Martina McBride Reflects on Her Career and Learning to Slow Down

Martina McBride has never been known for taking it easy. For more than three decades, she’s been a powerhouse voice, a spokeswoman to end domestic violence, and a country-music icon advocating for the well-being of younger artists against the takeover of AI in the music industry. But recently, the legendary singer has been doing something she admits she wasn’t always great at: slowing down. 

In a recent interview with Woman’s World, McBride reflected on her life and career. She said, “When I started out, someone told me, ‘Take your time and soak it all in.’ Basically, stay in the moment. Life goes so fast—especially juggling a career and kids. It’s important to stop, soak in the moment, say ‘Wow,’ and enjoy it.” 

“Life is just different now. It’s not as busy,” she explains. “I look back now and think there was a time in our life when we were so busy. My husband and I traveled to move our youngest daughter to California, and we traveled for two weeks. I was like, ‘How did we do all of this with three little kids and all of this stuff?’ I have a simpler life now which I’m really enjoying.” 

Celebrity or not, we can learn a thing or two from the “My Baby Loves Me” singer about setting boundaries and learning how to say no. “I feel like I’ve always listened to my gut instinct, but I used to have a hard time disappointing anyone,” she said. “Now I realize if I can’t put everything I have into something, it’s not going to be good for anyone.” 

She reiterated, “I think as women especially, we tend to think we need to be everything to everyone, and we feel guilty if we can’t do that. Saying ‘no’ without over-explaining is kind of a superpower.” 

This Thanksgiving season, one of the things she’s thankful for is her career as a country music star. “I’m really proud of the fact that I’ve chosen songs and recorded songs that mean something to people,” she said. “I feel like I’ve built a career of songs that have really stood the test of time and are meaningful. One of the greatest things about what I do is hearing people’s stories about how a song has affected them in their life and so my musical legacy is my song choices. I’m really proud of that.”