Marike is a prominent figure in the international law field, focusing on trade and commerce, investment and trade, public international law, and human rights.

Senior Advisor Marike Paulsson works at the Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington, DC. She is a professor of international law and the director of the International Arbitration Institute at the University of Miami School of Law.

She is multiracial because her father is an Indian and her mother is Dutch. Marike spent nearly ten years in the United States and several locations in Europe. She exudes power and thankfulness from within her soul, which is evident in everything she does.

Marike, a well-established international law professional, believes that law is not a "cool" profession due to social media trends. She has always been drawn to the performing arts and tries to keep up with her hobbies. Marike's father had specific norms for her children, and she believes she is a product of a blessed upbringing. She appreciates her life choices and understands her father's choices. She learned early on that life requires perseverance, while the law is extensive but still incorporates many aspects. Marike enjoys reading and recommends Kevin Hart's "I can't make this up" as a funny read. Marike also appreciates books that provide insight into different cultures and experiences.

Marike takes it as a blessing to be born into a multi-cultural family environment. Up until she moved to the USA, she had no idea that being biracial was a blessing. Reading about the struggles and journeys of other biracial people also adds to her interests. So she recommends the book “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah. She feels that she has had a childhood like “Alice in Wonderland.” She means it when she says that being biracial is a blessing, as the children are color blind to skin tones, have innocence, and life seems to be as colorful as a rainbow. She enjoys both Indian and Dutch cultures, their authentic food, and their festivals equally. Marike feels that these differences have positively impacted her life and career.

Marike became aware of the "boxes" of "who" and "what." after moving to Washington, DC. Her attitude has improved as a result of these experiences, which have also helped to develop her liberal, open-minded, and outspoken personality. She says having mixed racial heritage is advantageous in the context of international law. Her family and upbringing gave her the knowledge she needed to succeed in her work, particularly in the fields of advocacy, human rights, and women's emancipation. Her Indian and South American ancestry helped her learn about other cultures and religions and make her more understanding of them. Her Dutch background gave her an outspoken and vocal temperament. She believes that going to the United States was a significant move that gave her more influence. She is an appreciative person who encourages others to "live every day in gratitude."

She also believes that her professional success was the result of luck, privilege, and a practice of gratitude, although she cautions about the difficulties that may have contributed to it. She is aware that some people are born lucky and others are not. Some people hustle out of necessity, while others relax. For example, her legal students from nations like Europe and India have a great desire to work hard and take any necessary measures to succeed. German and Belgian people, on the other hand, are generally less devoted. She is advising everyone who wants to practice international law to keep in mind that they are in a global competition.

When reflecting on the past, she claims that her father's choice to pursue a career in law was the first crucial event in her life and the first crossroad. Her Dutch friends found this strange to digest, as in the Netherlands everyone is free to choose a career of their choice.

Marike describes herself as someone who does not enjoy meticulous planning. Her choices seem to be more intuitive. She regards heart-led living as a virtue. She therefore trusted her instinct and changed companies during a time in her life when everything appeared to be going well on the surface, but she was unhappy and lost on the inside. She joined a company in Brussels after leaving the Magic Circle firm in London. She came to the idea that she should trust her instincts at that time. She recognizes that not everyone is willing to take such career risks; therefore, she recommends Steve Harvey's book "Jump: Take the leap of faith to achieve your life of abundance", which has some of the best career advice for everyone. She knows that not everyone has the luxury to jump, but still suggests, “If you can, do jump!”

Marike faced a pivotal moment in her life when she decided to explore the world of opportunities. She was offered a partnership with an international firm but was hesitant to join a Washington-based firm. Despite her initial excitement, she questioned her capabilities. But she remained curious and landed a job at the Albright Stonebridge Group after seven months of interviewing.

Marike then quickly moved her career, becoming Vice President for North America of the Global Legal Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution Centre at the University of São Paolo and a member of UN Women. After the Trump Elections, she moved to Bahrain with her family, highlighting her career lessons of never planning too much, being crazy, reading books, and jumping if possible. Her career lessons emphasize the importance of never planning too much, being crazy, reading books, and jumping if possible.

Reflecting on her mistakes and learnings, Marike is wise enough to understand that every human makes mistakes, but we need to move forward and focus on the lessons they teach us. To her younger self, she wants to advocate the importance of focus, routine, and discipline.

She wishes to turn back time to change the way women treat other women and the challenges faced due to extreme sexism. Though she feels blessed to have had genuine and great male mentors who guided and supported her and never treated her differently, the treatment by other women surprised her. She was not prepared, guarded, or had the best reaction to some of the bizarre experiences she had with other women. On this bitter memory, she exclaims, “I could write a book about it.”

Marike shares two crucial messages for women of today: it's common to encounter extreme women in one's career or life, and it's essential to let negativity trickle down and rise above it. Her father's teachings emphasize the importance of having an invisible umbrella, while her mother's advice emphasizes that it's more about the person than about you. By advancing your career, being generous, and uplifting other women, you can break the toxic cycle and simplify your life.

For youngsters wanting to pursue international law, she asks the introspective question, "Why?" She feels that films, web series, and books have glamorized this stream and thus lured many youngsters with the money aspect, which is just the cherry on the cake. The rest of the part is the numerous hours of rigorous documentation, compilations, readings, writing, researching, analyzing, applying, and processing laws from facts. It is a tough job, but a lucrative one. It also allows one to travel and meet delegates and VIPs. But it risks a healthy lifestyle and needs grave sacrifices. For a career in international law, one must be excellent in academics, have a degree from a reputed university in their home country, and have taken a specialized course from any of the top universities in the world, including the University of Miami, London, Switzerland, etc.

Marike is in the arena of trade and commerce in the international law field. The other three are investment and trade, public international law, and human rights. According to her, one does not need a costly law degree to work for human rights. If only one has the power of persuasion, strong public opinion, the skill of engagement, and advocacy, they can voice the rights, needs, and wants of the needy. For instance, she uses her strong personality and network while working for women's empowerment, not her law degree. Furthermore, she guides other females on the process of getting recognized by the UN Women: finding your voice and craft, being in a position to pay it forward, and representing your country in the sessions of the UN Women. Marike is an active participant in UN Women and highly appreciates the work they do for women.

Discussing her free time, she sighs about the “no work-life balance” in her career choice. Moreover, being the mother of a single child, she thinks she has hardly had any me-time over the years. Being a performing arts fanatic, she took singing lessons, piano classes, and Latin dance classes in Miami. “Performing arts is my oxygen”, she joyfully exclaims. She is taking Modern Ballet classes from a Russian ballerina in Bahrain too. Going to the gym, exercising, playing tennis, gardening, and decorating the house are some of the creative hobbies she enjoyed during the pandemic. Moreover, being an outspoken person, she voiced her issues as a working mother to her son’s school and her husband and asked for support.

Finally, Marike discusses the three life mantras she adheres to rigorously, whether she is sad or in a rut. She began by quoting her mother's adage, "Treat others as you would like to be treated." Second, she strongly endorses the proverb "Pay it forward—She for She" and actively promotes it. Last but not least, she quotes the late Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who was her hero: "To be a lady is to be independent."

Marike Paulsson is a potent combination of wisdom, fortitude, empowerment, and genuine inspiration.