Heal Magazine, Mind Blank (mental health), Illawarra Mercury
Women Make Waves
Is about the Ripple Effect from the Heart.
About true connection and empowerment.
What is
Women Make Waves
Women Make Waves is a movement, a methodology, and a community.
We help women cultivate confidence, emotional resilience, and spiritual strength through an integrative approach rooted in nature.
Using tools like functional breathwork, mindset work, surf-inspired practices, and ancestral wisdom, we guide women back to their power — gently, deeply, and bravely.
Our Pillars of Empowerment
- Self-Exploration Knowing yourself allows you to consciously break free from old patterns and transform deeply.
- Confidence Through Challenge Growth happens when we meet fear with courage.
- Healing from Within Breath, awareness, nervous system balancing and presence are our gateways.
- Nature as Teacher The ocean, the land, and the elements guide us home.
- Cultural & Ancestral Wisdom We honour the lineages that came before us and the ones we’re shaping now
- Spiritual & Practical Integration Grounded guidance that meets the soul and the science.
- Community & Ripple Effect When one woman rises, the whole world does too.
Our Tools
✔ Self-Exploration & Personal Growth Tools
✔ Spiritual Journeys & Mindfulness Practices
✔ Fear & Emotional Management Tools
✔ Targeted Breath Practices & Breath Retraining
✔ Science Based Tools
✔ Surf related tools adaptable to mental and emotional health
Women are driven, powerful, and wise—sometimes, they just need the right space to remember it. As they rise and step into their true selves, they lead by example, inspiring transformation in those around them.
At Women Make Waves, we empower women to reconnect with their vision and create the life they truly desire. As they embrace their dreams unapologetically, they spark a ripple effect—one that touches their sisters, brothers, children, and communities, showing what it means to live freely and authentically.
This is your invitation. Heed the call. Come Make Waves with Us.
Our Values
WMW is guided by the strong belief that returning to being whole and showing up authentically is what transforms lives for the better. We honour your individuality and give you ways to explore yourself that are suited just for you. Your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health is a very personal journey and we’re here to guide you through it, while sprinkling joy along the way.
✔ Safe Space: Providing a nurturing environment for growth.
✔ Integrative & Personalised Tools: Tailored approaches to individual journeys.
✔ Community & Support: Fostering connections and mutual encouragement.
✔ Honesty & Authenticity: Encouraging genuine self-expression.
✔ Playfulness: Incorporating joy and creativity into learning.
✔ Ripple Effect: We believe in having a positive impact in the world
Read the experience of Women before you
— Rosie, Inner Power Coaching Client 5 ★
Sonia holds a safer space than any therapist I have worked with and she brings results fast. She helped me see what in me needed attention and we worked together at putting strategies in place that helped me improve my relationships, reconnect with my family in healthy and supportive ways. Sonia’s coaching gave me a space and tools to build the confidence I needed to be more myself and dare be seen and acknowledged through my art.
— Gracie, Retreat Participant 5 ★
Before coming to the retreat, I felt broken after going through tough times. I am a completely different person to the person that arrived first. I feel relaxed, relieved. I’ve released a lot of things that were holding me back and I feel now that I’ve got everything that I need to continue and to be the person that I really want to be. It’s been amazing, I feel great and I go away with a lot of memories, new connections. I found my tribe and that is what we all need.
Our Approach
At Women Make Waves, we take a nature-based, integrative approach to empowerment. Using a blend of self-exploration, spiritual journeys, emotional and fear-processing tools, targeted breathwork for nervous system balance & performance, mindset work, and surf-inspired practices, we create a deeply personal path for each woman. Everything is designed to meet you where you are—supporting your resilience, clarity, and transformation from the inside out.
For a more confident & powerful you.