#262: Maria Alexa is an independent singer-songwriter, & producer based in New York City. Her first memory of music stems from childhood, playing 90s pop songs on her toy piano for her dad, memorizing lyrics from Britney Spears to Andrea Bocelli. Maria worked hard to make music a reality, pushing herself beyond limits from choir, all state, all county, piano lessons, vocal lessons, guitar lessons and then in college, Maria continued her love for harmonies in acapella groups where she discovered the magic of performing. After graduation, life felt unfulfilled until she wrote her first song--the journaling and the poetry she’d been writing for years turned into raw & emotional melodies. Combined with an incredible support system, multi-talented producer & the belief that anything was possible, her music career truly took flight and the songs poured out of her like water. Topics: Knowing when to leave a comfortable relationship that is no longer alignedReframing the mindset around pursuing a career in a "difficult" and saturated industryBenefits of therapy, individually and in your relationshipUnderstanding your root desire of how you want to impact the world and finding job roles that enable you to do this Receive weekly personal insights from Emily's email newsletter and subscribe here Watch Full Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatfulfillsyou/videos ENJOY 10% OFF THE WHAT FULFILLS YOU? CARD GAME AT www.whatfulfillsyou.com - code "WHATFULFILLSYOU10" Follow the What Fulfills You? Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatfulfillsyou Follow Maria Alexa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmarialexa Listen to Maria Alexa's music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0YqcLgF72RVW7AmFKvYP7j?si=PK1VEfdiQlm9cYAncvBbLA Follow Emily Elizabeth's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyeduong/ Read more on the blog: https://emilyelizabeth.blog/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/what-fulfills-you-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy