Maria Leonard Olsen is a biracial woman whose parents were forbidden by law to marry in their home state of Maryland in the early 1960s. She is the mother of two children, a lawyer, journalist and author of two children's books. She leads writing/empowerment retreats for women, and is a co-host of the Inside Out radio show on WPFW-fm, 89.3, in Washington, D.C.
Maria graduated from Boston College and the University of Virginia School of Law, served in the Clinton Administration's Justice Department, fostered newborn babies awaiting adoption, and has been on the boards of Children's National Medical Center BOV, the Catholic Coalition for Special Education, GirlsUp and the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Washington.
She has written for The Washington Post, Washingtonian, Bethesda Magazine, Parenting, BabyTalk and Washington For Women, and is a regular contributor to Thrive Global and Up Journey. She recently returned to practicing law now that her children are launched. Mommy, Why's Your Skin So Brown? is her first children's book. Healing for Hallie is her second children's book. Not the Cleaver Family--The New Normal in Modern American Family, was released in November 2016. Her latest book, 50 After 50--Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life, was published in June 2018. See www.MariaLeonardOlsen.com for additional information.