Featured on BoldJourney.com in Their "Stories & Perspectives on Resilience Building" Feature

“Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maria Leonard Olsen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Maria Leonard, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

To learn resilience, you must face life’s hardships. In the year I turned 50, I got divorced and sober, became and empty nester and was living alone for the first time in my life. I essentially had to start over at that point. So, as a gift to myself for my 50th birthday, I tried 50 new things to determine how I wanted to live the next chapter of my life. The things included physical challenges, lifestyle changes, spiritual endeavors, social activities and adventure travel. Some of the things I do not wish to repeat, like singing on stage. I do not sing well, but the experience expanded my comfort zone. It also taught me that courage is not the absence of fear, but feeling fear and doing it anyway.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a commercial litigator in Washington, DC. I work for a boutique litigation firm. You can learn more about my legal work at https://pelslaw.com/about-us/maria-l-olsen/.

I created and have hosted the Becoming Your Best Version podcast for six years. I amplify the voices of inspiring women on my podcast. I also turn the answer to the final question — What do you do to become your best version? — into an eBook every other year.

I am an author of several books. My most popular book is “50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life.” I have a new book, “Before and After the DNA Test: A Practical Guide to Genetic Privacy, Medical Risks and Family Secrets,” coming out in November 2026. The topics of books were presented as TEDx Talks, “Turning Life’s Challenges into a Force for Good,” and “What to Consider Before and After You Take a DNA Test.”

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I believe resourcefulness was one of the most impactful skills in my journey. I attended a top ten law school with many Ivy League graduates. I did not think I was the smartest person in my class, but I knew where to find answers. My mother, an immigrant from the Philippines, was instrumental in teaching me this skill when I was young. Maintain your contacts with people along your journey. You never know when you might need someone else’s help.

Empathy has been impactful, as well. Clients, podcast guests, and interviewees for articles I wrote all opened up to me because they sensed my empathy, of which kindness and compassion is a part. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Think about how you can serve others. Be trustworthy and relate in, as opposed to differentiating yourself from other people, when appropriate.

Self-care would be the third most impactful. You cannot pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Otherwise, you cannot be an effective colleague, friend, parent or anything else.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

“The Four Agreements,” by Don Miguel Ruiz, a Toltec shaman. The biggest thing that stayed with me from that book is to not take anything personally. We cannot know another person’s journey or what they are dealing with in life. How others react is not something we can control. It may not have anything to do with you. We can only control our own actions and responses.

Other nuggets of wisdom are to not make assumptions, to be impeccable with your word and to always do your best, which may change on any given day. Do not be afraid to ask questions, speak with integrity and if you do your best, you can live without regret. Living according to these principles changed my life.

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