I am a sociologist, author and TEDx speaker. I’m also a confidence-builder and apology-hater. I
graduated with a Ph.D. in Sociology in 2014 (focusing on the sociology of women’s health), with
no clear career in mind, until I attended an academic conference that completely changed the
trajectory of my research, my career and my life. At that conference, I witnessed women at the
pinnacle of their career deflecting praise, minimizing their accomplishments and over-
apologizing for mundane issues. I immediately became obsessed with apologies and
communication. I wrote my first book "Hey Ladies, Stop Apologizing… and other career mistakes
women make" in 2015, along with the accompanying WORKBOOK. The audiobook came out in
2018 which is a best-of compilation for both the book, the workbook and my TV appearances.
 

In 2019 I gave my first TEDx talk, entitled “How apologies kill our confidence”. Shortly
thereafter, TED IDEAS interviewed me and wrote an article about my talk, “Sorry to bother you,
but do you say “sorry” too much?" –it ended up being their most read article for 2019!
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My full-time job is on the public speaking circuit where I give talks and workshops to women about all
things related to confidence, communication and mindset. For almost a decade I taught part-time in
the Sociology Department of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario focusing on Sociology of
Health. Although I love teaching and learning from students, I am taking a long sabbatical from the
teaching world to focus exclusively on my research.
 

For the past 5 years I have been conducting a global study on women’s confidence and communication
skills, talking to women about what influences their confidence, their use of apologies, and how they
handle praise, success and failure. This is part of what will most likely be a 7-year study that is both
exhilarating and overwhelming, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, because I am utterly fascinated
and curious about all things confidence related.

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Professor Maja currently works with Gotham Artists, a New York based speaker agency!