174: How to Deal With Mixed Emotions (Ambition In-Between Series)
Overview
I continue my Ambition In Between series by exploring something many of us experience but don’t always name: the mixed emotions that surface after completing a big ambition. Through the lens of polarity management, I look at why conflicting feelings show up, what they might be pointing to, and how we can work with them instead of against them.
After launching my book, Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work, earlier this year, I found myself holding emotions that didn’t fit neatly into “success” or “surrender.” Reward and resignation. External validation and internal grounding. Instead of forcing these feelings into an either/or, I walk through how the polarity model helped me recognize the value on both sides, understand the potential upsides and downsides, and reframe my mixed emotions into something more constructive.
Toward the end of the episode, I offer several sets of reflection questions to help you review your year, make sense of the emotional complexity that may have surfaced over the past twelve months, and consider what you want to carry into 2026.
Whether you’re at the end of a big project, navigating a transition, or simply noticing conflicting feelings about where you are right now, this episode invites you to expand your lens, honor the “both/and,” and move forward with more clarity and self-trust.
Listen below or on your favorite podcast player.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
Why mixed emotions often surface after completing a major goal or milestone
How competing motivations and values can create emotional tension — and why that’s normal
An introduction to the polarity model and how it helps us navigate “both/and” emotional states
The difference between helpful mixed emotions and the “downsides” that show up when we overemphasize one side of a polarity
How to spot early warning signs that you’re leaning too far into one emotional pole
Practical reflection questions to help you review your year with nuance and self-awareness
Resources Mentioned
Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work
172: Ambition In-Between: How to Deal With Unexpected Outcomes
Thanks for Listening!
Send me ideas for what you’d like to hear on the podcast, or a question that might be read and answered here on the show! Email me at podcast@SustainableAmbition.com
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