Speakers Bio

Maria Dowd:



When Maria Dowd started African American Women on Tour in 1991, she was one of the few making it their mission to empower – and make a living doing it. Black women across the country flocked to AAWOT to hear Maya Angelou, Gladys Knight, Alice Walker, Iyanla Vanzant and hundreds of empowerment trainers and healers. Held in over 40 U.S. cities, the Caribbean and France over the course of 13 years, AAWOT -- the foremost women’s empowerment conference series – took its final turn in Hilton Head, SC in 2003, on the heels of hurricane Isabel. This act of God was a sure sign that it was time for Maria to begin the new chapters of her life. By then, she’d touched the hearts and souls of over 30,000 women and teens worldwide. Maria is now a motivational speaker, trainer, inspirational author and top producer at Warm Spirit, representing a line of spa-quality skin care and wellness products, and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Without question, thousands of lives were transformed by the AAWOT experience, including that of Nadine Thompson, Warm Spirit’s co-founder/president. She introduced her initial line of six botanical products, created by a bona fide medicine man in Arizona, to the women of AAWOT because she knew they’d appreciate their cellular healing powers and opportunity to create streams of passive income. Maria now serves on Warm Spirit’s elite Executive Council and leads a national network of over 500 self-care representatives. Twice winner of the “Recruiter of the Year” award, Maria was the 2006 recipient of Warm Spirit’s esteemed “Spirit of Madam C. J. Walker” award. Warm Spirit represents the perfect melding of her AAWOT mission and goals to help empower women to live fuller and more joyful lives.



With the release of her latest book, Journey Into My Brother’s Soul (May 2007), Maria’s on an expanded mission -- to help women embrace new concepts of freedom, joy, peace and prosperity. Maria’s first two books, Journey to Empowerment and Journey To a Blissful Life (the later was featured in Essence magazine as one of the best books to read for personal renewal), have touched lives in many profound ways. Maria’s regularly invited to offer keynote addresses, seminars and book talks to audiences ranging from college students and small business owners to women’s and professional networking groups. She shares her trials and triumphs of running a business, balancing home life and touching audiences’ hearts in unprecedented ways.



“We’re in a day and age where more and more women, and especially women of color, have to change the way we’ve been doing things. It can be a frightening proposition, but the conversations have to take place. It’s our time and birthright to live richer, more healthful, purpose-driven lives.” Maria wows audiences solo, but often with strategic partners, including two powerful women one a U.S. Olympian and the other a CPA-turned “financial freedom ambassador,” offering a highly dynamic, holistic approach to empowering people, creating healthier lifestyles and building wealth-consciousness.



All of Maria’s books offers insightful essays, poems and meditations that represent the voices of over 100 women and men of color. One of those voices is Maria’s husband, spoken word artist, Curtis V. Second marriages for both, they met on a cruise the summer of 2005 and fell in love on a jet ski,. They live in San Diego, where Curtis V runs a thriving hair styling business. Additionally, Maria and Curtis, along with a talented team of wellness and wealth experts, offer business development training courses to small business owners, regularly supporting those in the cosmetology, healing arts, self-care and wellness industries.



Throughout Maria’s 18-year entrepreneurial journey, she has generated an expansive national and international following and has been featured in Essence, Black Enterprise, Heart & Soul and, most recently in Empowering Women (May 2007)magazines. Maria is the former health and wellness columnist for Turning Point magazine, is featured in Cheryl Broussard’s Sister CEO: The Black Woman’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business, as well as in Direct Selling Women’s Alliance’s Build it Big: 101 Insider Secrets from Top Direct Selling Experts.



Maria is a native Californian, has two grown daughters, plus five from her marriage, loves salsa dancing, “Sundance” type films, watches HGTV home-improvement shows with a vengeance and enjoys hanging out with Curtis.