Some people were never going to be realistic.
You're allowed to want the impossible — and to become the person who can reach it. That's the work I do, one-to-one.
I built an international company from a single idea, and I've spent 17 years helping people step into lives that looked, from the outside, impossible.
Work With Me17 years·$7M+ company built·students in 160+ countries·$1B+ in scholarships won
Founder, coach, and mentor.
I am Maria Guryeva. I founded StudyAmerica as one stubborn idea and built it into an international company. The numbers are below — but the real record is the people: thousands who chased dreams their environment politely called unrealistic, and caught them.
Today I bring that same work — belief, identity, strategy, and bold, grounded action — to a different kind of client: people who already built the thing they said they wanted, and can feel the next one waiting. One-to-one.
from a single idea
students have won
bold dreams
across platforms
Four ways I help people move.
Become who your next level requires
Private coaching built on The Next-Level Identity Method™ — for capable people who are done shrinking the dream.
Explore coaching →From operator to owner
For founders ready to get out of the day-to-day: delegation, team, culture, and the owner's seat. Plus founder-to-founder counsel on the business itself, from positioning to scale.
See the offers →Lead at the level the moment demands
For senior leaders — and the organizations investing in them. Executive presence, judgment under pressure, influence, and leading through change, from an ICF-certified coach who has built and led a company.
Explore executive coaching →On stages & in the press
Talks and conversations on ambition, reinvention, human potential, and building a business that gives you freedom — for stages, podcasts, and press.
Speaking & media →For 17 years I've been asking one question:
how far can human potential really go?
I made my own impossible dream real — then spent 17 years helping others do the same.
Press & recognition.
A regular education expert in Forbes, and featured across Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Elle Girl, and Inc. My earlier career as a Columbia-educated journalist and communications specialist spanned work with Christian Dior and Red Bull, the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Let's talk about your next level.
Whether you're exploring private coaching, founder mentoring, or inviting me to speak — I'd love to hear from you.
Let's talk about your next level.
Whether you're exploring private coaching, founder mentoring, or inviting me to speak — tell me a little about what's on your mind, and I'll be in touch.