Maricarmen Velasquez Zegarra is a transformative leader, advocate, and internationally recognized speaker whose journey from questioning young woman to influential social change agent exemplifies the power of authentic leadership. Based in the historic city of Cusco, Peru, she has dedicated her career to empowering women, challenging traditional limitations, and creating pathways for social progress.
As a trained dentist turned public servant and advocate, Maricarmen brings a unique perspective to leadership that combines professional expertise with deep empathy and cultural understanding. Her work spans multiple sectors, from healthcare and public administration to education and social advocacy, demonstrating her commitment to holistic community transformation.
In the ancient city of Cusco, where Incan heritage meets modern aspirations, Maricarmen Velasquez Zegarra represents a powerful force for change that transcends traditional boundaries. Her journey from a young girl questioning societal roles to becoming a prominent voice for women’s empowerment and social justice illustrates the profound impact one person can have when authenticity meets unwavering determination.
Maricarmen’s story begins in a loving household where service, dedication, and dignity formed the foundation of her upbringing. Her mother, a homemaker of quiet strength and boundless generosity, dedicated her life to nurturing her family’s dreams while setting aside her own. This loving sacrifice planted a seed of questioning in young Maricarmen’s mind that would eventually bloom into a lifelong mission.
“I grew up wondering why women had to choose between their family and their own desires,” Maricarmen’s reflects. “Seeing my mother put things off so much made me reflect from a very young age on roles and on how many women, like my mother, harbored dreams that never saw the light of day.”
This early realization became the cornerstone of her advocacy work. Rather than accepting the status quo, Maricarmen chose to honor her mother’s sacrifice by ensuring that future generations of women would not face the same limiting choices. Her path to leadership was born from this fundamental question about women’s roles in society, transforming personal observation into purposeful action.
International Recognition and Awards
Prestigious International Awards:
- “Women who Inspire” Award – Association of Business Women of Peru (2019)
- “Exceptional Woman of Excellence” Award – WEF Women Economic Forum, London (2023)
- Woman Leader 2023 – Women Economic Forum recognition
- Recognition by Women Leaders of America Community – Spain (2024)
Professional Expertise:
- International Speaker specialized in empowerment, leadership, and equal opportunities
- Defender of women’s rights with constant advocacy for equal opportunities
- Prolific Author with over 200 published articles dedicated to empowerment
- Published Author of the motivational book “Before 50” inspiring self-discovery, resilience, and purposeful living
- Creator of SETU Thought (Be Yourself) – a philosophy inspiring authenticity and self-acceptance
The Cultural Crossroads: Cusco’s Influence on a Social Justice Vision
Living in Cusco provided Maricarmen with a unique perspective on the intersection of cultural heritage and social progress. The region’s immense cultural richness and ancestral traditions are sources of pride, yet they also revealed the complex challenges facing women in traditional societies.
From an early age, Maricarmen witnessed how deeply rooted cultural patterns limited opportunities for women and girls. In many communities throughout Cusco’s interior, women were expected to remain in domestic roles, serving and caring while remaining silent. Educational opportunities were often denied to girls, and when available, typically remained at basic levels.
“These deeply rooted cultural patterns confronted me with painful realities: bright girls dropping out of school to care for their siblings, talented women living under the shadow of ‘you can’t,’” she explains. “That not only outraged me, it engaged me.”
This engagement led Maricarmen to develop a nuanced understanding of social progress. She learned to love her roots while questioning limiting aspects of traditional culture. Her perspective crystallized around the belief that true development must reach everyone, and that progress cannot be measured while women remain condemned to silence or dependence.
These experiences in Cusco shaped her approach to advocacy, teaching her that transformation requires both respect for cultural identity and unwavering commitment to justice and equity. Her work demonstrates that honoring heritage and fighting for equality are not opposing forces but complementary aspects of meaningful social change.
From Healing Teeth to Healing Communities: The Dentist’s Path to Leadership
Maricarmen’s training and practice as a dentist provided an unexpected foundation for her public service and leadership approach. Dentistry taught her discipline, empathy, and a holistic view of human beings that extended far beyond clinical care. In her practice, she discovered that her dental chair often became a place of emotional healing as well as physical treatment.
“Often, my dental chair became a couch,” she recalls. “My patients came not only with physical discomfort but also with emotional burdens, fears, and life stories they had rarely been able to share.”
This intimate and trusting environment became a masterclass in listening without judgment, accompanying with respect, and understanding reality from multiple perspectives. Through her patients’ stories, Maricarmen gained firsthand exposure to social shortcomings, injustices, and challenges that many people faced daily.
Her role as a dentist expanded beyond relieving physical pain to addressing deeper social and structural issues. Women felt invisible, older adults lacked access to basic services, and young people faced limited opportunities. This experience motivated her to become not only a specialist in her field but also a leader and change agent.
The integration of her professional and advocacy work demonstrates Maricarmen’s holistic approach to service. Her medical training provided technical skills and disciplined thinking, while her patient interactions developed the empathy and listening skills that characterize her leadership style. Today, these dual aspects of her experience work together to inform her approach to social transformation.
The Birth of SETU: Authenticity as a Philosophy of Life
The creation of Maricarmen’s SETU (Be Yourself) philosophy emerged from deep personal searching and transformative self-reflection. Rather than a sudden inspiration, SETU developed through years of experiences, lessons, and challenges that led Maricarmen to examine her relationship with authenticity and self-acceptance.
“There were times when I felt I had to fit in, please, or meet the expectations of others to be accepted,” she explains. “And I discovered that living that way was a silent way of renouncing myself.”
The turning point came when Maricarmen decided to pause, question herself, and truly listen to her inner voice. This introspective process proved transformative, leading her to understand that genuine success and happiness begin with learning to accept, value, and respect ourselves as we are.
SETU represents more than motivational philosophy; it serves as a compass for authentic living. The approach promotes courage, purpose, and the refusal to allow external forces to limit personal potential. For Maricarmen, SETU embodies the belief that individuals must reclaim their inner freedom and live in coherence with their feelings, thoughts, and actions.
The philosophy particularly resonates with women who face societal pressures to conform to limiting expectations. Through SETU, Maricarmen encourages others to choose their own path and embrace their authentic selves as the foundation for genuine transformation and empowerment.
Redefining Leadership: The Heart-Centered Approach to Social Change
Maricarmen’s definition of true leadership in the context of social change centers on leading from the heart. While academic credentials and professional achievements have value, she believes that authentic transformative leadership requires fundamental human qualities: empathy, honesty, and genuine care for others.
“Leading with the heart doesn’t mean being weak; on the contrary, it requires enormous inner strength,” she emphasizes. “It involves making difficult decisions from a place of compassion, listening with respect even when we disagree, and acting with consistency between what we say and what we do.”
Her approach to leadership challenges traditional power structures by emphasizing inspiration over imposition, impact over personal gain, and service over self-promotion. True leadership, in Maria’s view, elevates others rather than merely highlighting the leader’s achievements.
This heart-centered philosophy particularly focuses on amplifying voices that have been historically marginalized or silenced. Maricarmen believes that effective leaders in times of social change must demonstrate deep commitment to the humanity within each person, creating lasting positive impact that transcends temporary achievements.
The philosophy recognizes that sustainable change requires leaders who can challenge injustice while building collaborative relationships, who can make difficult decisions while maintaining compassion, and who can inspire others to reach their full potential while remaining humble about their own limitations.
Breaking Barriers: Confronting Stereotypes in Women’s Leadership
Throughout her leadership journey, Maricarmen has encountered and overcome numerous challenges that women face in positions of authority. These obstacles often stem from persistent stereotypes that question women’s capabilities and legitimacy in leadership roles.
“When a woman reaches a high-ranking or management position, there are still those who ask with suspicion: what did she do to get there?” Maricarmen observes. “As if merit, effort, and preparation weren’t enough arguments.”
She identifies several specific challenges that continue to affect women leaders. Many women face scrutiny about their personal lives, including questions about children, marital status, and ability to “handle it all” that men rarely encounter. Professional achievements are sometimes attributed to factors other than competence, and women may be evaluated first on appearance before their ideas receive consideration.
Maricarmen’s strategy for overcoming these challenges involves maintaining clarity of purpose, preparing with excellence, and building supportive networks with other women. She emphasizes the importance of holding leadership positions with integrity and delivering measurable results while challenging outdated paradigms through consistent high performance.
Her approach demonstrates that success requires not fitting into existing molds but leading authentically from personal strength, values, and vision. By maintaining emotional resilience and clear focus on impact, Maricarmen shows how women can transform challenging environments while paving the way for future female leaders.
Empowerment Through Connection: Strategies for Community Transformation
Maricarmen’s approach to empowering people and communities centers on listening, validation, and providing practical tools for transformation. Rather than imposing solutions, she emphasizes accompaniment and creating spaces where individuals can recognize themselves as protagonists of their own stories.
Her methodology operates from emotional, educational, and collective perspectives. The emotional dimension involves deeply listening to people’s experiences and validating their challenges and aspirations. The educational component provides knowledge, skills, and frameworks that enable individuals to create positive change in their own lives and communities.
The collective aspect recognizes that sustainable empowerment occurs through community building and mutual support. Maricarmen facilitates connections between people facing similar challenges and creates networks that extend beyond individual interactions to build lasting systems of support and advocacy.
This multifaceted approach reflects her understanding that empowerment cannot be imposed from outside but must emerge from individuals’ recognition of their own power and potential. By providing tools, support, and encouragement rather than prescriptive solutions, Maricarmen helps people develop the confidence and capabilities they need to create lasting change.
Balancing Multiple Roles: Integration Through Presence and Purpose
As a public leader, mother, and professional woman, Maricarmen has developed an approach to balance that emphasizes presence, planning, and self-compassion rather than perfection. Her strategy involves conscious integration of different roles while maintaining space for personal renewal and growth.
“I’ve learned that it’s not about doing everything perfectly, but rather about living with presence,” she explains. “I honor each of my roles from my humanity, integrating my facets and recognizing that I also need time for myself.”
This philosophy challenges the common expectation that women must excel in all areas simultaneously without showing signs of strain or limitation. Instead, Maricarmen advocates for realistic expectations, careful planning, and the elimination of guilt that often accompanies women’s attempts to fulfill multiple demanding roles.
Her approach includes setting clear priorities, establishing boundaries, and recognizing that effective leadership in one area can positively influence others. By modeling healthy integration of personal and professional responsibilities, Maricarmen demonstrates that women can pursue ambitious goals while maintaining strong relationships and personal well-being.
Concrete Impact: The “In Your Shoes” Initiative
One of Maricarmen’s most meaningful achievements during her tenure as Regional Prefect of Cusco was the creation of the “In Your Shoes” initiative, held in conjunction with International Women’s Day. This symbolic yet powerful event featured a march led exclusively by men in positions of authority who literally walked in women’s shoes as a gesture of empathy and commitment to gender equality.
Participants included the regional governor, provincial mayor, university rectors, representatives from National Police and Army, and civil society leaders. The initiative represented more than symbolic support; it demonstrated Maricarmen’s strategic understanding that women’s empowerment requires active male participation and allyship.
“I am convinced that women’s empowerment is not just our issue: it is a collective challenge that requires the active and conscious participation of men,” Maricarmen explains. “Equal opportunities are not built through confrontation, but through collaboration.”
The success of this initiative illustrates several key aspects of Maricarmen’s leadership approach. She understands the importance of creating memorable, meaningful experiences that shift perspectives and build commitment. The event generated significant attention and conversation, advancing discussions about gender equality throughout the region.
More importantly, the initiative demonstrated practical coalition-building skills by engaging male leaders as allies rather than adversaries in the fight for equality. This collaborative approach reflects Maricarmen’s broader philosophy that sustainable social change requires building bridges between different groups rather than creating divisions.
Building Consensus: Collaborative Leadership Across Sectors
Maricarmen’s approach to building consensus between government, private sector, and civil society emphasizes inclusive dialogue, shared vision, and recognition that sustainable change requires coordinated efforts across different sectors. Her strategy involves creating spaces for meaningful participation where diverse voices can be heard and respected.
Central to her consensus-building approach is the belief that teams comprising both men and women with diverse perspectives and experiences achieve deeper, more lasting impact. She actively promotes inclusive participation and works to build trust between sectors that may have historically maintained different positions or priorities.
“When there is will, dialogue, and trust, it is always possible to find common ground,” she notes. Her methodology involves convening with empathy, building bridges even between opposing viewpoints, and focusing on shared goals rather than differences.
The key to her success lies in helping each stakeholder recognize their unique role and contribution to collective objectives. Rather than seeking to impose solutions, Maria facilitates collaborative processes that enable different actors to design effective policies, sustainable projects, and meaningful cultural changes together.
Inspiring the Next Generation: TEDx and Youth Engagement
Maricarmen’s participation as a TEDx speaker emerged from an invitation to address teenagers at San José La Salle School in Cusco. Recognizing the unique challenge of connecting with young people aged 13 to 15, she crafted a message focused on authentic success and personal integrity.
Her talk centered on redefining success beyond popularity, social media followers, or external validation. Instead, she challenged young people to measure success through human quality, positive impact on others, and the lasting impression they leave through their actions and character.
“True success is measured by the human quality you project, by the impression you leave on others, and by how they will remember you,” she told the students. The presentation emphasized the importance of being good people, cultivating values, living with empathy, and having courage to be authentic despite criticism or social pressure.
The experience proved transformative for both Maricarmen and her young audience. She witnessed genuine connection, reflection, and emotional response as teenagers engaged with concepts of authentic leadership and personal integrity. The positive reception reinforced her belief that young people hunger for role models who speak from genuine experience rather than superficial success.
Mentoring Future Leaders: Fundamental Principles for Women’s Empowerment
As a life development mentor, Maricarmen offers specific guidance designed to empower the next generation of women leaders. Her advice centers on self-awareness, preparation, community building, and persistent commitment to personal dreams and goals.
Her fundamental recommendations include listening to inner wisdom and developing strong self-knowledge as the foundation for authentic leadership. She emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and skill development, recognizing that preparation creates confidence and credibility.
Community building plays a central role in her mentoring philosophy. Maria encourages women to surround themselves with supportive networks of other women who can provide encouragement, advice, and collaboration opportunities. These relationships create systems of mutual support that strengthen individual efforts and build collective power.
Above all, she emphasizes the importance of choosing to be protagonists rather than spectators in their own lives. This involves taking active responsibility for personal and professional development, speaking up for beliefs and values, and refusing to accept limitations imposed by others.
“Never give up on your dreams,” she advises. “Choose to be protagonists, not spectators. And above all, dare to be yourselves, because that’s where true power comes from.”
Vision for Transformation: Long-term Goals for Social Change
Maricarmen’s vision for long-term social transformation focuses on creating a society where women’s voices are automatically heard and valued, where equality is a lived reality rather than an ongoing struggle, and where female leadership becomes commonplace rather than exceptional.
“I want a country where no girl has to struggle to be heard,” she explains. “I dream of a society where equality isn’t a struggle, but a reality. Where female leadership is everyday and diversity is a strength.”
This vision encompasses both systemic changes in policies and institutions and cultural shifts in attitudes and expectations. Maricarmen recognizes that achieving these goals requires continued work on multiple fronts, including education, advocacy, representation, and relationship building.
Her approach combines immediate practical actions with long-term strategic thinking. She works to create concrete opportunities for women while simultaneously challenging underlying assumptions and structures that perpetuate inequality.
The vision also emphasizes the importance of inclusion and diversity as sources of strength rather than challenges to overcome. By promoting environments where different perspectives and experiences are valued, Maricarmen seeks to create more effective and innovative solutions to complex social problems.
Current Projects: SETU Program and “After 50” Book
Maricarmen is currently developing a comprehensive program based on SETU philosophy, designed to provide practical tools for personal and professional empowerment. This initiative represents the formalization of her coaching and mentoring approaches into structured curriculum that can reach broader audiences.
The SETU program will offer systematic guidance for individuals seeking to live more authentically, develop leadership capabilities, and create positive impact in their communities. By packaging her philosophy into accessible formats, Maricarmen aims to extend her influence beyond direct personal interactions.
Additionally, she is preparing to release her second book, titled “After 50,” which focuses on reinvention and fulfillment in later life. This project addresses the unique opportunities and challenges that come with midlife transitions, offering perspectives on how to approach this life stage with purpose, creativity, and continued growth.
The book represents Maricarmen’s recognition that transformation and empowerment are not limited to young people but continue throughout all life stages. By addressing issues specific to midlife and beyond, she provides guidance for people navigating career changes, empty nest syndrome, health challenges, and other transitions that occur during this period.
Both projects demonstrate Maricarmen’s commitment to creating resources that support ongoing personal development and social transformation across different demographics and life circumstances.
A Message of Authentic Leadership
Maricarmen’s message for those aspiring to transform lives through leadership and rights advocacy is both simple and profound: transformation begins with personal authenticity and courage. She emphasizes that effective leadership does not require perfection but demands genuine commitment to one’s values and purpose.
“Before transforming lives, you must dare to transform yours,” she advises. “Don’t wait to have everything figured out before you begin walking. Don’t wait for permission to raise your voice.”
Her philosophy challenges common assumptions about leadership preparation and qualifications. Rather than waiting for external validation or perfect conditions, Maricarmen encourages immediate action based on personal conviction and authentic desire to create positive change.
She emphasizes that people follow convictions rather than titles, authenticity rather than authority. This understanding shifts focus from acquiring positional power to developing personal integrity and clear purpose that naturally attracts others and creates opportunities for influence.
The message also addresses the importance of embracing personal stories, including difficulties and imperfections, as sources of strength and connection with others. Rather than hiding challenges or presenting perfect facades, authentic leaders use their complete experiences to inspire and guide others facing similar situations.
“Your story, just as it is, can be a light for others,” Maricarmen concludes. “Your greatest legacy won’t be what you achieve, but what you inspire.”
The Continuing Journey of Transformation
Maricarmen Velasquez Zegarra embodies a new paradigm of leadership that integrates personal authenticity with social impact, cultural respect with progressive change, and individual empowerment with collective transformation. Her journey from questioning young woman to influential advocate illustrates the profound impact that occurs when personal conviction meets strategic action.
Her work in Cusco and beyond demonstrates that effective social change requires leaders who can navigate complex cultural contexts while maintaining unwavering commitment to justice and equality. By combining respect for heritage with determination to challenge limiting traditions, Maria shows how transformation can honor the past while creating better futures.
Through her various roles as dentist, political leader, speaker, and mentor, she has created a multifaceted approach to service that addresses both immediate needs and long-term structural changes. Her ability to connect with people across different contexts and demographics reflects the universal appeal of authentic leadership and genuine care for human dignity.
As Maricarmen continues developing her SETU philosophy and expanding her influence through writing, speaking, and mentoring, her impact extends far beyond individual interactions to create ripple effects throughout communities and institutions. Her story serves as both inspiration and practical guide for others seeking to create meaningful change in their own spheres of influence.
In an era where authentic leadership is increasingly valued and social transformation is urgently needed, Maricarmen Velasquez Zegarra provides a powerful example of how individual commitment to personal growth and social justice can create lasting positive impact for generations to come.
