Why Doing Less Helps You Achieve More - with Steven D’Souza - The August Refresh, Archive Episode

Part of the August 2026 Refresh Series.If you’re a high achiever who has built success through relentless doing, pushing harder, and staying “always on,” this episode will challenge and transform the way you think about achievement.Maya is joined by bestselling author and leadership thinker Steven D’Souza, whose book Not Doing explores how pausing, letting go, and working with natural rhythms can lead to more success, not less.Steven offers a radically refreshing perspective on leadership, ambition, creativity, and sustainable performance. This is not about sacrificing drive, it’s about discovering a more effective, easeful way forward.What you'll learn:The concept of negative capability - and how pausing and creating space can make you a more effective leaderA different relationship to time that the most effortlessly effective leaders seem to shareConnect and find out more about Steven on his website https://stevendsouza.com/ or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-d-souza-5351712/As usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

Part of the August 2026 Refresh Series.Whether you're naturally calm or naturally sensitive to what life throws at you, today's world is enough to test anyone's nervous system. And yet nervous system regulation rarely gets talked about in leadership spaces.In this episode, Maya is joined by Kate Brassington for a conversation that demystifies how the nervous system actually works, and what we can do to regulate.What you'll learn:What polyvagal theory is - and why understanding it changes how you think about burnout, freeze states and switching offHow to find the nervous system regulation practice that actually works for your personality and wiring - no one size fits all approachYou can connect with Kate Brassington at https://katebrassington.com/As usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

Part of the August 2026 Refresh Series.We know that getting outside does us good. But outdoor intelligence - the idea that we actually think, see and know more when we're in nature - goes a step further than that.In this episode, Maya is joined by Fi Macmillan, coach and adventurer, to explore what outdoor intelligence actually is and how it differs from simply going for a walk.By the end of the conversation, they co-create an equation that sums it up neatly: nature + walking = deep work + intuition.What you'll learn:How to start accessing outdoor intelligenceThree simple practices to help you reconnect with your intuition through time outsideYou can connect with Fi Macmillan at https://www.linkedin.com/in/fi-macmillan/As usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

Part of the August 2026 Refresh Series.Most bucket lists don't make it to 100 items. That's exactly the point of this exercise.In this episode, Maya walks through the list of 100 dreams - an exercise she came across via Laura Vanderkam, originally from career coach Carolina Ceniza-Levine - and shares how she went about it herself. The idea is simple: an unedited list of anything you might want to do or have more of in your life - a powerful exercise for a number of reasons. What you'll learn:How to actually do the exercise - including what to do when you run out of ideasHow the list becomes a useful reference point for goal setting and making the most of your leisure timeAs usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

Part of the August 2026 Refresh Series.What's your default strategy when you're feeling burnt out or depleted? A sunny trip away? Nothing wrong with that - but there are other, perhaps more powerful, ways to recharge too.In this episode, Maya breaks down her own version of the seven types of rest, drawing on years of coaching conversations to explore why switching off looks different for everyone - and why going from near-burnout to a beach doesn't always solve the problem.What you'll learn:The seven types of rest - and a simple way to identify which ones you're missingThe difference between rejuvenation and refresh - and why relying on a change of scene alone often isn't enoughYou can read Maya's accompanying LinkedIn post and access the rest checklist here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-you-cant-switch-off-maya-gudka-msc-cfa-ma-cantab-/You can also listen to Maya's episode on sleep here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0XscMUgFfUgsDE2JX931jN?si=ea2d0fe498ec4271 As usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

Workplace bullying happens more often than it should. In this episode, Maya shares guidance from inside her coaching programme - practical steps that have helped clients deal with this and start to move things forward.She explains why the bullying interaction itself isn't something the victim can fix, as well as sharing details of her own past experiences.What you'll learn:Specific techniques to manage a bullying situation - including one that made HR start taking action almost immediatelyA simple shift in how you frame the issue that makes leadership take it seriouslyTo find out more about the programme curriculum, visit https://www.mayagudka.com/for-individualsAs usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

If you come from a corporate, analytical or financial background, talking about money in terms of energy can feel unfamiliar - even a bit uncomfortable. But Maya has seen these subconscious patterns play out again and again, both in her own life and in her work with clients.In this archive episode, Maya is joined by her former business coach Rose Radford to talk about masculine and feminine money energies - what they are, how they show up, and why understanding them can shift the way you think about ambition, money and growth, whatever stage of business or career you're at.What you'll learn:The difference between masculine and feminine money energies - and how to spot which one you default toWhat an "energetic set point" is, and how it might be keeping your income at the same level year after yearThis episode was first published in January 2025. You can connect with Rose on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/iamroseradford/As usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

In this second conversation with executive relationship strategist Katarina Polonska, Maya and Katarina go deeper - looking at the specific dynamics that emerge between ambitious partners and the hidden tensions in dual career households.What you'll learn:The concept of relational hygiene, with examples from Katarina’s own relationship How so many couples drift into a parent-child dynamic without realising it.Catch up with the first episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/008RNUWAgwaT6BMEvyPt1B?si=W6Uz9AeQT8uz0Ge6rjJ2kA You can connect with Katarina Polonska at www.katarinapolonska.com and on the Successfully in Love podcast.As usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

Personal relationships rarely make it onto a leadership development programme. And yet, as Maya sees regularly in her coaching work, what's happening at home has a profound impact on what's happening at work.In this episode - the first of two conversations - Maya is joined by executive relationship strategist Katarina Polonska to explore the relationships outside work that shape so much of how leaders show up.What you'll learn:Why high achievers can be particularly vulnerable to relationship breakdownThe deeper emotional drivers behind ambitionWhat to do when couples counselling doesn’t workYou can connect with Katarina Polonska at www.katarinapolonska.com and on the Successfully in Love podcast.As usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/And subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com 

As we reach the midpoint of the year, Maya shares her end-of-June review - a series of personal reflection questions designed to help you recalibrate before the second half of the year begins.Maya works through the questions throughout the episode, reflecting on what's gone well, what she worried about that turned out not to matter, and what she wants the rest of the year to look like.You’ll find out Maya’s personal reflections, her thoughts on the next phase of her life, and learn the key questions you can use for your own mid-year review. Don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel for all the video episodes and short clips https://www.youtube.com/@MayaGudka?sub_confirmation=1As usual, connect with Maya at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagudka/For all other info, visit the website www.mayagudka.com