About Maria Thorne – I help women 30+ grow their careers with practical soft skills, clear learning plans, and tools that actually move the needle.
Contents
What BrightStepUp is
BrightStepUp is a no-fluff blog where I publish step-by-step guides, printable checklists, and curated online learning resources. The goal is simple: help you get promoted faster, negotiate with confidence, and build long-term career freedom.
Who this is for
- Women 30+ who want better pay, recognition, and meaningful work
- Professionals switching roles or returning after a break
- Busy people who prefer simple systems over theory
What you’ll find here
- Actionable soft skills playbooks and scripts you can use this week
- Course roundups and honest mini-reviews so you don’t waste time
- Productivity frameworks, templates, and trackers for steady progress
- Interview, salary, and negotiation email scripts that lower anxiety
My approach
I test every strategy on myself first, then share only what works in practice. Each article is designed to be immediately useful: a short intro, clear steps, examples, and a takeaway you can act on in 10–15 minutes.
Background & credibility
I have 10+ years in digital marketing and mentoring. I’ve helped teams ship projects, communicate across functions, and present their work with clarity. The same methods translate to individual growth: tiny daily improvements, deliberate practice, and measurable wins.
Start with these posts
- Soft skills that hiring managers actually notice
- Negotiation strategies with a Quick-Ask cheat-sheet
- Time Boxing vs Pomodoro – which method saves more hours
(Use the search bar or the Blog page to find them by title.)
Free resources
Grab my free guides and templates here: FREE-PDF. You’ll get printable checklists and Google Sheets trackers that make implementation easy.
Partnerships
Topics I cover: soft skills, career growth, online learning, and productivity apps.
Formats: in-depth guides, comparisons, checklists, email sequences, and Pinterest-driven content.
For collaboration: MariaThorne@brightstepup.com
P.S. Some articles may include affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only recommend resources that pass my own tests.