Maria Leonard Olsen is an attorney, Author, TedX speaker, radio show host and host of the “Becoming Your Best Version” podcast.
I met Maria in 2019 at a conference where we were both spoke. It became immediately clear to me that Maria needed to be part of the Kuel Life mission to normalize aging. Olsen is committed to helping women everywhere become unstuck and reinvigorate their lives. She leads by example and shares her past trials with all in full transparency and vulnerability.
If you enjoy Maria’s articles, here’s an opportunity to get to know her a tad better. If this is your first encounter with her, you’re in for a treat!
Maria’s Own Path:
KUELLIFE: What type of business do you run/work for?
“The best part of my work is when people approach me with happy tears.”
Maria: I am an author, journalist, podcaster, public speaker, recovery mentor, and attorney. I love my life because every day is varied, enriching and exciting!
KUELLIFE: What prompted you or drove you to join your company – what keeps you there?
Maria: I created my own path. In addition, I work as a civil litigator in a boutique law firm in the Washington, D.C. area, which pays well and enables me to pursue my passions. My passion is helping people, and women in particular, to reinvigorate their lives. And I do, via my writing, public speaking and one on one conversations.
The best part of my work is when people approach me with happy tears telling me how much I have helped them to get unstuck and move forward in their lives in authentic and fulfilling ways.
How Do I Get It All Done?
KUELLIFE: What’s your biggest struggle?
Maria: Having enough time to get everything done that I want to do is my biggest struggle! I force myself to turn off the lights around midnight to get some sleep because I love all the projects I am involved in right now. I am working on four books at the moment, for example, and have three upcoming public speaking engagements.
Moreover, I would like to visit 65 countries by the end of my 65th year and I am close to achieving that goal. I have applied for more TEDx Talks because I have so many ideas that I want to share with the world. My last TEDx Talk was called “Using Life’s Challenges as a Force for Good.” I am using my experiences with such things as recovery from alcoholism, getting through a painful divorce, and surviving sexual abuse and assault, to help others.
It reinforces in me the belief that everything happens for a reason, and that we can control our responses to whatever life brings us and grow, if we are open to the lesson.
“Pursue things that are consistent with your values”
One Person’s Burden:
KUELLIFE: What is your biggest fear about your career? How do you work through it?
Maria: My biggest fear is that whatever book I get published next will not be well-received. I pour my heart into everything I write. I bleed onto the pages. But I keep in mind that my writing has the capacity to help and has helped others, and that keeps me moving forward.
KUELLIFE: How do you measure your success?
Maria: I measure success by the people I help. It gives me such joy to know that I have helped to ease even one person’s burden. I strive to do that every day, for as long as I am able.
Control Your Own Actions:
KUELLIFE: Finally, what career advice would you give other women in midlife and beyond?
Maria: Pursue things that are consistent with your values. Drop the rocks of self-judgment and caring so much about what others think of you. You cannot control what others think. You can only control your own actions and your responses to what others do.
Try not to react, but rather to respond with thought and love. And do not put off until later what you can do now. Your life is happening right now, and tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Did you enjoy this article? Become a Kuel Life Member today to support our Community. Sign-up for our Sunday newsletter and get your content delivered straight to your inbox.
