Dr. Maria Ian: From Law to Wellness—My Odyssey in Project Management, Training and Personal Transformation

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Dr. Maria Ian is a versatile professional with diverse experience in law, political science, health, and fitness. Her unique perspective on project management and training stems from her expertise across these fields. In an exclusive interview with Global Woman Magazine on August 19, 2023, Dr. Ian explores the intriguing connections between her areas of knowledge and how they inform her innovative approach. Through her podcast “Thrive Boldly,” she combines cognitive and behavioral science with ancestral healing to provide a groundbreaking method for overcoming fear and trauma. This methodology empowers busy professionals to achieve self-actualization.

With a diverse background that includes federal and international human rights cases, collaborations with governmental and non-governmental organizations, and creative writing endeavors, Dr. Ian approaches her work from a holistic perspective. She values the uniqueness of every individual and believes in the power of integrity, commitment, and humility in all aspects of life. In this interview, Dr. Ian shares how her interdisciplinary journey has not only enriched her personal growth but also brought about transformative change in the lives of those she mentors and guides. To gain further insight into Dr. Maria Ian’s expertise and innovative approach, visit her website for the Thrive Boldly Podcast (caveofthesun.com) airing on July 29th and August 20^th editions.

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Your career spans diverse fields such as law, political science, health, and fitness. How have these different areas of expertise influenced and enriched your approach to project management and training?

We did a podcast on this topic recently which you can view on my website: Thrive Boldly Podcast July 29th edition. To summarize: Stated in general terms for simplicity’s sake, political science and law are extremely important disciplines in a country such as America and other representative democracies today that are based on a specific system of the rule of law, human rights, policies, and procedures, as opposed to on the will of a person or persons. I say a specific system because I believe that the rule of law always governed humanity, while the perception of it differed in various historical periods. Every system of governance has its good and its not-so-good sides. As discussed in the podcast, our rules and policies-based system can incentivize the wrong aspects of our energy pathways, which means it can unbalance and severely disturb our energy flows. That can lead to alienation from self, from others, and from purpose, to isolation, unsatisfied anger, and frustration, which, if left unaddressed, can cause severe health issues in the long term. It is clear, therefore, that we need a health and fitness approach to law and political science!   

In your role as a project management professional for a law firm, you managed complex immigration and refugee-related projects. Can you share an example of a particularly challenging project you successfully implemented, and the strategies you employed to overcome obstacles?

I can’t because confidentiality agreements legally bind the legal profession. I agree with that restriction because the mainstream media tends to distort things from where most people get their information. People, therefore, are unprepared to know the extent to which the practice of law really impacts human energy and our common evolution. But I can tell you this: The most challenging projects are those with the greatest gap between mainstream media presentation and the common public political perception on the one hand and the truth of what really occurred on the other. That tends to happen the most when real people are involved. Which is why some parties and their practices can be dehumanizing and don’t want to have real people involved. So you can have great secrecies existing out there in the open in what is meant to be a highly modern and evolved representative democracy. The one and only strategy employed to overcome obstacles in this environment is plain good old on-the-ground investigations. That means observe, see clearly, and know. The best attorneys and I have encountered only a very few, are those who fully and completely know the totality of who their client is. The correct practice of law is the creation of the correct client reality. You can experience that in my psychological thriller novel series on Amazon at The Island (The War of the Cave Sun Book 1) – Kindle edition by Ian, Maria. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com and The Labyrinth: The Second in the Cave Sun Series (The War of the Cave Sun Book 2) – Kindle edition by Ian, Maria. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com which is directly based on real life even though properly modified for confidentiality purposes. 

Your training program, “Thrive Boldly: The Total Fear Eradicator,” combines cognitive and behavioral science with ancestral healing. How do these elements work together to help busy professionals release fear and trauma and achieve self-actualization?

Ancestral healing is a very specific methodology that focuses on the individual’s ability to correctly read their inheritance or what they carry over into this world from the energy forces that create them, also called their DNA. Cognitive and behavioral science has a positive psychology bent in that it wants to help people eradicate their anxieties and fears to be their better selves. The problem is that there are many technologies people can employ to do that and magnify positive things. Sometimes it can work very well, but there are also many people in all kinds of cognitive behavioral training for whom the results are mixed, not good, or inconsistent. The reason for that is that humans are limited by their biology; for example, we cannot walk out of the window because the law of gravity binds us. The laws of our biology, which I call our energy pathways, are very good laws; however, if we don’t know them, we cannot use them to our advantage. There is no point in applying the most brilliant cognitive behavioral science in a body that is not using its energy pathways to its advantage. That is where ancestral healing comes in. The methodology of ancestral healing enables us to read the energy pathways that go into our DNA correctly. So we foster useful energy pathways when we are open-minded and have a positive, productive mindset as encouraged by cognitive behavioral science.

With a background in medical research and counselling, you’ve trained individuals to represent their best selves. Could you highlight a transformational success story from your training program, showcasing how it propelled someone to excel in their professional life?

The best transformational success stories are where people make the 180-degree change in that highly specific segment of their mindset where the problem also truly is, which may not be the same segment that they complain about or are upset about. That happened in one case where the person’s energy pathways, in my opinion, worked extremely well then when nothing else worked. The person of their own free will and volition snapped out of what they had thought all along the problem was (which was not the real problem), went into the zone (free-flowing state of creation where there is no will) and solved the real problem. Interestingly, that had been preceded by some very blunt, deep, and direct digging into crucial problem areas of the person’s genetic blueprint. Which genetic blueprint problem areas also were not the problem that the person had been complaining and upset about. 

As an author of over two dozen books and reference volumes, you’ve made significant contributions to the written resource landscape. How do you balance your role as an authoritative figure in your niche with the evolving trends and developments in your areas of expertise?

Everything always evolves and never stands still. Right now as I am writing this or and you are reading this, our respective reality is undergoing radical changes that may or may not impact the person who is reading and who is writing, and then when it does impact, it impacts each one in different ways. So one doesn’t focus on the evolving trends and developments because if one does that, one focuses on the outcome and is already very late with one’s observations. One has to foresee trends by inserting oneself at the right angle into the evolution. A lot more can be said about this; this is meant to be just an interview.    

Your involvement in both federal and international human rights cases is impressive. How do you integrate your legal knowledge and advocacy skills into your training program, and how does this combination benefit your participants?

Humility and realism are required to be effective, and training must always be based on the participant. The media and public political opinion hype at the federal and international human rights level often is calculated to be extreme and distorting. Public opinion includes legal services and advocacy organizations that, in their opinion, rightfully are looking to make money and be part of the respective hype. Individual training program participants are not at all benefited by this approach. I have encountered a sizeable amount of participants whose careers were significantly damaged by this environment. Therefore, humility is required to address the participant’s reality at her or his emotive or energy level, and realism to read that reality accurately so the participant can also implement purposes and goals.      

You’ve worked with both governmental and non-governmental organizations in coalitions. What key insights have you gained from managing such diverse collaborations, and how do these insights inform your approach to building effective teams in your training initiatives?

The key insight is that where each coalition member coheres with the others in terms of values, vision, and goal of the particular coalition, the coalition is easily set into motion and accomplishes its goals! That is why we have First Amendment freedoms. The big problems are the wolves in sheep skin, individuals who are disruptors and spies and use the third-party law to obstruct progress. The other key insight is to recognize and remove such persons at the earliest possible. Such obstruction is beyond ridiculous because the entirety of the human race operates on energy pathways that are relatively balanced regarding values, vision, and goals. Obstruction is always fake and created to damage others whom one thinks to hinder certain short-term goals. This thinking that others hinder is always mistaken. But to know that, one has to be humble and know the extraordinary depth of humanity, which the short-term-goal-people obviously don’t know at all.      

In addition to your professional pursuits, you’ve ventured into creative writing with a psychological thriller and legal fiction series. How does your experience in law and counselling influence your approach to crafting compelling narratives in the world of fiction?

I began my professional career with the vision I developed in the narrative of my first complete novel I wrote on paper when I was thirteen. I wrote before then also, but not on paper! As a child and before being a child, I wrote with the light on nature. As I mentioned, I call my novel series “fiction” for formal categorization purposes only since it represents real-life experiences appropriately changed to maintain confidentiality – and build suspense!

The question should be changed to How has my creative writing narrative influenced my experience in law and counseling? There where law and counseling have derived from the functional energy zone of our common humanity (without which one cannot craft a compelling creative writing narrative) the experience has been great, whereas then when this has not been the case, the experience has lacked in significant respects.

Note that I began writing my psychological thriller novel series when I was thirteen years old, and if one were to do a very thorough and detailed biographical progression, one would notice the fascinating correspondence between the creative writing that precedes and the professional life that follows thereafter.

That is my very personal account, and I believe there are many more people who have similar experiences without being aware of them. For example, people write diaries or letters or other creative writing endeavors without knowing the great significance that this endeavor can have in their lives. Sadly, some people even refuse to acknowledge that their creative endeavors have a significant impact. 

Your journey from event management and fundraising in the non-profit sector to your current roles is fascinating. How has your background in sustainability and civil society shaped your perspectives on leadership, ethics, and social responsibility within the industries you’ve been a part of?

My earliest experiences taught me a high level of professionalism. Because the issue in civil society and sustainability was one of uncertainty and instability in the various forms of governance that required ingenuity in approach, I could see clearly that integrity and commitment worked, whereas individuals who lacked that created and left behind large holes. I still think integrity and commitment are crucial even in the very streamlined, law-based, and protected industries of today’s representative democracies. Integrity and commitment are crucial because streamlined industries can lull one into a false sense of safety that ignores or papers over glitches and defects until it is too late.        

Your credentials include certifications in personal training, nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine, and trauma counselling. How do these varied certifications synergise in your holistic approach to helping individuals achieve their best selves, and how do you tailor your guidance to meet each person’s unique needs?

The certifications came many years after I had acquired the skills. I acquired the certifications because in today’s world, one needs to list them to demonstrate authority. These certifications represent a small part of the ancestral healing technology and the cognitive science technology I discussed in the abovementioned questions.

Photography by Baris Selcen