Inflection Points as Invitations to Rewild Your Ambitions
What happens when we experience tension and are wondering how to navigate what we want to do at an inflection moment?
We all hit those crossroads where tension bubbles up—whether from a feeling that a change is desired, tough choices demanding our attention, or simply running out of capacity. Or, as is often the case, all three converging at once!
Recently, I've been captivated by a concept my mentor introduced: “rewilding”—the process of restoring ecosystems to their natural state, allowing nature to take care of itself rather than being constantly managed.
This beautiful metaphor has been influencing how I think about those inflection points in our lives. What if these moments of tension aren’t obstacles but invitations? Invitations to rewild our ambitions and let what naturally wants to grow in us flourish.
Just as a rewilded landscape doesn’t try to recreate the past but allows what belongs there now to emerge, perhaps our inflection points are calling us to shed what no longer serves us and make space for our authentic ambitions to take root. Sometimes, like a necessary forest burn, these uncomfortable moments clear away the undergrowth of shoulds and have-tos, making room for what naturally energizes us.
In this season of what my mentor calls “the great turning,” when so many systems seem to be decomposing around us, we’re all navigating personal turnings too. The current state breaks down when it’s no longer working, signaling it’s time to build anew—not by forcing and controlling, but by allowing our natural rhythms and genuine desires to lead the way.
I feel my conversation with my latest podcast guest perfectly captures this rewilding spirit.
In my May episodes, I’m joined by people in my life who I admire and have learned from as it relates to Sustainable Ambition. With the book launching next month, I wanted to speak with guests who have had life experiences that relate to topics it covers. They’ve navigated the waters of Sustainable Ambition. They’ve hit inflection points—moments of change, conflict, and/or constraint—where they’ve questioned their current path.
Erica Meade joins me in this first episode. Erica has gone through this rewilding process and today is a startup co-founder of Practice, fractional product and design leader, and the artist behind Mini House on the Line.
I invited Erica on to explore how we can redefine and reclaim what success, ambition, and work mean in our lives. Our conversation expands our frame of reference for our ambitions beyond traditional career paths and examines how this shift impacts our sense of identity and also our sustainability.
Erica helps us question: Can we redefine “worthy work” beyond paid roles? Can joy be a success metric? Can we allow ourselves to invest time in activities that create flow and fulfillment? The answer to all three? A resounding YES!
Her perspective truly inspires me, and I’m excited to share our conversation with you. Listen to our conversation here.
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Sustainable Ambition offers a strategic approach for pursuing our professional and personal goals in a way that is motivating, meaningful, and manageable from stage to stage, rather than be all consuming in a way that compromises other important aspects of our lives or sacrifices our well-being.