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http://www.beyonddecadence.com/, https://youtu.be/UJqW5O0ZyzA

Beyond Decadence, 19825 N Cove Road Ste B-188, Cornelius, NC (2026)

10/05/2026

If you’re one of my newer connections, my feed may be a bit confusing, because “What You See Isn’t the Whole Story.”

On September 25, 2026, I spoke to HR professionals at the NC SHRM State Conference (SHRM North Carolina State Council, Inc. Then on October 3 and 4, I mentored budding college-age entrepreneurs at The Hurt Hub at Davidson, Techstars (Techstars Startup Weekend).

The connection? Seeing beyond what’s in front of us.

As a mentor, I asked questions that empowered entrepreneurs to challenge their assumptions, anticipate the judges’ questions and explain their ideas more clearly.

As a speaker and caregiver advocate, I challenge leaders to question their assumptions about the people on their teams. I even use a pre-made dessert to bring that lesson to life. That’s where my French-trained pastry chef background comes in! 👩🏽‍🍳

This clip from my SHRM NC session shares how caregiving started for me: with a phone call.

No scheduled start date. No convenient opening on my calendar. Just someone I loved needing me.

Suddenly, there was a whole new story unfolding behind what other people could see.

When people see me in that chef jacket today, most don’t realize my caregiving story is part of what brought me to the stage.

Different rooms, events and audiences.
Same reminder: “What You See Isn’t the Whole Story.” 💜

10/05/2026

This time last year, I was pitching. This year, I was on the other side of the table, listening, questioning, saying, “This is my thinking face,” and sharing tips on how to quickly capture an audience’s attention.

Even with catered meals, snacks, refreshments, and the luxury of going home each night, turning an idea into a mini-business plan in 54 hours is no small task. Customer discovery, market validation, financial projections, and a pitch...all in one weekend!

Our multigenerational team, Dermalytixs, won FIRST PLACE at Techstars (Techstars Startup Weekend) at The Hurt Hub at Davidson last year. We’re still moving forward with bringing our early infection detection device to market. And yes, we’re still doing plenty of iterating!

This year, I returned as a mentor to six teams of four. Oh my goodness...that was an entirely different kind of rewarding!

One of the biggest challenges as an entrepreneur is stepping back far enough to look at your business objectively. You know what you mean. But does anyone else? Can you explain it like you’re talking to a third grader? 😂

As mentors, we asked questions, challenged assumptions, and sometimes said the things that are hard to hear:
“I don’t get it.”
“That’s confusing.”
“Way too many words.”

Then we nudged them to sharpen their ideas and make the value clearer than clear before stepping into the spotlight. Each team had five minutes to pitch to five judges, followed by five minutes of Q&;A. No pressure, right?!

That connects directly to what I do as a keynote speaker: empower people to challenge assumptions, ask better questions, and consider a perspective they may have missed.

It nourished my soul to see how much of our advice the teams considered and incorporated into their pitches.

Watching their progress over those 54 hours was remarkable.Most teammates had started the weekend as complete strangers. The teams brought together students from Davidson College or UNC and at least one community member, each contributing different experiences, strengths, and perspectives.

And this year’s winners were...
🥇 1st place: Dough! The spoils went to the victors: shiny new iPads!
🥈 2nd place: Smoky the Wildcats! Their prize: digital cameras!
🥉 3rd place: Chatpatch! Muscle massagers for those tense entrepreneurial moments!

By the time those names were called, I felt like a proud mama of 12 new offspring!

I knew how much work had gone into those pitches. This time, I got to experience the joy of watching their ideas grow stronger with each round of feedback.

What You See Isn’t the Whole Story. Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes can empower you to see what your idea could become. 💜

10/02/2026

Everyone has their own beliefs that get them through each day and prepare them for the ones ahead.

For me, it’s talking to God.

Before leaving for the NC SHRM State Conference (SHRM North Carolina State Council, Inc.) in Wilmington, 3 hrs 40 mins away, I paused at the foot of my bed and prayed for protection before wheeling my luggage out the door.

Barely 15 minutes later, the car ahead nearly sideswiped an 18-wheeler while a Jeep rode my bumper in torrential rain. About an hour later, I nearly sideswiped a car in my blind spot and swerved several times until I heard, “Take your foot off the gas.”

I did. Thank God I made it to Wilmington.

Then a wonky hotel refrigerator secretly adopted an “I prefer to keep things warm!” stance. 🤦🏾‍♀️ Cue an unexpected bakery quest to replace my presentation desserts.

When I checked my session room, I counted.

99, 100… yup, 110 seats.

I wondered how many would be filled. But weeks before I ever saw that room, I had already prayed for each person who would attend.

My purpose went beyond sharing my journey from IT consultant to French-trained pastry chef to interactive keynote speaker and caregiver advocate.

It was about saving the job of someone I haven’t even met and probably never will.

Yes, it’s that serious.

When a leader assumes an employee’s declining performance means they’re lazy, unreliable, or no longer committed, that assumption can shape what happens next: a performance improvement plan (PIP), demotion, or termination.

The performance concern may be real. The explanation behind it may be wrong, wrong, wrong.

What if that employee is caring for an aging parent, raising children, supporting a loved one of any age with a visible or invisible disability, or navigating the sandwich generation?

That leader may be witnessing them crumbling under the weight of it all.

An incorrect assumption could cost an entire family their livelihood and jeopardize the care of a loved one completely dependent on that employee.

Leaders still have to address performance. But understanding what’s affecting it gives them a better starting point for deciding how.

My mission in that room was clear: give HR professionals a new perspective to carry back to their organizations.

Pause. Ask a better question. Understand more of the story before assuming what someone’s behavior means.

When I look at these photos, I think about the people in those seats and the employees whose lives they have the power to affect.

I’m sure there will be another “you won’t believe what happened” story before my next presentation. 😂 But I’m certain someone’s job will depend on what a leader takes away from that room.

That’s what keeps me stepping up to the microphone.🎤

What You See Isn’t the Whole Story.

10/01/2026

Last year, I was a competitor. This year, I’m a mentor. Talk about a full-circle moment!

I’m excited to return to Techstars Startup Weekend at The Hurt Hub at Davidson , where my multigenerational team clinched FIRST PLACE last year! 🏆

The spoils of victory were plenty, but one of the most tangible was a shiny new pink iPad! I now use it to record my speaking engagements so I can sharpen my delivery and share clips on social media. Talk about a win that’s still working for me...literally!

Yes, Chef Maria has a few things in her supply drawer besides a whisk or a microphone. 🎤

My background includes IT consulting, owning a business, more life pivots than an NBA player, and a whole lot of learning by doing, iterating, then iterating again. I’m looking forward to bringing all those experiences to this year’s teams.

If you’re thinking, “Wait, is she pivoting AGAIN?!” NO. And yes, that’s a complete sentence. 😂

Mentoring connects directly to the work I do on stage.

As a keynote speaker and caregiver advocate, I empower leaders to challenge assumptions and recognize what they may be overlooking in the people they lead.Sometimes that’s an employee’s invisible caregiving responsibilities.

Sometimes it’s experience or an ability that doesn’t fit someone’s first impression.

Our multigenerational team brought different perspectives, strengths, and skills to the same challenge. That’s something I want to encourage in this year’s participants: get curious about what each person brings to the table.

When you treat a snap judgment as fact, you can miss the very contribution your team needs.

Ask better questions. Listen to the answers. Make room for someone else’s perspective to strengthen the idea.

"What You See Isn’t the Whole Story"

I’m looking forward to meeting this year’s teams and being part of their journey. And if our conversations spark a response I hear so often in my speaking business, I’ll be smiling:

“Wow, I love that! I never thought of that!” 💜

09/30/2026

Every Wednesday I publish a newsletter called "Beyond Burnout Weekly." The following has grow substantially since the inaugural issue last July/August. This edition resulted in several emails from readers shared how it resonated with them and asking me to share it on FB. I will include a link in the first comment where you can subscribe to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday morning.

"If You Only Listen"

I always tell one of my closest friends that I swear I couldn’t make this stuff up!

When I got back into town Friday evening after my three hour and 40 minute drive from Wilmington, I decided to grab a salad at one of my favorite eateries at Birkdale Village.

I finally found a place to park and slowly crawled out of the car. After three days of intense “peopling” (aka networking), a one hour presentation, and Charlotte rush hour traffic, my brain hadn’t quite settled back down.

That’s when a dog wearing a little vest caught my eye. I noticed it didn’t say “service dog,” and I got curious.

I'm a speaker, so naturally my mouth got moving before my brain caught up… “What is he in training for? Is he a service dog?” I may have thrown in “emotional support dog” too. My brain was still gridlocked at the I-485 and I-77 merge. 😂

The handler’s friend started telling me what the dog could do. Then he mentioned that the dog could even pick up his wife’s cane.

Wait, what?!

That completely cleared my traffic brain fog. The cane made me wonder if his wife was living with a disability and whether this dog was part of their caregiving team. I didn’t know their story yet, so I kept asking questions and listened to the answers.

The conversation bloomed from there. I told them I had just come back from speaking to a group of HR professionals at the NC SHRM State Conference about employee caregivers, the challenges we don’t always see, and the assumptions we make when we don’t ask. It turned out his wife had experienced the same type of stroke Little Mama did. We had even lived in the same state and the same town at one point.

Are you kidding me? What were the chances?! Are we on a hidden camera?!

Then out came the iPhones. We pulled up websites, shared resources, and I told him to contact me if he couldn’t remember something I’d mentioned. He and his wife were still fairly new in town and didn’t know what support was available. I didn’t want them to feel like they had to continue their caregiving journey alone.

He told me our chance meeting felt like a big wink from God. His eyes filled with tears. I asked if I could give him a hug, and he cried, “Yes.”

This is why I do this work. I know the power of feeling seen. I’ll keep working to make the people we overlook, including loved ones and their caregivers, impossible to ignore.

I almost walked past them. I could have asked about the dog, heard the answer, wished them a good evening, and gotten my salad 15 minutes sooner. But when they paused and engaged in the conversation, I simply let it flow.

I listened long enough to learn why a dog picking up a cane mattered.

That matters whether you’re caring for someone you love, managing an employee whose whole story you don’t know, or planning an event where people arrive carrying more than you can see.

Ask one better question. Then give the answer your undivided attention.

More to come,
Chef Maria

09/26/2026

“What You See Isn’t the Whole Story.”

That’s been my tagline for a while now (SHRM North Carolina State Council, Inc. ). After 3 days at the SHRM NC State Conference in Wilmington, it feels more fitting than ever.

My session was Friday morning at 8:45 - "Blending Support: Helping Employee Caregivers Thrive at Work and Stay Engaged".

What you saw was me onstage, delivering a message I care deeply about. What you didn’t see was the drive there in rain of Biblical proportions. A car ahead of me nearly drifted into an 18-wheeler. Later, I missed a gray car in my blind spot and swerved several times before I heard, “Take your foot off the gas.”

Then my hotel refrigerator decided “almost lukewarm” was a perfectly acceptable setting for a dessert that required refrigeration. It was not. 🤦🏾‍♀️ So, the day before my session, I found a local bakery and adjusted the presentation.

But here’s what I’ll remember most.

Whenever I shared what my session was about, several people asked, “Can I hug you?” Other times, I reached for someone’s hand and we both held on. More than one person fought back tears. Sometimes all I knew was a snippet of their story. I didn’t need every detail to understand that this conversation meant something deeply personal to them.

Those moments stayed with me. You can sit next to someone at a conference, work alongside them every day, or even manage their performance and still have no idea what they’re carrying.

What you see isn’t the whole story.

That’s the conversation I want more HR leaders and people managers to have before assumptions shape how they respond to an employee.

For now, I’m sharing a photo with Angie Tinnell, SHRM Lake Norman, President. (I’m a member, y’all! 💜) Angie, thank you for believing in me and this message from the first time we met.

I’m home and enjoying a chocolate croissant at a local French bakery, happily recovering from three days of extroverting. Thank God, the drive back was wonderfully uneventful. Now I have emails to send, photos to sort through, people to tag, and new connections I’m looking forward to continuing.

If we met in Wilmington, please connect with me here! And if you missed my session or want to bring this conversation to your organization, send me a DM or email [email protected].

09/20/2026

A 60-minute presentation takes exactly 60 minutes to create.

Said no speaker ever. 😂

Behind that hour onstage are countless hours of researching, writing, rewriting, rearranging, rehearsing, trimming, timing, tweaking and taking many stress-relieving snack breaks.

There is also that special moment when something that sounded utterly brilliant yesterday makes absolutely no sense today and leads you to question many of your life choices.

Then there are the transitions, audience interactions, technology checks, backup plans for everything and the ongoing negotiation with the clock.

Of course, you also need your slides saved in multiple formats just in case and so many extra batteries to power every gadget you packed that the Energizer Bunny gives you a wink.

In my case, I also have to figure out how two volunteers, the dessert element and one very important message will all fit into 60 minutes without anyone feeling rushed or cutting into the snack break that follows.

But here is the part I love.

Every adjustment is made because the people in that room deserve more than a ho-hum PowerPoint presentation.

They deserve an experience that feels intentional and layered. One that goes beyond thought-provoking and sparks an “I never thought of it that way!” response.

It should also quietly answer the question of how and why a French-trained pastry chef is now championing the corporate caregiving conversation.

Most importantly, they deserve to leave the room differently than they entered it. Then they can make a difference in the lives of those they love, lead or manage.

My final slide deck must be submitted by Tuesday. Then, and only then, will all the slide tweaks officially be locked. There will be no pre-dawn moments of genius that lead to “just one more change.”

But my brain will keep rehearsing and refining my speaker notes during the nearly four-hour drive to Wilmington and throughout the two days before my session.

The audience will only see the finished hour.

They won’t see all the care and intentionality that came before my introduction was read, my slide deck was loaded and I gave the microphone the obligatory “Is this thing on?” tap.

If you’re attending the NC SHRM State Conference (SHRM North Carolina State Council, Inc.) come see “Blending Support: Helping Employee Caregivers Thrive at Work and Stay Engaged” on Friday, September 25 at 8:45 a.m.

You can also participate in my session poll now and submit your questions in advance through the Whova conference app.

My fellow speaker peeps, what is the most time-consuming part of preparing a presentation that audiences never see?

09/08/2026

The best feedback isn’t simply, “I enjoyed your presentation.”

It’s hearing what someone carried out of the room.

After my recent program with Coastal Organization of Human Resources in Myrtle Beach, Kristina shared the message that stayed with her. Hearing her put it into her own words made my day.

Thank you for capturing the heart of this conversation so beautifully, Kristina. And thank you to COHR for inviting me to share this important message about employee caregiving with your members.

Next stop: the NC SHRM State Conference in Wilmington!

I’ll continue the conversation on Friday, September 25 at 8:45 a.m. during *Blending Support: Helping Employee Caregivers Thrive at Work and Stay Engaged.*

If you’re attending, I’d love to see you in the room!

08/18/2026

I'm headed to the beach, baby!🏖️ Myrtle Beach, that is, on September 1 to speak for the SHRM Coastal Organization of Human Resources (COHR)!

I'll be presenting "Blending Support: Helping Employee Caregivers Thrive at Work and Stay Engaged", an interactive session that helps HR professionals look beyond changes in performance to better understand the hidden realities many employees are navigating.

Caregiving impacts employee engagement, retention, workplace culture, and business results, yet it's often invisible until someone takes the time to look deeper.

Shake the sand off your sandals, step away from the ocean for a couple of hours, and join us. And yes...there's dessert, but you'll have to join us on September 1 to find out why. 😉

If you're in the Myrtle Beach area and work in HR or leadership, registration is still open. I'd love to have you join us!

📅 Tuesday, September 1, 2026
🕣 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
📍 Pine Lakes Country Club "The Granddaddy", Myrtle Beach, SC
🔗 Registration link in the first comment.

I can't wait to see you there!

07/14/2026

Little Mama and Papa Kemp are the main characters in so many of my stories because, without walking their caregiving journeys alongside them, my mission to make the invisible workforce of employee caregivers impossible to ignore simply wouldn't exist.

I share my stories because they give voice to what millions of employee caregivers are living every single day.

That's why I'm honored to have been selected by the SHRM North Carolina State Council, Inc. to present at the 2026 North Carolina State Conference this September.

"Blending Support: Helping Employee Caregivers Thrive at Work and Stay Engaged" will explore one of today's most overlooked workforce challenges.

Your top performers may be caregiving on the clock.

Caregiving doesn't stay at home when employees come to work.

Behind strong performance may be an employee quietly balancing deadlines with doctor appointments, team meetings with caregiving responsibilities, and professional success with personal sacrifice.

Their performance didn't suddenly change. The context did.

When we replace assumptions with curiosity, we create workplaces where caregivers can thrive instead of simply survive.

Through an interactive experience (and yes...there will be dessert 🍰), we'll explore practical strategies HR professionals and leaders can use to better support employee caregivers while strengthening engagement, retention, and workplace culture.

A heartfelt thank you to the NCSHRM Conference Committee for this opportunity.

I'll be at the conference all three days, so if you're attending, I'd love to connect. Just look for someone who looks just like my headshot...wearing a chef jacket. 👩🏾‍🍳

I look forward to connecting with HR professionals from across North Carolina in September!

Beyond Decadence

10/05/2026

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09/30/2026

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