Maria Marin
Puerto Rican motivational speaker, businesswoman and columnist Maria Marin has devoted her energies to the subjects of personal improvement and the “art of negotiation” through her company Voice of Empowerment. Marin is known at the workshops and conferences she gives for her persuasive and enthusiastic style and that ability to inspire combined with her expertise have led her to become the only Hispanic woman to teach negotiation skills worldwide. The current spokeswoman for the American Diabetes Association’s “Por tu familia” Latino health program, Marin helps people overcome their personal obstacles and teaches the importance of trusting in oneself.
Q. Which book are your reading at the moment?
A. At the moment I’m reading “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” by Harold S. Kushner.
Q. Which book has had the biggest impact on you in your lifetime?
A. The book that has had the biggest impact on my life is “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch. Although the title sounds religious, it’s not a religious book.
Q. Who is your favorite author and why?
A. like a lot of authors like Paulo Coelho and Wayne W. Dyer. One of my favorite writers is Barbara De Angelis and, although all of her books are inspiring, the one I always recommend to other women is “Secrets About Life Every Woman Should Know.”
Q. What advice would you give parents and educators about encouraging young people to read in Spanish?
A. To encourage interest among young people in reading, we have to provide them with books with interesting subject matter, even if it’s a “comic book,” as that will create the habit of reading and eventually the child will become interested in reading other things.
