Maria Yalch was born and raised in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. She has been a life long member of Corpus Christi Parish (Holy Child Church). Maria attended South Fayette High School and later graduated from Duquesne University with a degree in marketing and communications. She spent 8 years in corporate marketing, with the bulk of it being at Hefren-Tillotson. Maria experienced a deeper conversion to the Lord during the diagnosis of cancer, treatment and loss of her fiancé Tim. Her conversion led her to a life of sharing the Gospel. She has been with The Nature of Fire since October 1, 2021.