Maria Rodriguez - Coach 

This is My Story

I was 24 the first time I came across coaching. Back then, I was working in corporate banking in Colombia (where I’m from), fresh out of university with a degree in economics.

One of the account managers offered to coach some of us younger team members. He taught us about personality types, which turned out to be really helpful with customers. But the lesson that stuck with me most was about comfort—it kills progress. Funny enough, my favorite part of that job wasn’t the numbers; it was listening to customers share their stories.

After banking, I moved into corporate retail. I started as a planner/controller, then became a product manager, and eventually a department manager. At 27, with a team of seven people and failing miserably at leadership, I had my second encounter with coaching. Thankfully, someone in the company saw potential in me and paired me with an executive coach. Total game changer. Working with him helped me understand myself better, build confidence, and figure out the kind of leader I wanted to be. My team came together, we started hitting our goals, and we actually enjoyed the process. I loved so much about that job—developing products, traveling the world, meeting business owners, and solving problems. No two days were ever the same.

Fast forward nine years, and I was in a new country (the USA) with a brand-new role: motherhood. Suddenly, no endless emails, calls, coworkers, or deadlines—just my son, my husband, and the freedom to “do whatever I wanted.” Except I wasn’t okay. It turned into the darkest period of my life. If I had a light before, it felt like it had dimmed to just a spark.

Why? Because I had never stopped to think about what I really wanted. Or who I was. Or what I was good at. I had just done what I thought I was supposed to do. And when I finally stopped, I froze. This time, it wasn’t a coach but a psychologist who helped me look in the mirror and actually see myself—the real me, the great me. It wasn’t easy (there were a lot of tears, writing, and hard work), but slowly my light came back.

With my confidence restored, I decided to try real estate. I became a realtor… just in time for a big opportunity for our family (now four of us) to move abroad again.

This time we landed in Taiwan, and being so far away gave me the perfect chance to reinvent myself. Through reflection, worksheets, and long conversations with friends, family, and past coworkers, I realized I could bring together so many pieces of myself: my love of puzzles and problem-solving (did I mention I once tried chemical engineering?), my organizational skills, my work experience, my passion for hearing stories (I’m a big historical fiction fan), my ability to connect with people, and that light that was finally shining again. So I studied, I practiced, and I became a coach.

Now we’re back in the United States. Since then, I’ve had the joy of working with women re-entering corporate life, searching for their passion, or trying to figure out who they are underneath all their daily roles. I’ve also worked with real estate agents, helping them organize their weeks, use tools, and stay accountable (drawing from my experience as Director of Operations for a real estate group when we came back to the US). I’ve worked with business owners too, serving as a sounding board and helping them turn ideas into action.

But more than anything, I’ve worked with amazing, talented people who knew they wanted something to change but weren’t sure where to start—or how to quiet that negative voice we all hear too often.

And that’s why I do this work. Because I know what it’s like to feel stuck, and I know how powerful it feels to find your spark again.