Aurita Maldonado

Award-Winning Author | Purple Heart Recipient | Motivational Speaker

“We are the authors of our own lives—and we get to rewrite the ending.”

About aurita

Aurita Maldonado is a decorated U.S. Army veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and award-winning author whose life story embodies courage, spiritual healing, and emotional resilience. Her memoir,

The Zen of Dancing in the Rain: Becoming One with the Storm, offers readers a raw and empowering journey through trauma, self-discovery, and the reclamation of inner peace.

Known as “Hurricane Rita” for her boundless energy and fierce authenticity, Aurita has been featured on CNN, Animal Planet, and in the acclaimed documentary

Broken Worlds: The Island (Vieques). She is a proud Taino woman, living off-grid in Puerto Rico, where she draws strength from her ancestral roots and the natural world.

Aurita is currently available for keynote speaking, interviews, author appearances, veteran-centered events, and healing-focused workshops. She delivers from the heart—every time.

Notable Highlights:

  • Purple Heart Recipient

  • Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards 1st Place Hearten Award

  • Global Impact Award Winner CNN’s Storm of Controversy

  • Animal Planet’s Monsters Inside Me

  • Broken Worlds: The Island Documentary

Signature Topics:

  • Signature Topics:

  • Becoming Your Own Best Friend

  • The Power of Self-Honesty

  • Broken Worlds: The Island Documentary

  • Rewriting Your Life Story

  • Living Off-Grid with Purpose

  • Veterans and Reintegration

Available For:

  • Here's some stuff

  • Veteran Advocacy & Suicide Prevention Talks

  • Book Club & Author Events

  • Cultural & Healing Workshops Podcast & Media Interviews

Book Aurita for Your Next Event

For all speaking engagements, media inquiries, or collaborations, please contact:

Apex Union LTD

[email protected]

Download Aurita’s Media Kit

"Amazing read by an incredible warrior"

"Incredible book! Very inspiring, heartfelt book. Even through I’m not a veteran, I can relate on topics in this book. I was unable to put it down! This book is beautifully written and I highly recommend it for anyone. I can’t wait to read the next book!"

- Super Shopper

"Amazing story everyone can benefit from"

"Honestly this book changed my life. Daily I ask myself what my inner Aurita would do.

Anyone could read this and find new meaning to life. My best friend and I read it together after she met Aurita randomly. Then I bought it for my mom for Xmas and she sent it to my brother, a veteran as well. Thank you so much for sharing you story with us! Your light shines bright"

- Ellen Dellasega

"Everyone needs to read this book"
"This very well written, sometimes brutally honest, amazing, story of Aurita’s life - so far - is hard to put down. She shares tender and intimate moments along with her wild adventures. This true story of self discovery and healing is truly inspiring"
- Janet Parris.
"An Extraordinary True Story of Resilience and the Strength of the Human Spirit"

"Today, the word resilience has found its way into the English lexicon more than ever. In some cases, it has taken on the air of a cliché. However, there is nothing cliché about Aurita “Rita” Maldonado’s exceptional story about the reservoir of human will to not only survive but to thrive! I’m sure many readers will read her story of sheer courage and grit in the face of imminent danger and death, and ask, “How is she still walking among us?”

Maldonado's beautifully written, no-holds-barred, raw, and truly 5-star read is at times depressing, emotional, terrorizing, wise, and uplifting. While not “bullet-proof”, this Latin heroine is "defeat-proof", never displaying an ounce of "quit" in what at times seems like a perpetually tested soul. She wears one of our Nation’s highest awards for surviving mortal combat. Yet, to this day, Rita Maldonado must face the ignorance of those who ask, “How is it possible that a female soldier can receive such an award?” Read this gut-wrenching and ultimately uplifting book and find out!

If you read one book in 2025 about a US veteran’s indomitable will to survive physical, mental, and emotional attacks and wounds, in combat and long thereafter, I'd make it this one!

Colonel Ralph R. "Rick" Steinke, author of the award-winning Jake Fortina novel series"

- Rick" Steinke

"This autobiography is not to be missed"

"I originally purchased this book 6 months ago on Kindle and was instantly captivated by the life the author has endured. It’s beyond fascinating, it’s thought provoking, sad and triumphant all at the same time. It was a book that stayed in my thoughts and I was recommending it to everyone I knew.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I had just purchased the paperback to bring with me on vacation to Vieques, the home of the author. I wanted to reread it and share with my friends. I decided to attend one of Aurita’s Zumba classes and tell her how fabulous her book is. A few days before the class, I unexpectedly ran into her and her children on the Malecon in Esperanza at a little local artisan gathering. I was so taken by the fact that she was truly more genuine than I could have imagined. Aurora has a light that is beautiful and unique. You know instantly that she is on this earth for a reason, I don’t know any other way to describe it. As fate would have it, heavy rains prevented me from her outdoor class, but I left the island so grateful that we had crossed paths.

The zen of dancing in the rain is a book you will remember, it will inspire you, it will move you, it will make you stop and think. It’s one of the best books I have read in many years!"

- T Turner

THE ZEN OF DANCING IN THE RAIN

Becoming One with the Storm (2022)

Aurita’s bestselling memoir delivers an inspiring blend of storytelling and strength. It chronicles her journey from combat injury in Afghanistan to healing through dance and service.

Book Awards Include

1st Place – Hearten Award (Inspiration)Literary Titan Gold Award Readers’ Favorite – Bronze Medal (Motivational)International Latino Book Awards – Honorable Mentions:Most Inspirational Nonfiction Best First BookMilitary CategoryGlobal Impact Award – Women Empowerment

KEY SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Norwegian Epic Cruise– Military Banquet Keynote, Mar 2025Ft. Indiantown Gap– Deployment Send-Off Keynote, Oct 2023Women Veterans Empowered & Thriving– PA, Oct 2023Milton Hershey School– Youth Empowerment Events, 2023Denver Salsa Congress– 1,000+ AttendeesOrder of the Purple Heart– Regional Guest Speaker, PR

FEATURED AWARDS

Purple Heart– Wounded in combat (IED, 2009)Combat Action Badge– AfghanistanArmy 10-Miler– 3rd Place (2023), 6th Place (2024)Princess Cruise Guide of the YearMoab Stars Champion– Dance w/ Mayor Dave SakrisonWomen’s Week Honoree– Vieques, PR

PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES

Tropical Storm Dance Co.– Latin dance empowerment & youth mentorship (Vieques, PR)Dance Moab– International dance festivals & wellness through movementVeteran Healing Retreats– Leader and guest facilitator across the U.S.

LANGUAGES & BACKGROUND

Fluent in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and KoreanU.S. Army (SSG) – Leadership, linguistics, and combat veteranB.S. in Liberal Arts – Excelsior CollegeGraduate, Defense Language Institute (Mandarin)Degree in Korean Language – Monterey Peninsula College