Martina McBride Opens Up About Slowing Down, Enjoying The Holidays, And Celebrating A Meaningful Career

Martina McBride is opening up about the power of simplicity, balance, and learning to protect her peace. After decades in the spotlight, the country icon has found strength in slowing down and focusing on what truly matters to her.

In a recent edition of Woman’s World, where McBride was tapped as the cover star, she reflects on the mental shift that helped her prioritize herself and embrace the confidence to say no to things that don’t serve her.

 “I feel like I’ve always listened to my gut instinct, but I used to have a hard time disappointing anyone. Now I realize if I can’t put everything I have into something, it’s not going to be good for anyone. 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.” 

Reflecting on her whirlwind journey, the 14-time Grammy nominee shares some advice that has guided her through the years and helped her to discover the value in the word “no” and realize how fleeting time is.

“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,” she says. “It’s important to stop, soak in the moment, say ‘Wow,’ and enjoy it.”

This lesson became even more meaningful as McBride navigated life as a wife to her husband John and a mom to their three daughters, Delaney, Ava, and Emma, all while juggling her successful music career. At this point in her life, she finds that the days look much different and are far less busy, which she says has been a nice change of pace.

“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.”

Now that McBride has found that balance and spends less time on the road than in the early days of her career, she is able to fully embrace the holiday season, enjoy family traditions in the kitchen, and appreciate health and happiness all while still honoring the musical legacy she’s built over decades in country music.

“One of the craziest Thanksgivings was when I did the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York early in the morning,” she says. “Then we flew home to Nashville that day, I cooked a whole Thanksgiving dinner, and got on the bus to start my Christmas tour later that night. I don’t know how I pulled it off!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Martina McBride (@martinamcbride)

The “Independence Day” singer added that when it comes to reflecting on what she’s most grateful for ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, she says family sits “at the top of the list,” but she also feels blessed for her career that has been built on timeless hits.

“I’m really proud of the fact that I’ve chosen songs and recorded songs that mean something to people,” she told the outlet. “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.”

It’s clear from this conversation that McBride’s definition of success has grown to include more than music. She now finds that it’s the balance, family moments and simplicity that matters most to her.