Overview

Many of us want to make a positive impact and gain fulfillment with the work we do. In some cases, pursuing that ambition may require a significant shift in our career and our lives.

Today’s guest pivoted in her career in order to seek more sustainability and more fulfillment in her work and life. Caroline Ouwerkerk is a career and leadership coach who works with people in the social impact space to help them find their purpose and pursue it sustainably. 

Making the world a better place isn’t a short-term goal. It’s vital that social impact leaders take measures to make the work more sustainable over the long term.

Caroline shares the structures she has put in place for herself to help her disconnect from work, how she models sustainable leadership, how to think about right-sizing our efforts, and the importance of connecting with community.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

How can we sustain our engagement in our work and make our careers regenerative?

Continuing the series of conversations about managing our work ambitions over time and at different stages of leadership, I’m joined today by Aybala Şimşek Galpin, CEO of the Turkish bank, Şekerbank.

As I’ve been introducing more perspectives about work-life integration and ambition from around the world, Aybala’s story illustrates a key point about how our environment and cultural context shape our ambitions and the pursuit of what we want for ourselves. Her career path also shows that alignment of meaning and motivation can sustain us even through periods of intense effort.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Learning to embrace leadership and think intentionally about the kind of leader we want to be is important, regardless of where we are in our careers. It’s relevant whether we’re leading a whole team or just ourselves.

As part of an ongoing series of conversations about managing our ambitions through different phases and stages of our careers, Pete Steinberg and I dig into what it means to be a leader and to step into that role.

We talk about citizenship within organizations and how that invites us to step into agency, no matter our role. Pete also shares his concept of leadership shock, and how to recognize when you’re experiencing it.

If you’re stepping into a new leadership role at work, it may be time to rethink your leadership approach and consider the kind of leader you want to be in order to make it a more satisfying, sustainable position of authentic leadership.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Today’s episode kicks off a series of conversations about managing our work ambitions over time and at different stages of leadership. 

If you’re feeling stuck, unsure of what’s next for you, and seeking more fulfillment from your work, this conversation is definitely for you.

Master coach Merideth Mehlberg introduces common traps that keep us feeling stuck and dissatisfied at work, shares what gets us to the point where we can take action for change, plus offers reassurance that finding more fulfillment in our work isn’t as arduous as it may seem at the outset.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

If you are a workaholic or have workaholic tendencies, you are not alone. Many of us struggle with overwork and assessing the right amount of effort to put towards our ambitions and priorities, without going overboard.

Today, Dr. Malissa Clark, author of Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It, joins me for a conversation about workaholism and overwork, what drives it, why more people are struggling with it, and what organizations and individuals can do about it. 

Workaholism is a nuanced topic, and it isn’t solely about the number of hours we devote to work. Hopefully, the next time you call yourself — or someone calls you — a workaholic, you can give yourself grace as you adjust to make sure you’re working hard on the right things, in the right way.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

What is work? And what is its role in our lives?

For many Americans, work is a primary source of meaning and identity. But what if you embraced a more holistic identity? What ambitions would you nurture for your life as well as your work? How would they impact how you manage your career? How would the role of work shift if you were pursuing better work-life integration?

These are complex questions. The answers are deeply personal, and they will shift and evolve over time. In our journeys of life and work, we are always in the process of finding and living into our stories.

Today, I’m in conversation with Simone Stolzoff, author of The Good Enough Job, about his research and reporting on the roles of work in our modern lives and how work became such an enmeshed part of our identity for so many Americans. Simone invites us to embrace more sides of ourselves as we write our stories and, through a broader lens on identity, be more intentional about the role of our work and the ambitions we pursue.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

If you live and work in the U.S., you might have daydreamed about finding better work-life balance by moving to another country with different cultural norms and government structures around work. 

But what if the challenges of navigating life and work in the modern world are more pervasive than we think? What if the structures that need to change run much deeper than government policy and programs?

To explore these questions, I’m joined by coach and consultant Sandra Fillaudeau, who lives and works in France and whose work tackles questions of work-life integration, gender balance, and sustainable living.

We dig into what challenges French professionals typically face with work-life integration, how those issues are reflected cross-culturally, and what shifts individuals and organizations can make to help us better navigate the dynamic nature of our lives with work in the modern world.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Sustainable Ambition is aspirational. It’s a practice and a journey that is ever-changing. I’m always learning along the way, just like all of you, and each of our journeys is unique to us.

In this episode, I reflect on the Summer Book Series, how I was impacted by the concepts I shared in those episodes, and what I have been learning about Sustainable Ambition over the last several months.

I also want to share updates on where I am in my own journey of Sustainable Ambition, not just based on the books, but a view of how I am doing with sustaining my ambition over time and not sacrificing my life or myself in the process.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Part of pursuing Sustainable Ambition is examining how we go about achieving our goals without sacrificing our lives or ourselves. 

My guest today has an interesting perspective on how we can live our lives more fully, and with more purpose.

Speaker and author, Jodi Wellman, calls us to look death in the face in order to become more alive. And while this might sound dour or heavy, it really isn’t.

Jodi shares her philosophy for crafting a life well-lived, and it doesn’t always require us to make huge changes in our lives. Small things, done in service of our needs, preferences, and goals, really do add up when we stop procrastinating and start living.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

We hear a lot about resilience these days. We say people who overcome obstacles and challenges in life and work must be so resilient. But is that the only way to build our resilience muscles? What does it mean to build resilience in practice?

Today I’m joined again by Luis Velasquez to dig into how we build the resilience that allows us to face challenges and not only survive, but thrive.

Building resilience as Luis defines it is essential to Sustainable Ambition, both to grow in and navigate our careers over time, and to create the lives we desire and sustain ourselves in the process. It’s about taking small steps, right now, to develop our ability to tolerate discomfort and uncertainty, so that we can see obstacles as opportunities, rather than challenges.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Over the months of June and July, I’ve been sharing books that have delighted me. Some of them have been written by past guests, while others are new books that have inspired me to think more deeply about sustainability. 

My hope in sharing these books with you is that you will be inspired, as I was, and will want to think differently about how you operate this summer. Through this summer book series, perhaps you’ll start asking important questions, like, “What do I really want? What is enough? What is worth it? Where might I be settling? Where and when can I allow myself to choose sustainability?” 

Today’s episode is the last in the series and this is for the explorers and the questioners, and those who are looking for a break.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Over the months of June and July, I am sharing books that have really delighted me. Some of them have been written by past guests, while others are new books that have inspired me to think more deeply about sustainability. 

My hope in sharing these books with you is that you will be inspired, as I was, and will want to think differently about how you operate this summer. Through this summer book series, perhaps you’ll start asking important questions, like, “What do I really want? What is enough? What is worth it? Where might I be settling? Where and when can I allow myself to choose sustainability?” 

Today’s episode is for those who need inspiration to find inspiration.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Over the months of June and July, I will be sharing books that have really delighted me. Some of them have been written by past guests, while others are new books that have inspired me to think more deeply about sustainability. 

My hope in sharing these books with you is that you will be inspired, as I was, and will want to think differently about how you operate this summer. Through this summer book series, perhaps you’ll start asking important questions, like, “What do I really want? What is enough? What is worth it? Where might I be settling? Where and when can I allow myself to choose sustainability?” 

Today’s episode offers points for reflection to inspire you to think about what is worth your ambition and effort. What do you do to sustain yourself to support putting in the effort?

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

This summer and over the four episodes in June and July, I will be sharing books that have really delighted me. Some of them have been written by past guests, while others are new books that have inspired me to think more deeply about sustainability. 

My hope in sharing these books with you is that you will be inspired, as I was, and will want to think differently about how you operate this summer. Through this summer book series, perhaps you’ll start asking important questions, like, “What do I really want? What is enough? What is worth it? Where might I be settling? Where and when can I allow myself to choose sustainability?” 

This episode is for those of us who may need permission to ease into summer and to play a little.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

How can the arts support our ability to thrive and flourish in life and work?

Humans have been making, sharing, and interacting with art since time immemorial and modern research bears out its positive impacts on our wellbeing. Art helps us connect with ourselves and each other, it helps us make sense of our stories, and it helps us heal.

As part of my continuing conversations about creativity and how it intersects with Sustainable Ambition, I’m talking with Dr. Tasha Golden about the role of art in our evolution and its power to help us express ourselves more fully. 

We explore the dangers of “robotic” behavioral norms to our physical and mental wellbeing and how reimagining identity as an evolving narrative rather than a fixed point can help us let go of (some of) our angst and uncertainty as we grow

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

If asked, most of us would likely say that we want to live with a sense of meaning and purpose. But how many of us truly put that intention front and center in how we make choices for ourselves?

In this episode, I’m continuing conversations that explore how creative practices can help us come to a deeper understanding of our ambitions and support us as we seek to live and work in meaningful ways.

Podcast executive producer and audio artist, Emily Shaw, joins me to talk about her pursuit of meaning and enjoyment in her life, following her curiosity, and finding her love of storytelling and a through-line around human connection. We also explore how Emily sustains her personal creative practices, the importance of “doable” goals, and the benefits of embracing discomfort.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Can engaging in creative practices help us on our journey of Sustainable Ambition?

Over the next several episodes, I will be exploring what and how creative practices can help us understand the goals we want to pursue, navigate the changes and evolution of our ambitions, and sustain us along the way. Can we apply creative practices to live and work in more fulfilling and satisfying ways?

To begin answering those questions, I am  joined today by Doug Neill, founder of Verbal to Visual.

Doug and I discussed the impact of visual thinking and how it can unlock creativity and improve comprehension. Doug believes that even if you don’t consider yourself creative you can discover doodling and sketchnoting as a powerful thinking tool. We also talked about how visualization can help us better understand our commitments and aid in our pursuit of Sustainable Ambition.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Do you have a hard time allowing your ambitions to shift and change? Do you feel uncomfortable when at times you don’t feel as committed to your ambitions? 

These are among the dominant narratives and conventions about success and ambition that I want to challenge, so that we can thrive in our lives and in our work.

Today I want to dig into why evolving ambitions are inevitable, and even desirable, and offer three alternative ways to reframe ambition so it is sustainable over the course of our lives.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Are you afraid to ask yourself what you really, really want?

It can be daunting, but getting clear about what you want is critical to creating the life you desire.

Today’s guest presents a compelling example of what it looks like to live boldly, with intention and imagination, from the inside out.

Bonnie Wan joins me to discuss the journey of developing The Life Brief and expanding it from her own personal practice to something she now teaches others and brought to life in her new book, why you have to get messy to get clarity, and how to courageously create the life you want.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More

Overview

Having support structures in place is vital to sustaining our life and work ambitions particularly as we transition through different life stages.

Support structures take many forms, large and small, internal and external, across work and life. Entrepreneurs and people who are self-employed have an acute need for strong support structures because they tend to wear all the hats and stretch themselves too thin.

Add in pregnancy and childbirth, and the need for strong support systems is even more intense for women entrepreneurs managing and running their businesses while also caring for new life and recovering from birth.

As part of my periodic series where I invite guests across disciplines and experiences to share their insights into shifting narratives of work and life, I spoke with Arianna Taboada. She shares her unique perspective on the need for support systems, particularly for expecting entrepreneurs.

Get the Recording & Show Notes

Find the recording and check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned.

Read More