Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Winters.
Hi Maria, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi, I’m Maria Winters. I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, and moved to the United States in 2000. I went to Northeastern University in Boston for my undergraduate studies and later earned my master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University in Washington, D.C.
I’ve always known I wanted to be a mental health therapist. When I was young, it was either that or becoming a professional dancer! Psychology won, and it’s been a deeply rewarding journey. Since graduating, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a wide range of settings: volunteering at community clinics in Boston, working at a juvenile detention center in Northern Virginia, serving county clinics in Maryland and Virginia, and most recently spending 12 years as a mental health clinician in the emergency room at Luminis Health (formerly Anne Arundel Medical Center), supporting individuals in crisis. Along the way, I’ve also taught psychology as an adjunct faculty member at Anne Arundel Community College for over 12 years.
I feel incredibly grateful that psychology is such a versatile field. It has allowed me to keep learning while supporting people across many stages of life. Living in Venezuela and then building my life in the U.S. has given me perspective, expanded my horizons, and helped me connect with diverse communities.
All of these experiences led me to create the Emotional Fitness Studio in Annapolis and to co-host the podcast Wellness Rebranded alongside a registered dietitian and a certified fitness trainer. Together, we explore wellness through three key health perspectives, mental and emotional health, nutrition, and fitness, with a strong focus on women and their relationship with food, fitness and feelings. I’ve been guided by a clear passion for this work since I was young, and it really has been a joyful journey.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s honestly been both. There have been moments that felt like a smooth flow and others that were very bumpy, much like life itself. We all hope for the smooth stretches, but we also have to prepare for the bumps along the way. Understanding that has shaped not only my career, but my personal life as well.
That’s also why the work I do is so important to me. Supporting mental health isn’t about avoiding challenges. It’s about developing the skills and strategies to move through them when life gets hard and having tools to support yourself during those moments. That, to me, is the heart of emotional well-being.
On the smoother side of the journey, I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve built. My work now focuses on bringing wellness workshops and trainings to organizations, corporations, and schools, and I’ve been a speaker for over six years. I’ve really enjoyed exploring that side of myself, being interactive, down to earth, and using humor to open important conversations about emotional well-being. Using that gift to connect with people has been a beautiful part of this journey.
On the more challenging side, there have been moments of self-doubt, feeling like there is never enough time to do everything I want to do, and experiencing burnout. That burnout was a major reason I stepped away from my work in the emergency room and from teaching, as I realized I was stretching myself too thin. As a mental health therapist, caring for yourself has to be intentional. Otherwise, the emotional weight of the work, combined with personal and family responsibilities, can become overwhelming.
That period was a wake-up call. It pushed me to intentionally redesign my life, both professionally and personally, in a way that supports sustainability. Burnout is very real, and it often shows up when we forget that we are human, when we push too hard and overlook our need for balance, rest, and care.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started my private practice in 2021, after many years of working in individual and group therapy, emergency mental health care, and education. My focus shifted toward bringing mental health education into spaces where people already spend so much of their lives, including corporations, organizations, schools, and community groups. This work feels especially important right now, as we’re seeing increasing levels of stress and anxiety not only in personal lives, but in workplaces as well. Mental health doesn’t stay at home when we go to work. It comes with us and affects how we show up, communicate, perform, and connect with others.
Through my practice, I hold contracts throughout the year with organizations that want to support their teams through staff trainings, ongoing consultation groups, one-time workshops, or speaking engagements on topics related to emotional well-being and mental health. The goal is always the same: to offer practical, human-centered tools that people can actually use in their daily lives.
In 2024, I expanded this mission by creating the Emotional Fitness Studio in Annapolis. The studio offers free, in-person wellness events for adults year-round and is completely community-centered. I partner with local wellness providers who generously share their expertise, and the initiative is made possible through the support of sponsors who believe in making emotional well-being accessible to everyone. This year, that support includes several sponsors, such as Thrive Gym in Annapolis and Premier Planning Group, a wealth management firm, whose contributions allow these events to remain free and open to the community. Together, this reflects a shared understanding that emotional wellness is not a luxury, but the foundation of a healthy, resilient community.
Because of this support, adults in our community can choose from more than 35 events each year, ranging from yoga, sound healing, and somatic movement to conversations on grief, self-esteem, parenting, and communication.
I often describe the Emotional Fitness Studio as emotional wellness meeting community. It’s built by the community, supported by the community, and offered back to the community. Like going to a gym to build physical strength, this is a place where people come together to build emotional strength, because healing and growth happen best in connection with others. This work is for people who want tools, not just information.
What sets me apart is my more than 20 years of real-world clinical experience across diverse settings, including crisis work, education, and community-based wellness. I also bring a bicultural and bilingual perspective, which allows me to connect with a wide range of individuals and communities. People who attend my workshops often describe my approach as warm, down-to-earth, interactive, and relatable. I’m not afraid to use humor, even when talking about delicate topics, because it helps normalize difficult conversations and creates a space that feels safe, welcoming, and human.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are many ways to work with me and be part of this mission. Individuals can hire me to bring a workshop or a speaking event to their workplace, conference, or any event where they want to open conversations about ways to support ourselves emotionally and mentally. They can also get to know more about the Emotional Fitness Studio by attending any of the over 35 free events offered each year and experiencing the learning and growth that happens in these welcoming, community-centered space.
I love collaborating with organizations, workplaces, and community groups that want to support their teams to maintain communication, stress management, and well-being wherever they are. If this sounds like a good fit for you, reach out, bring me to your workplace, and let’s start the conversation. Together, we can check how the wellness culture is happening in your business right now, figure out what is working, make changes where needed, and build emotional well-being and mental health support into everyday routines.
Businesses can collaborate by supporting the Emotional Fitness Studio as sponsors, which is a tangible way to show commitment to emotional wellness in the community. Sponsors have the opportunity to connect with the over 300 people who participate in events each year while helping make these experiences free and accessible. It is a way to contribute to a thriving community, spread the message about the importance of wellness, and reinforce the idea that emotional well-being is the foundation of healthy relationships, workplaces, and communities.
Every collaboration, partnership, or sponsorship strengthens this mission, and I am always happy to support back by sharing my knowledge, strategies, and experience from over 20 years of mental health work. Together, we can continue to bring emotional wellness to the forefront of conversations in our communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thecoachingtherapist.com
- Other: podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wellness-rebranded-intuitive-eating-diet-culture-mental/id1651744916
