Discover Your Happiness Essential in 3-5 Minutes

Reveal the one already strongest in you, and get one simple way to lean on it this season for more calm, clarity, and momentum.

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Decades of Research,
Eight Simple Essentials

Maria has dedicated her life to crafting a creative approach to  living a purposeful life. As an executive producer, Maria needed real and profound answers that could fit into a busy routine. Now, through her book, courses, guided meditations, and inspirational messages you can learn how eight essentials can empower you to embrace happiness.

Nonfiction: Creative
Nonfiction: Creative
Self-Help: General
Silver Winner
Creativity & Innovation
Best Personal Development Book of the Year
Winner Wellbeing

Choose Happiness
Through Eight Simple Essentials

Take a Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct & Produce the Life You Want is a transformative guide that blends science, spirituality, and creativity to help readers cultivate happiness through faith, love, health, gratitude, forgiveness, peace, detachment, and abundance. Each chapter comes alive through stories inspired by blockbuster movies, world events, Maria’s life as an Emmy-winning TV producer, and her experiences as a world traveler, all woven together with a wholebeing approach (mind, body, and spirit). The book introduces camera phone photography as a powerful and creative tool for self-reflection, enabling readers to visually explore and gain deeper insights into themselves and what truly brings them happiness.

Structured sections like In My Viewfinder, Snapshots, and The Big Picture make complex concepts accessible and actionable. Alongside journaling prompts, affirmations, and meditative prayers, this innovative approach helps readers integrate its teachings into their daily lives.

Recommended by the U.S. Review of Books as a “dynamic treatise,” the book has received widespread recognition:

  • Winner of the Wellbeing category at the NYC Big Book Awards and National Indie Excellence Awards (also a Personal Growth Finalist).
  • Winner of the Nonfiction Creativity category and Finalist in Self-Help General at the 2024 Best Book Awards.
  • Silver Award for Creativity & Innovation by Nautilus.

This recognition highlights the book’s unique blend of storytelling, creative tools, and practical insights, which resonate with readers seeking meaningful and actionable guidance for their lives.

“Maria Baltazzi’s brilliant roadmap creates a clear, concise process for anyone looking to improve their balance of mind, body, and spirit.”
— Kelly Kahl
Former President of CBS Entertainment

Book Reviews

“Baltazzi’s recollections—her early frustrations, her aspirations, her impressive career trajectory, and her life-changing discoveries—are deftly interwoven into this dynamic treatise… [Her] foray into the world of words and wisdom will doubtless find a large base of grateful followers whose efforts will be rewarded with the promise of new, exhilarating life directions.”
The US Review of BooksRECOMMENDED, review by Barbara Bamberger Scott
“Maria offers a creative approach that combines journaling and phone photography activities that help you integrate the concepts she writes about.”
Dr. Tal Ben-ShaharNew York Times Bestselling Author of Happier, Former Harvard Lecturer, and Founder of the Happiness Studies Academy
“I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to create positive change in their life from a creative approach.”
Mark BurnettExecutive Producer, Survivor and Former Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group
“Reading Take a Shot At Happiness was like being back on the island with Maria!  The same heartfelt approach she took as a producer on Survivor can be felt on every page.”
Jeff ProbstEmmy Award Winning Host of Survivor and Executive Producer
“While there is no sure-fire method to happiness, Maria’s book will give you a good shot at getting there with entertaining life lessons on how to live, love, and learn.”
Phil KeoghanMNZM, Emmy Award Winning Producer and Host of Amazing Race and Tough as Nails
“As someone in professional transition, I found this book both incredibly instructive and inspiring.”
Kelly KahlFormer President of CBS Entertainment
“Take a Shot At Happiness is a heartfelt and inspiring guide that reminds us of the power we all have within to create a more fulfilling and authentic life.”
Roma DowneyOBE, Emmy-nominated Actress, Producer, New York Times Bestselling Author
“Take A Shot At Happiness offers a compelling and very personal look into the world of creativity.”
Martin Dugard#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Taking Paris.
“This book is an invaluable tool, so effectively laying out multiple cases and methods for 'taking a shot at happiness.’”
Mark ThompsonTwo-time Emmy Award Winning Newscaster and Writer, Specials Host and Producer for the Fox Broadcasting Company Stations

An App to Capture the Life You Want

The Take a Shot at Happiness app is designed to help you cultivate happiness and mindfulness by giving you the tools to capture meaningful moments in your life. Each section offers prompts to center you, inspire you, and challenge you.  You can capture images that represent your journey to happiness. Tailor your experience by creating your own Essentials, allowing you to focus on the aspects of life that matter most to you. Coming soon to Google Play.

Three Brands, One Purpose
Fostering Your Happiness Journey

Programs and collaborations to guide your creative career toward renewed purpose.

Enhance Your Career

Meditations and courses to help you live the life you want, intentionally, by design.

Empower Your Mind & Body

Unique and amazing travel experiences to rebalance and refine your outlook.

Expand Your Horizons

Elevate Your Mind and Mood

Embark on your happiness journey with Maria Baltazzi’s inspirational stories and proven practices based on her award-winning book’s Happiness Essentials, delivered 2-3 times a month.

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It’s always a joy to receive your emails of Love & Light. — Paul M.

Lovely, Maria. Great tips. — Jon R.
With my gratitude for you sharing all of YOUR gratitude!! — Joel S.

Why Embrace Happiness?

Happiness is a joyful conscious choice you can make in every moment of your life.

If there was ever a time this world needed to embrace happiness and to do so through the power of thought and shifting the mental pictures in our minds, it is now. 

Our thoughts motivate our behavior and, ultimately, our destiny. The solution to moving through our perceived obstacles is to reframe how we think about developing a joyfully fulfilling life by pursuing and finding everyday practices that will move us toward a more consistent state of happiness and well being. More specifically,  Wholebeing, where you are engaged three-dimensionally in mind, body, spirit.

As you embark on your journey to being happier, I am always here to support you.

— Love, Maria

Contact Me

Deepen Your Wellbeing

Bi-weekly Maria sends a thoughtful message with ideas, guidance, and prompts to center your mindset on happiness.