About the Author As a master of transformation, Maria Rivera draws from all her knowledge and experiences from coaching, mentoring, psychology, human resources, spirituality, consulting, creative solutions, intuition, and management skills to offer everyone a way to take back control of their lives, break free from the debilitating judgment of others, and make meaningful change, whether in the workplace, in the community, or at home. Professionally, Maria has made and remade herself multiple times. As a Hispanic immigrant woman, she faced numerous challenges as she climbed the corporate ladder and eventually found herself in a management role at Prudential Financial. She held multiple leadership positions before becoming vice president of change management, delivering benchmark strategies for large-scale change. With an extensive background in accounting, systems, operations, and human resources, she has helped organizations shift course from potential turmoil to work environments where employees feel inspired, engaged, and valued—all while delivering hundreds of millions in savings. Maria is a mentor and coach, dedicated to creating growth opportunities for people of all kinds, from at-risk youth to aspiring professionals, and fostering their success, both inside and outside of the workplace. She has coached hundreds of women from disadvantaged groups who could not otherwise afford coaching. She also volunteers as a mentor to teenagers who come from families who don’t speak English (Maria is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese), whose parents are illegal in the country, or whose home life is toxic. Finally, Maria has also traveled to numerous developing countries in Asia and Latin America to help improve the lives of children stuck in poverty and illness. She is not afraid to look darkness in the face in order to ease the pain and suffering of others. Through her own life experiences, Maria has learned that the key to transformation lies inside each of us, and her approach is therefore internal. She developed the Fly High Method as a way to help guide others through the process of reclaiming joy and agency in their lives by rejecting the often debilitating “shoulds and ought-tos," embracing one’s true self, taking healthy risks with confidence, and listening to the heart. It can be a long and bumpy road to a new life, but Maria and her seven cows are here to show you that it is possible; the hard work will pay off. Listen: they are even laughing. Read more
L**L
"You Had Me at Cows!"
“You had me at cows!”That’s what friends say when I mention this amazing book. Maria’s story starts in rural Spain where, at 4 years old, she was in charge of herding her family’s cows. Even living in poverty, with little connection to the outside world and no other kids in the village, it was an idyllic childhood with 7 cows as her constant companions. Then, one day, the cows were gone and her parents inexplicitly dropped her off at a convent—and vanished…It would be decades before she saw those cows again. Decades of facing down life’s challenges —and succeeding, but never feeling completely fulfilled. Then, one night, as Maria was battling a mountain of emotional and physical distress, the cows appeared in a dream—only this time, they were flying!Those flying cows became the inspiration for the 7 practices in the Fly-High Method, a “far-from-typical” approach to personal growth and self-transformation upon which Maria now writes, speaks and trains others.Part memoir, part self-help book and part meditation guide, “Fly High!” is a quick read—and one that I’ll pick up over and over again. The 7 practices are worth keeping in mind daily and the guided visualizations are rich with sensory cues that engage even a skeptic like me. If I work on these practices daily, I’m hopeful I’ll develop (and maintain) the same level of authenticity, keen intuition and self-awareness that Maria seems to exhibit 24/7. Stuck or not, I always want to make sure I’m flying high—I'm guessing you do, too. Buy this book and let's all learn how!
C**N
A Must Read! Relatable, Practical and Inspiring
Cows have always been considered both of the earth and beyond it, representing birth earth and sky, patience and holiness, calm and tender. Maria Rivera’s “Fly High” method captures all of this and more as it teaches us how to look within to find our best selves built upon all that makes up who we are as individuals. From playful Vespa to wise Gracey each of Ms. Rivera shares deeply personal experiences that once held her in a place that was robbing her of health and happiness. Her flying friends will help you look deeper within yourself and teach you ways to release that which is holding you back while focusing on all that moves you closer to achieving your best self. I recommend this book to all who are looking for easy to follow and repeatable exercises to help them break through mindsets that are holding you back. So much so that I shared this book with my entire family as it has practical applications for everyone from adolescents to adults.
A**R
Very inspiring, creative and well written!
Amazing read!!! Very inspiring, creative and well written. Looking forward to applying these 7 practices into my daily routine. It's one of those books that I plan on going back to at least once a year to recharge my mind & soul to a more optimistic and hopeful outlook.I'm a big fan of self-improvement books, but at times they could get very repetitive. It was great to read something fresh with new practices and point of views.Thank you for sharing your story. :)-Gui Ramos
P**B
AMAZING & UPLIFTING
Maria's talent of providing a new uplifting perspective is genuine and something that really does help you get "unstuck." This book is a great and easy read, perfect to carry around with you on your morning commute and definitely a positive start to the day. I HIGHLY recommend, even if you don't feel like you're stuck at the moment.
G**S
Inpiring
A great book to help you think back to way you live your life and change you can make to leave a happy and more fulling life nI hope there is more.
N**W
Your Go To Book for all aspects of life’s challenges
There are so many self help and coaching type books out there. Maria’s Fly High book, practices and methodologies stand out and above all others. I am a psychotherapist of 35 years and a Shamanic healing practitioner of over 20 years. I would recommend this book to all my clients. Maria’s story and journey is touching , real, inspirational and written from her heart and soul. Her own suffering and profound healing work has allowed her to develop an approach and concrete ways of dealing with life’s challenges which open one up to possibilities and potential to soar in your life inways you may never have imagined. The book is extremely personalyet touches upon universal teachings and tools we can all relate to to assist in taking risks to become our authentic selves with integrity and wholeness. In addition to reading the book , you will want to attend seminars that Maria givesor work with her individually. Are you ready to release old patterns which block your teaching your highest potential? Stop spinning around in the same negative chatter. This book will help along with Maria’s method born out of a dream coming out of her humble beginnings in rural Spain. Allow yourself to enter a unique place and new territory from the very first page of Maria’s amazing bio and background into extraordinary practices and tools which you cherish and return to over and over again to enhance your life’s journey.
Trustpilot
2 months ago
3 weeks ago
