Practical Lessons from Female Founders

In this special episode of the DMI Podcast for International Women’s Day, host Taz Kelleher speaks with Areej AbuAli, founder of Women in Tech SEO, and Maeve Kneafsey, entrepreneur, host of the Transform Gov podcast, and long-time leader in digital and public sector innovation.  They share practical lessons from building communities, scaling businesses, securing funding, and leading with clarity in a fast-moving industry. This conversation is full of grounded advice about confidence, decision-making, community building, and the shift that AI is creating for founders. Top 3 tips from Areej & Maeve Be decisive and stop waiting for perfect conditions: Progress comes from action, not from over analysis. Push yourself forward: Say yes to opportunities, speak on stages, and treat visibility as core to leadership. Build and invest in community:  The right network accelerates your business, your learning, and your confidence. The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube, Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠all other podcast platforms.    And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us. If you have other feedback or would like to be a guest on the show, email the podcast team!   Timestamps 01:26 — Acting on an idea 03:29 — Knowing which ideas to commit to 04:53 — Recognizing meaningful innovation 06:19 — Representation and confidence 09:14 — Finding your voice 11:07 — Evolving beliefs about success 16:39 — Early decisions that shaped growth 20:17 — Pricing, confidence, and commercial conversations 22:19 — What people underestimate about scaling 24:36 — Testing, learning, and dropping what doesn’t work 26:39 — Patterns in companies that succeed 30:22 — What matters less than people think 31:58 — The power of community 36:19 — How to find a mentor 40:45 — AI and the future for founders 44:22 — Leadership habits for women 47:10 — Biggest opportunities for women in digital marketing