Career advice often encourages people to choose a direction early and stay with it. Pick an industry, build experience, and keep moving forward. It sounds sensible until you look at how many careers actually unfold. New opportunities appear unexpectedly, interests evolve, and one role often teaches skills that become valuable somewhere completely different.
Maria Praljak never tried to fit her career into a straight line.
After completing a double degree in law, she chose a path few graduates would have predicted. Rather than entering legal practice, she spent nearly five years working aboard luxury superyachts, travelling throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States before becoming Chief Stewardess. It was a world where expectations were exceptionally high and every day demanded precision, discretion, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Anticipating guests' needs, leading multicultural teams, and solving problems before they became visible were simply part of the job.
After working aboard luxury superyachts, Maria became Chalet Manager of an exclusive five-star chalet in Courchevel 1850, one of the French Alps' most prestigious alpine resorts, often referred to as the "Russian Winter Playground" of France. Managing an elite international clientele further strengthened her experience in luxury hospitality. Located beside the world-renowned Cheval Blanc ski chalet, she regularly attended Louis Vuitton's exclusive hospitality events, gaining a deeper appreciation for world-class guest experiences. During her six-month winter season in Courchevel, above Méribel, Maria also witnessed one of the most significant moments in alpine sporting history when Formula One legend Michael Schumacher was airlifted by helicopter following his skiing accident. Being in the resort at that time remains one of the most profound and unforgettable experiences of her career.
Experiences like these shaped the way Maria thinks about leadership. Every environment demanded technical knowledge, but success depended just as much on communication, adaptability, and earning people's trust. Those lessons continued to prove valuable as her career evolved.
Returning to Australia marked another transition, this time into business and property development. Moving into a completely different sector meant learning a new language of contracts, projects, investment, and commercial relationships. Starting again in an unfamiliar industry reinforced something Maria had already experienced more than once. Skills rarely stay confined to one profession. The ability to lead people, solve problems, build relationships, and make decisions under pressure travels remarkably well.
Alongside her business interests, Maria founded Flying Dresses International, combining travel, photography, and couture fashion to create destination experiences for women. What began with photoshoots in Santorini has expanded to locations including Bali, New York, Vietnam, the Maldives, Australia, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Alaska.
The photographs may be what people first notice, yet Maria believes the experience stays with clients for very different reasons. Many arrive to celebrate a milestone, rebuild their confidence after a difficult chapter, or simply do something they have postponed for years. The session gives them permission to step away from everyday responsibilities and focus on themselves, sometimes for the first time in a long while.
One client has remained with her over the years. After raising a family and spending much of her life putting other people first, the woman booked a Flying Dresses experience to celebrate her birthday. At the end of the day, she told Maria it was the first time in years she had remembered who she was outside the roles she carried every day. Moments like that have shaped Maria's understanding of success far more than business milestones alone.
Her work beyond business reflects the same commitment to helping others move forward. Maria speaks on women's leadership, serves as a Brand Ambassador for the Global Women Peace Foundation, supports Dress for Success Victoria, and mentors women pursuing new opportunities in business and life. Although each role is different, they all centre on helping women recognise their own potential and make confident decisions about the future.
Maria's career has crossed industries that rarely appear together on the same résumé. Law, luxury hospitality, entrepreneurship, property development, and international business each brought new challenges and different expectations. Rather than seeing those changes as interruptions, she views them as part of the same journey. Every role added another perspective, another skill, and another reminder that meaningful careers are often built through curiosity, adaptability, and a willingness to keep learning.