Maria T. Bernardo-Brady
Marakae Marketing, President
I Chose Happy, Curator
marakae.biz

After years of working in the banking industry, Maria T. Bernardo Brady decided to pursue a career that would better balance family time with a rewarding business — and became what she dubbed a “momtreprenuer.”

In 1996, when her now-grown daughters were toddlers, she launched Marakae Marketing. Marakae is pronounced Ma (short “a” ) Ra (long “a”) and Kae (long “a”), fusing the first syllables of Brady’s first name with those of her two daughters, Rachael and Kailey.

“At the heart of all my decisions is my family,” says Brady, who is now a grandmother fondly nicknamed GiGi. Today, Marakae Marketing provides collaborative strategic plans, creative marketing campaigns, interesting logo gifts and stylish branded apparel, as well as professional event management.

With a career started at First Federal of Pittsburgh in 1988, Brady says she created her marketing agency with the intent of targeting the financial services industry; she also worked at PNC Bank and Mellon Bank.

“After becoming WBENC certified, I bid on government contracts and became a lead marketing services firm and logo gift provider for national health insurance companies,” she says.

After more than 20 years of success with Marakae, Brady still wasn’t done being her own boss. In 2020, after completing chemotherapy and immunotherapy for a rare blood cancer, she launched I Chose Happy, an inspirational website and gift line.

“My goal was to inspire others to always find joy despite external circumstances,” she says. “I empower blog readers to know a positive approach to life, feeling gratitude and finding blessings in each day contributes to living HAPPY!”

The North Huntingdon resident also designed an inspirational HAPPY gift line with a portion of proceeds going to Faith and Gratitude, the cancer support group of which she is a board member. In addition, she is a contributing author of “Twenty Won,” an Amazon best seller telling the stories of 21 local businesswomen who overcame adversity during the pandemic. Her success has also been featured in national podcasts and publications.

Coming from a line of business owners (both her parents and grandparents owned restaurants in McKeesport), Brady says her family and mentors have provided great advice, most importantly to “always follow your intuition.” These principles inspired her successful, fun and faith-filled business throughout the decades.

“I creatively and intuitively lead with an open heart and mind to develop exceptional client experiences,” she says. “Daily, I lead by example by choosing HAPPY!”