Women don’t Rush

Episode Summary:
In this episode, I explore one of the biggest frustrations that may present itself in your leadership, namely; when you feel that you communicate clearly and care deeply, and yet people around you still don’t respond the way you’d expect or need them to.

Rather than offering tips or techniques, this episode is more about looking at the unseen dynamics that shape resistance and disconnection vs engagement and connection - and why leadership today, experienced through well chosen words and more presence, often requires a better framework and practice.

This is an invitation to shift from trying to get strategic results, to becoming more aware of how it feels to be with you as a leader.

Host:
Maria Rush, Leadership Mentor & Speaker, helps capable and high-achieving people navigate the human side of leadership to experience more calm, joy and fulfilment. Through a proven awareness and communication framework, Maria supports you as a parent, partner and professional to become the leader people are truly looking for - authentic, empathetic and adaptable.

 

Resources Mentioned:

- The Leader People Are Looking For

- Sign up to my newsletter

- The Connected Leadership Programme

- 1:1 Mentoring

 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave me a 5-star review! 

Let’s connect on Instagram https://instagram.com/womendontrushpodcast and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mariadhrush

For more information on mentoring and group programmes, please visit my website https://mariarush.co.uk

Episode Summary:
In this episode, I explore why leadership often feels harder than it should. Not because you’re doing anything wrong, but because expectations have quietly shifted. I reflect on the unseen emotional weight many women carry, and why pushing harder or doing more doesn’t always create the connection or engagement we’re hoping for.

This is a gentle, reflective conversation about the human side of leadership  It’s an invitation to pause, recognise yourself, and consider a different way of leading that feels calmer, more aligned, and more sustainable.

 

Host:
Maria Rush, Leadership Mentor & Speaker, helps capable and high-achieving people navigate the human side of leadership to experience more calm, joy and fulfilment. Through a proven awareness and communication framework, Maria supports you as a parent, partner and professional to become the leader people are truly looking for - authentic, empathetic and adaptable.

 

Resources Mentioned:

- The Leader People Are Looking For (pdf guide)

 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave me a 5-star review! 

Let’s connect on Instagram https://instagram.com/womendontrushpodcast and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mariadhrush

For more information on mentoring and group programmes, please visit my website https://mariarush.co.uk

Episode Summary:
In this episode, I’m joined by the remarkable R&B soul singer Somalia who embraces the fact that life moves in seasons and that every season has something to teach us. Together, we explore what it really means to trust the process, especially when the path ahead sometimes feels unclear or full of noise. Somalia shares how tuning inwards, honouring her intuition, and staying rooted in authenticity have shaped not only her artistry, but the community she is now building around it.

We speak openly about the courage it takes to remain true to yourself in a competitive industry that often rewards speed, comparison and compromise. Somalia reflects on moments she’s said “yes” to herself and how those small, aligned decisions have created unexpected openings, connections and opportunities that feel nothing short of serendipitous.

This is a conversation about slow growth, soulful trust, and the quiet power that comes from backing your own voice.

Host:
Maria Rush, Leadership Mentor & Speaker, works with high-performing women who are intentional about refining how their success is experienced from the inside out.

Maria's work centres around self-awareness as a strategic leadership skill.  Through a proven framework, Maria supports women to strengthen their inner leadership so ambition and achievement are matched by calm and clarity.  Leadership mentoring is not about fixing problems or chasing balance.  It’s about mastery by refining decision-making, emotional intelligence, and boundaries so that success becomes sustainable and genuinely rewarding.

Guest:
Somalia, Award winning R&B soul singer

Website: https://www.thesomaliashow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesomaliashow

Key Takeaways:

• Honour the season you’re in:  
  Life unfolds in cycles. When you recognise the season you’re moving through, whether it’s growth, rest, learning or letting go, you allow yourself to move with it rather than resisting it.
  
  
• Intuition is a muscle
  Listening inwardly is a practice. The more you tune into what feels true for you, the more confidently you can make decisions that align with your values, artistry and wellbeing.
  
  
• Saying “yes” to yourself invites serendipity
  Authenticity creates its own momentum. When you trust your voice and take the opportunities that feel right, you naturally attract the people, spaces and connections meant for you.
  
  

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave me a 5-star review! 

Let’s connect on Instagram https://instagram.com/womendontrushpodcast and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mariadhrush

For more information, free resources and programmes, please visit my website https://mariarush.co.uk

Episode Summary:
In this episode of Women Don’t Rush, we explore the deep and often unspoken tension many mothers face between ambition and nurture. We talk honestly about what happens to your identity when you become a mother: how your creative outlet, entrepreneurial drive, and sense of purpose can shift, stall, or feel out of reach.

Together, we unpack the guilt that can arise from wanting to work, the frustration of feeling lost, and the pressure to have everything figured out. We also look at the turning points: the moments of reflection, the sparks that remind us what lights us up, and the slow but powerful process of aligning your life again after early motherhood.

It’s a conversation about trusting the unfolding, learning to vocalise your needs, reconnecting with what fulfils you, and making peace with the uncertainty along the way. A reminder that identity isn’t lost in motherhood - it’s rewritten, reclaimed, and revealed over time.

Host:
Maria Rush, Leadership Mentor & Speaker, helps caring and capable people navigate the human side of leadership to experience more calm, joy and fulfilment.  Through a proven awareness and communication framework, Maria supports you as a parent, partner and professional to become the leader people are truly looking for - someone who can communicate with authenticity, compassion and adaptability.

Guest:
Victoria Phipps, Family & Motherhood Photographer and Podcaster

Website: https://victoriaphipps.com/ and https://mummeansbusinesspodcast.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriaphippsmbe

and https://www.instagram.com/mummeansbusinesspodcast

 

Key Takeaways:

- Ambition and nurture can coexist - the tension between them is normal, and learning to name your needs is the first step toward balance.

- Identity evolves, it doesn’t disappear - motherhood can shift your creative drive and purpose, but reflection helps you realign with what truly lights you up.

- Uncertainty is part of the process - trusting the path, even without all the answers, allows you to move from feeling lost to finding meaningful direction

 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave me a 5-star review! 

Let’s connect on Instagram https://instagram.com/womendontrushpodcast

and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mariadhrush

For more information, free resources and programmes, please visit my website https://mariarush.co.uk

Episode Summary
In this special one-year anniversary episode of the Women Don’t Rush podcast, I celebrate a year of meaningful conversations, feminine wisdom, and the beautiful community we’ve created together. Today, I explore a truth that shows up in so many women's lives: the gap between the life we’ve built and how we actually feel inside.

Drawing from a personal story of running on autopilot, over-functioning, and wearing the mask of “having it all together,” I talk about what I call the missing link: the disconnect between achievement and emotional fulfilment. I explore why self-awareness is the turning point, how self-leadership transforms awareness into action, and why these practices are especially vital for women and mothers constantly carrying the mental and emotional load.

This episode is a gentle invitation to pause, look inward, and reconnect with yourself - not by doing more, but by being more present, honest, and attuned.

Host:
Maria Rush, Leadership Mentor & Speaker, helps capable and high-achieving women, who despite their success, often feel overwhelmed and unfulfilled.  Through a proven self-leadership framework, Maria supports women to experience extraordinary outer success AND authentic inner calm, joy, and fulfilment.

3 Key Takeaways

- You can’t achieve your way to peace - you need to create it.
External success means little when your internal world feels depleted. Real fulfilment comes from understanding yourself, not from doing more.

- Self-awareness is the moment everything shifts.
When you pause long enough to ask what you truly feel or need, you create the space for softness, honesty, and alignment.

Self-leadership is self-awareness in action.
Leading yourself with care, boundaries, rest, and celebration is not indulgent - it’s essential. When you honour your needs, everyone around you benefits.

Resources Mentioned:

- The Feelings Wheel - 76 feelings to help you name, understand and express your emotions

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave me a 5-star  review! 

Let’s connect on Instagram https://instagram.com/womendontrushpodcast and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mariadhrush

For more information, free resources and programmes, please visit my website or schedule a FREE 30-minute clarity call.

In this episode of Women Don’t Rush, I sit down with financial advisor Julia Ward who has spent her career helping women make confident, values-driven financial decisions. Together, we explore the power of life experience at midlife - how compassion, trust, and courage can guide not just our financial choices, but our personal growth too.

We talk about the privilege of having a long, rich life behind us, and how to lean into that wisdom when we’re ready to stretch beyond our comfort zones. If you’re thinking about what’s next for you - whether it’s a career shift, new investment, or simply taking time to reconnect with yourself - this conversation is a reminder that slowing down, listening inward, and aligning with what truly matters can be the most powerful investment of all.

Host:
Maria Rush, Leadership Mentor & Speaker, loves helping capable and high achieving women, who despite their constant success, often feel tired, overwhelmed, and unfulfilled.  Through a proven framework, Maria empowers women with that missing link that promotes more calm, joy, and fulfilment and ultimately more time.

Guest:
Julia Ward, Financial Adviser and Founder of Conscious Wealth

Website: www.consciouswealthuk.co.uk

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/julia-ward-b9866616

Resources Mentioned:

- Mel Robbins - The Let Them theory https://www.melrobbins.com/book/the-let-them-theory/

- 'Begin with the end in mind' - quote from Stephen Covey and his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ttps://www.franklincovey.com/courses/the-7-habits/habit-2/

 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave me a 5-star review! 

Let’s connect on Instagram https://instagram.com/womendontrushpodcast

 and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mariadhrush

For free resources, mentoring and training services, please visit https://mariarush.co.uk

Episode Summary:
In this episode of the Women Don’t Rush podcast, I talk with the generous and insightful Sarah Edwards who believes that clarity always beats cleverness in marketing. Together, we explore how women in business can create authentic, results-driven marketing that truly connects with their ideal clients.

Sarah shares why the heart of effective marketing isn’t about flashy gimmicks or aesthetics - it’s about clear messaging that focuses on the client as the hero of the story. By understanding the client’s problems, offering the right solutions, and showing measurable results, women can build trust, attract the right customers, and create a genuine return on investment (ROI).

Host:
Maria Rush, a Leadership Mentor & Speaker, supports smart and high achieving women, who despite their success, feel tired, overwhelmed, and unfulfilled.  Through a proven communication framework, Maria guides her clients to experience more calm, joy, and ultimately more time.

Guest:
Sarah Edwards, Founder of Frog Marketing and a Certified StoryBrand Guide.

Website: https://frogmarketing.co.uk/

 

Key Takeaways:

- Clarity Over Cleverness: Effective marketing starts with a clear message that focuses on the client’s needs, not fancy words or visuals.

- Client as the Hero: Position yourself as the guide who helps your clients solve problems and achieve real results.

- Message Before Aesthetics: Strong messaging attracts the right clients and delivers ROI.  Design should support, not lead, your strategy.

 

Resources Mentioned:

• Building a StoryBrand: Donald Miller
• Marketing Made Simple: Donald Miller
• They Ask You Answer: Marcus Sheridan
• Endless customers: Marcus Sheridan
• Unreasonable Hospitality: Will Guidara
• The 1 Page Marketing Plan: Allan Dib

 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave me a 5-star review! 

Let’s connect on Instagram https://instagram.com/womendontrushpodcast

and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mariadhrush

Please visit my website for more information and free resources https://mariarush.co.uk

Episode Title:
My Most Painful Motherhood Moment — and What It Taught Me

Episode Summary: 
In this heartfelt episode of Women Don’t Rush, host Maria Rush opens up about her personal journey from feeling disconnected as a mother to finding deep fulfilment through Emotional Intelligence and self-leadership.

Maria shares how a painful period of disconnection with her firstborn son led her to explore conscious communication, emotional awareness, and the power of expressing needs with empathy and clarity.

Discover how Circular Communication can transform relationships, reduce stress, and bring more calm, joy, and connection into your life, both personally and professionally.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re thriving on the outside but struggling on the inside, this episode will help you reconnect with yourself and those who matter most.

Host:
Maria Rush, Leadership Mentor & Speaker, helps smart, capable, and constantly achieving women, who despite their success feel tired, overwhelmed, and unfulfilled, through a proven framework that helps prioritise themselves, to experience more calm, joy, and fulfilment.

 

Key Takeaways:

- The real reason so many of us feel misunderstood and emotionally drained—even when we’re “doing everything right.”

- How developing Emotional Intelligence can repair relationships, deepen self-awareness, and create genuine connection.

- What “Circular Communication” is and how it helps you express yourself clearly, feel truly heard, and reduce conflict.

 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave me a 5-star review! 

Let’s connect on Instagram https://instagram.com/womendontrushpodcast and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/mariadhrush

Please visit my website for more information and free resources https://mariarush.co.uk