At 26, Maria Rincon made a radical shift: leaving the limelight of beauty pageants and television hosting behind to focus on using communication for impact, particularly within NGOs. That moment of clarity was when her personal evolution turned into professional purpose. With her previous TV hosting and UN Communications Consultant experience, Maria is now a public speaking coach with several large corporate clients. Her edge? A deep sense of empathetic listening.

Effective cross-cultural communication depends on understanding your audience and listening empathetically to what they have to say, international communications expert Maria Rincon told Global Business Journalism. Raised in a Colombian-Chinese household in Canada and now based in Sweden, she has sharpened her skills in bridging cultural gaps and empowering non-native English speakers. “Growing up in a multicultural household was a gift but also felt very lost in the sense of