MariaShriverLAMagCover.jpgMaria Shriver spent the past seven years by estranged husband Arnold Schwarzenegger's side as the First Lady of California, but before that, she was a reporter.

Now, with divorce proceedings underway, Shriver is ready to step back into her own spotlight.

Shriver, 55, interviewed philanthropist Wallis Annenberg for the October issue of Los Angeles Magazine ... and made the cover!

She talks to Annenberg about being a powerful woman and when celebrity works against a person -- both topics that Shriver is familiar with.

The mom of four filed for divorce this summer.