From being crowned the first Hispanic Miss Kentucky to running her own consulting firm, Maria Maldonado Smith traces it all back to 3 goals she wrote down when she was 8 years old. Being crowned Miss Kentucky was #1. Listen to today’s episode and discover how goal-setting shaped Maria’s life and helped her get through some of her most challenging times. Maria now works with individuals and businesses to spread her message of writing down goals and creating a visual roadmap. You’ll be inspired to grab that pen and paper and take the first steps to making your dreams a reality.
Tangible Takeaways:
About Maria:
A graduate of the University of Kentucky with a BA in Political Science and a minor in vocal performance and psychology, Maria is a native of Lexington, KY. In 2004, she was crowned the first Hispanic Miss Kentucky and represented her home state at the 2005 Miss America pageant where she was an interview winner. She is also a former Miss Kentucky Teen and a former Kentucky Derby Queen. Her participation in the Miss America Organization completely paid her way through college earning her over $50,000 in scholarships.
Over the course of her 17+ year corporate career that includes work within the pharmaceutical, automotive, and construction rental equipment industries, she was recognized as a top performer who consistently achieved results. By leveraging her impeccable ability to build and foster long-term relationships, extensive industry and business knowledge, strong sales management and leadership skills, team development expertise became the focus of her tenure.
In 2021, Maria left the corporate world to start her own company, MMS Consulting Firm, where the mission is to motivate, empower, connect, and challenge women to become the most authentic version of themselves no matter what phase or stage of life they are in - and to do so unapologetically. She has a passion for building cohesive teams that show up for themselves personally and professionally so that they feel confident, represented, and seen in their work and personal lives.
The greatest accomplishment she has ever achieved is being wife to her super cool husband, Dan, of almost 18 years, and mom to their three children, Miriam (15), Luke (13), and Jude (6).
Connect with Maria:
Website: https://mmconsultingfirm.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariamaldonadosmith/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mariamaldonadosmith
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/confessionsofacorporatemom
About me:
Karen Laos, Communication Expert and Confidence Cultivator, leverages 25 years in the boardroom and speaking on the world’s most coveted stages such as Google and NASA to transform missed opportunities into wins. She is fiercely committed to her mission of eradicating self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them practical strategies to ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond. She guides corporations and individuals with her tested communication model to generate consistent results through her Leadership Presence Keynote: How to Be an Influential Communicator.
Connect with me:
Website: https://www.karenlaos.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlaosofficial
Facebook: Ignite Your Confidence with Karen Laos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/karenlaosconsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlaos/
Clubhouse: @karenlaos
My book “Trust Your Own Voice”: https://karenlaos.com/book/
Episodes also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videos