About Maria.
I could give you some perfectly stylized, professionally shot and digitally edited images of me and my girls to give you the idea of the perfection you can achieve in your life if you work with me, but nah, we are going to keep it real around here because we are raising real, perfectly imperfect girls! And real girls show real images, unedited, raw and full of emotion and life! ( but I did get my eyebrows done, washed my face and brushed my hair that day so....)
Hi There!
I'm Maria Fuller, Mom to two amazing girls Alexa 13 and Arya 8. That's us hanging in the lazy river in our backyard in *gasp* our bathing suits! Yes, this full figured mama rocks her bathing suit all summer long and even takes a ton of pictures with her girls in it! WHY?!? Because modeling behavior is one of the MOST POWERFUL tools we have to teach our children, but more on that later!
When I was pregnant with Alexa, which feels like a lifetime ago, I was TERRIFIED of being a girl mom. Like, so terrified I cried when I found out it was a girl. I cried again when I found out Arya was a girl too, I'm slow to catch on. Theres a reason my girls chose me as their mom!
Why was I so terrified? Well my journey as a girl and woman hasn't been easy. I was the shy girl, the good girl, the people pleasing, perfectionist, want to do everything right girl. I struggled with friendships, relationships, body image, self esteem, confidence... should I go on? You get the point.
On our lazy river in CT. Arya 8, Alexa 13
Arya 10 mo. I wore her 8+ hours a day, girl was high need & touch, I was exhausted
HOW was I, the hot-mess woman, suppose to raise confident and powerful girl? Because if you know anything about me, you will easily learn that I don't half ass anything I do. When I do it, I go ALL IN! If I'm raising girls, they are going to be freaking awesome!
But how do I raise freaking awesome girls when that wasn't my experience? And so my journey into personal development began in my college years. I wont bore you with the details, I share my story on the podcast so much that if you are one of my amazing avid listeners you can probably tell the story better than me!
One thing is for sure, I have always lived a life of service, it's in my blood and I have always had a thirst for knowledge and then a desire to share with those around me. If I had unlimited funds and time I would hold so many official degrees it would be silly. Alas, I still surround myself with knowledge and am constantly learning. I read about 250+ books a year. Yeah half is romance smut ( my brain needs a break, don't judge) but the other half, ok, well like 50 of them are deep into psychology and personal development.
I have spent more than two decades, man that make me feel old, helping others. I finally launched Raising a Powerful Girl in 2017 as a response to the hundreds of women and girls that I have worked with over the years that had the same struggles I had, but I had slowly managed to shift and break away from.
What I learned is that I am a "cycle disruptor" or "cycle breaker". I have always been a few years ahead of everyone else, a deep feeler and thinker. When I was younger it was made to be a bad thing, now I know it is my calling.
So how do we raise Powerful, Strong, Confident girls when we weren't that way as a child? Easy, we become cycle breakers!
We lean into things that make us uncomfortable, we acquire knowledge, we know better and we do better and therefor break the cycle of negative behavior for our daughters. Sounds easy right?!
Well it is when you are hanging out with me, see, I'm two steps ahead of you in breaking these cycles and patterns. I'm the one who likes to read those long journal studies and thick psychology articles. I've picked the brains of over 200+ professionals on how we do this and empower girls and lucky for you, I LOVE to share what I have learned with others! And that is why you are here
Girls in the pool! Bathing suit selfie. Modeling positive behavior. We love our bodies and play hard
In my happy place, the library. Probably exhausted from reading studies and articles. But seriously, I'm happy!
Ok so for the technical stuff if you are wondering!
I am the Founder and Thought Leader behind RaisingAPowerfulGirl.com My work has been featured on Google and Yahoo news, the Rachel Ray show, numerous online publications and I host and produces an iTunes top 10 podcast in multiple Countries for my category. I have been a coach and mentor for women in Business for over 15 years and have helped women launch and scale their businesses in the online space. I am sought after for my intuitive method of ideation and co-creation as well as toolbox filled with technical knowledge.
I Graduated from Stony Brook University Medical Center with a BS in Health Science, minor in Emergency and Disaster Management and concentration in Women Studies. I was a critical care paramedic for years until an accident on the job lead me to the path of entrepreneurship.
I hold a Certificate from MIT in Leading Change in Times of Disruption, Leading From the Emerging Future, a micro-masters in the Science of Happiness from the University of California, Berkley and A Certificate in The Science of Parenting from UC SanDiego. I am also certified in Neurolinguistic programming and am finishing certifications in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
I have spent more than a decade working with women of all ages to help shed unhealthy beliefs and breakdown stereotypes surrounding pregnancy, motherhood, body image, self-esteem, parenting, women in leadership and much more. I am frequent speaker and presenter on women’s leadership, girls' empowerment and the role social media and technology play in children's self-esteem, relational aggression in girls (girl bullying), confidence, and brain health.
I am on the Advisory Board for Post University's Communication & Media Department where I offer feedback and suggestions on how current curriculum and courses meet the skill sets present in today’s communication and media industries and the impact it has on children and brain health.
Arya rocking a full face of makeup! Why not?!
Teaching Alexa the power of libraries. The books, the calm, the study habits. Homeschooling rocks for our family!
I have been homeschooling my girls for the last 4+ years. My eldest is 2E with stealth dyslexia, dysgraphia and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss but that isn’t holding her back as she starts her associates degree in American Sign Language and Deaf studies at just 13 in January 2023, while she is completing high school. My youngest is a precocious and gifted artist who loves to learn and spends hours a day creating and painting. If you follow me on IG you will get a behind the scenes glimpse into everyday life in my stories. I have helped launch several homeschooling and alternative education programs and centers and am a huge proponent for alternative education and child lead learning.
I'm married to my my soul mate who I met on his 18th birthday, I'm the older woman, by a month to the date exactly! I'm so lucky to have a partner in life and on this journey who is just as committed to personal growth and development as me, without him I wouldn't be able to do 1/2 the things I do. I'm lucky he is an incredible role model to our girls on healthy relationships, personal growth, healthy masculinity and so much more!
But really, I'm here to serve and support other moms and parents who are looking to do better! WHY? Because together we can help change the world and who wouldn't want to be a part of that!
