Maria Olsen had the audience in the palm of her hand as she talked about being raised a Catholic, taking a DNA test and finding out she was the product of a one-night stand. She tracked down her Jewish dad and discovered he had played for the Washington Redskins. "He's thrilled I'm in his life," she said, not revealing his name.
Read More50 After 50 made Fupping.com’s choice for “Nice Gifts for Her Birthday”! https://fupping.com/yehoshuabomberg/2019/05/16/15-nice-gift-ideas-for-her-birthday/
Read MoreAt age 50, Maria had drank her way out of her 25-year marriage. She had, against much advice, put all her eggs in the motherhood basket, will-fully derailing her successful law career. As teenagers, her precious children did not need her in the hands-on way they previously had. Her husband and she had grown apart because, among other things, they failed to nurture that important relationship. She was depressed and stuck. When she turned 50, she had the distinct feeling that she was on the downward slope of her life. Actuarially speaking, she was. So when she turned 50, her gift to herself was to go on a crusade to make the most of whatever time she had left.
She set out to do 50 new things that were significant, at least to her. The list spanned physical challenges, adventure travel, and lifestyle changes. Each taught her something about herself and about how she wanted to lead the next years of her life to come. She ended up writing a book that follows the work she did to overcome addiction and trauma to accomplish those 50 new things and shares with readers how to make their own action lists.
Read MoreWhen it comes to heartbreak, most people fear it, citing it as one of the most crushing experiences of a lifetime. Not Chelsea. On the podcast Thank You Heartbreak, Breakup Coach Chelsea Leigh Trescott explores the upside of heartbreak, shedding light on how loss is our greatest opportunity to become meaningful, relatable human beings who are stronger in love, life, and character.
In Episode 106, Chelsea speaks with attorney and author of 50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life Maria Leonard Olsen. The following is the transcript from their conversation. Click to listen in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
https://medium.com/@tyhbpodcast/living-my-amends-with-maria-leonard-olsen-433692b71bf6
Read MoreRecommended as one of the best Mother’s Day Gifts! https://www.hempurecbd.com/best-mothers-day-gifts/
Read MoreRight after turning 50, author and speaker Maria Leonard Olsen's whole life changed. She got divorced, she got sober, and she started taking self-care seriously. These important self-care shifts launched a more authentic life for Maria, one that she bravely shares with others to support their healing.
In our conversation, we speak about the connections between self-care and social justice, how to set stronger boundaries so we can live with more purpose, and why it's important to be vulnerable and share our whole selves in order to heal.
To learn more about Maria's work:
www.MariaLeonardOlsen.com
https://www.facebook.com/FiftyAfter50/...
https://www.instagram.com/fiftyafter50/
https://twitter.com/FiftyAfter50
Stretching my comfort zone and trying new things and ways of living distilled for me what was most important to me and how I would design my life in accordance with my values.
https://upjourney.com/i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing-with-my-life
Read MoreHonored to speak at the HCPA’s Impact 2019 Mid-Year conference in Washington, D.C.
Read MoreRecommendation of “50 After 50” by Boove (U.K.) as a helpful book to build long-term self esteem. https://boove.co.uk/books-on-building-self-esteem/ #fiftyafter50
Read MoreMaria is an attorney, a cohost of DC’s “Inside Out” radio show on WPFW fm 89.3, a women’s writing and empowerment-retreat leader and diversity speaker, and a woman who turned fifty expecting to find life less satisfying. But while her children didn’t need her as acutely and many of her other relationships had also changed, by setting out to accomplish fifty specific things, she discovered that the key to a meaningful life was still within her power.
Her chosen goals ranged from physical challenges and travel to lifestyle changes, and the project revitalized her life. As she recounts how she selected and pursued her fifty activities, readers will be inspired to choose their own set of objectives for the next stage of life.
Read MoreQuoted in Real Woman Magazine in piece about divorce. http://realwomanonline.com/divorce-is-a-gauntlet/
Read MoreListen on Apple Podcasts
#002: At age 50, Maria Leonard Olsen drank her way out of her 25-year marriage. She had, against advice, put all her eggs in the motherhood basket, willfully derailing her successful law career. In this interview she shares her story of coming to terms with her addiction, the journey to recovery and finding herself underneath the facade she had created to deal with everyday life. We discuss such topics as the importance of truly getting to know yourself, How the principles of recovery from addiction can be applicable to anyone looking to reinvent themselves and her new book "50 after 50". She has gone on to become a successful lawyer, author, and speaker. Her story of reinvention is poignant, gutsy and inspiring.
Read MoreI am honored to be appointed as chairperson of the #HerStory Women’s Global Empowerment Conference 2019, Washington, D.C.! The conference will begin in New Zealand July 23-25, and will run globally for up to 12 months. The D.C. conference's dates are dependent on our venue. Once we have the date, I will post it on our local FB page. If you are interested in speaking, volunteering, sponsoring, being a vendor or helping to organize, please register, join the international AND our local FB pages, and view our founder’s message (links below).
Speaker Registration:
https://lnkd.in/dWv3JdZ
International Page:
https://lnkd.in/djYpQi3
Local Page:
https://lnkd.in/dxGQGUB
Piece I wrote on the most influential books in my life, for BreaknLinks.
Read MoreInternational Women’s Day article for BreaknLinks.com. https://www.breaknlinks.com/2019-3-10-think-equal-build-smart-innovate-for-change
Read MoreQuoted in article on choosing happiness. https://www.trackinghappiness.com/how-happiness-is-a-choice-examples/
Read MoreApproaching the “big 5-0” has been known to trigger a panic attack for even the most accomplished, successful and fulfilled people. In her fourth book, “50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life,” Maria Leonard Olsen shares an intimate look into her own collision course with this life milestone. On Thursday, March 14, at the Broadneck Library, the Bethesda-based lawyer and author will remind the audience that there is a lot more living to do once we can get our mind past the number.
Read More“With the #MeToo movement against workplace abuse of young adult women dominating the headlines, there’s a quieter movement of baby boomer women exploring what it means to get old. Book publishers are flocking to writers of self-actualization books like “Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age” and “50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life.”
https://squaredawayblog.bc.edu/squared-away/depression-abates-when-women-hit-60/
Read More
Maria was invited by the DC affiliate of CBS to do a live "Great Day Washington" segment on how meditation changed her life, and how meditation can be incorporated into the lives of busy people.