Episode 444: Marah Rodriguez talks about life’s twists and turns, listening and empathy, and women in leadership

Looking for daily inspiration?  Get a quote from the top leaders in the industry in your inbox every morning.   What’s your guest experience strategy?  You probably have a marketing strategy, recruitment strategy, and sales strategy, but what about intentionally turning first-time visitors into loyal advocates?  Liebman Leisure Group helps attractions do exactly that.  From creating a culture of “wow” moments to empowering staff to recover from service failures, great experiences don’t happen by chance.   To schedule a consultation call, visit www.liebmanleisure.com/attractionpros.  Don’t leave your guest experience to chance.  You should be known for creating memorable experiences… on purpose. Marah Rodriguez is the Regional VP of Sales of Mobaro. Marah started in the attractions industry at 16 as a lifeguard at Wet n Wild in Orlando, helped open a wakeboard park, studied communications at UCF with a minor in hospitality management, then took an unexpected detour into HIV prevention work through the American Red Cross and clinics in Florida. After time in advertising sales with AT&T, a connection to a water safety products customer pulled her back into the attractions world, and later joined the Mobaro team in 2021. Mobaro is a digital platform that connects teams like safety, maintenance, and operations in one system, replacing paper processes with real-time visibility into daily tasks and performance insights. In this interview, Marah talks about life’s twists and turns, listening and empathy, and women in leadership. Life’s twists and turns “Life had a different turn for me and I didn't end up getting a job in hospitality in St. Thomas. I actually went and veered off with American Red Cross doing HIV prevention.” Marah’s story is a reminder that career paths in attractions are rarely linear. She shares how early experiences in safety and operations shaped her foundation, but it was the unexpected pivot into public health that stretched her perspective. That chapter was not a detour in hindsight, it became part of the skill set she brought back into business and leadership. She also emphasizes how relationships and reputation can quietly shape your future. Doing good work, staying connected, and being curious led to multiple “full circle” moments, including her return to the industry and later her move to Mobaro after being remembered from a brief conversation at AIMS. Listening & empathy “What I learned and the importance of that sort of work is the importance of listening and having empathy.” Marah frames listening and empathy as practical leadership behaviors, not soft skills. She explains that people can tell immediately when you are not engaged, and that real listening starts with presence, curiosity, and genuine interest in someone’s story. That mindset helps leaders learn faster, build trust, and spot what teams actually need. She connects this directly to sales, too. In her view, sales is not about pushing a product, it’s about understanding what someone is trying to achieve and helping them get there. Whether the goal is safety, professionalism, or efficiency, the best outcomes come from asking good questions, paying attention, and meeting people on their timing, not yours. Women in leadership “We really enjoy having a night we can come together and celebrate our successes and try to support each other.” Marah shares how she has leaned into advocacy through IAAPA’s Women in Leadership Task Force and a growing network of women across amusement parks and attractions. She highlights momentum like expanding educational programming, increasing engagement, and creating more spaces where women can connect, learn, and be seen. Her advice to aspiring leaders is straightforward: get involved earlier than you think you should, believe in yourself, talk to people at every level, and remember that everyone is human. She sees the attractions industry as uniquely approachable, and she encourages women to use that openness to build relationships, confidence, and leadership opportunities.   If you want to connect with Marah directly, she recommends connecting on LinkedIn. You can also learn more about Mobaro at mobaro.com, and you can reach her by email at [email protected]. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our faaaaaantastic team:   Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas   To connect with AttractionPros: AttractionPros.com [email protected] AttractionPros on Facebook AttractionPros on LinkedIn AttractionPros on Instagram AttractionPros on Twitter (X)