Maura Sweeney - Ambassador of Happiness

A world traveler and pioneer in the Happiness movement, Maura Sweeney has addressed audiences in 15 countries and across the USA on Personal Leadership, Influence and the Power of Happiness in the workplace.

A former co-host of Tampa Bay, Florida's State of Happiness radio show and several year columnist for HuffPost, Maura is a natural unifier and uplifter pointing others toward a happier state of mind. First given the name Ambassador of Happiness by the UNESCO Center for Peace when invited to speak at the inaugural Nelson Mandela Day celebrations, she has since delivered engaging presentations with an unexpected punch that challenges audiences to see their lives in brighter and unexpected ways.

Maura has energized attendees at universities, national leadership conferences, women's conferences, corporations, American Embassy outposts and various government entities.

A thought leader whose insights apply to many facets of work and life, Maura has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including CBS, NBC, Britain's BBC radio and European press and TV. Her "Maura Sweeney Living Happy Inside Out" podcast is available on iTunes and many popular platforms.

Incorporating a lifetime of experience which includes hosting foreign exchange students, mentoring incarcerated teens, global travels and an unwitting brush with organized crime figures (see ESPN’s 30 for 30 film "Playing for the Mob"), Maura brings personal insights and acquired mettle to audiences seeking purpose, significance and happiness in their own life and their greater world.

In 2018, the All Ladies League - the largest independent women’s organization in the world - awarded Maura Woman of the Decade at its annual event in The Hague, Netherlands.

And, in 2020, Maura received the Legacy Award for Global Diplomacy at the Leap and Shine international leadership event in London, England.

Background:

Maura grew up in northern New Jersey, graduated Boston College in with a degree in Political Science and studied at Seton Hall Law School before jumping off a planned career path to discover a more purposeful one of her own.

Maura met her husband Jim at Boston College, married in 1981 and moved to Florida where she enjoyed a decade long career in corporate management. Here is where Maura honed many of her skills in developing winning teams and leaders in an engaging and positively charged culture. Maura won numerous awards over the years including the Chairman's Award for Branch Manager of the Year.

As a mom, Maura juggled volunteering, home schooling a daughter and working with her husband at their Florida-based manufacturer's rep firm selling to the world's 2nd largest computer reseller.

At midlife, Maura launched out on her true passion: engaging audiences everywhere to find and develop what makes them happy from the inside out.