Maria Leonard Olsen is a civil litigation lawyer, a journalist, and an author. When she turned 50, she got divorced, got sober, and became an empty nester. For the first time in her life, she was living alone. And for the first time after 15 years as a full-time mom, she had to find a law firm that would hire her.

Many women would have folded under the pressure, the loneliness, the Herculean task of putting a life back together. Not Maria. On the suggestion of a friend, Maria decided to try 50 new things in her 50th year. And some of those things were big, real big. Teaser: She bought a motorcycle with a sidecar for her dog. (All these years later, [Maria is 64], she rides on the back of her partner's motorcycle and experiences the freedom that helped her heal.)

Her two-month stay as a volunteer in the poorest section of Nepal made her realize that it's not the number of things you have, but the friends, family, and shared experiences that make us happy. She began to understand that the life of gratitude is so much more precious than trying to be something she was not. A self-described "people pleaser," Maria set out to work on pleasing and loving herself.

Today, one of Maria's greatest joys is helping others. Her experiences with alcoholism, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and racism have given her first-hand knowledge of the suffering and the joys of healing.

Maria is a woman you'll want to get to know.

https://www.marialeonardolsen.com/

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR3cM9aRjes

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4PPYJW/?bestFormat=true&k=50%20after%2050%20book&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_k0_1_8_de&crid=1LZ6M942D3A5U&sprefix=50%20after