Shamelessly Ambitious I Helping Ambitious Women Prevent Burnout + Create Nervous System First Success in Business, Motherhood

Ashley McDonald, Therapist & Nervous System First Business Mentor

Shamelessly Ambitious is an honest, grounding, and vulnerable podcast for ambitious, emotionally intelligent women who are done proving themselves, tired of living in constant high-functioning burnout, and craving a life and business that actually feel good. Hosted by Ash McDonald—therapist, nervous-system-first business mentor, and speaker this show blends clinical expertise with lived experience to deliver nervous system tools, embodied strategies, and radical permission so you can expand your capacity, root into emotional steadiness, and build sustainable success that supports your whole life. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, caught in productivity guilt, or stuck running on stress, this podcast meets you where you are—with therapeutic insights, embodied practices, and heartfelt stories that create real shifts. Whether you’re navigating motherhood, entrepreneurship, or the messy middle of redefining success, each episode helps you slow down, regulate, and return to a felt sense of safety in your body. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of therapy and leadership, Ash pulls back the curtain on what really works—offering grounded guidance you can apply in real life. What you’ll hear: Honest conversations about burnout recovery, nervous system regulation, and redefining successSomatic tools, meditations, and practices that build inner safety and capacityStories of motherhood, mom-life, ambition, and the courage to create a life and business that feel rich and realIf you’re asking the following questions, you’re in the right place: How do I stop tying my worth to productivity?How do I know if I’m experiencing high-functioning burnout and what do I do about it?How do I balance motherhood and leadership without losing myself?How do I calm my body when I feel overwhelmed or overstimulated?This is the podcast for when you’re ready to reclaim peace, expand what you can hold, and create success that doesn’t cost you yourself. Tune in and take the next step toward a regulated, rooted, and deeply fulfilling life.

  1. 1d ago

    215. Shamelessly Remembering How to Hustle with Delia Monk

    We forgot how to f*****g hustle, bestie. Somewhere between the sabbaticals, the sourdough starters, && the endless scroll through everyone else's million-dollar launches, a lot of seasoned women lost the tunnel vision that built our businesses to begin with. WE think it's time to get it back, on your terms. In this episode we'll explore ambition fatigue, the wobble between wow && ugh, and the invitation Delia and I have been dying to give you. TOPICS WE EXPLORE The wobble between wow && ugh we all feel while scrollingAmbition fatigue + the woman you miss beingMagpie syndrome && the one question that cuts through itWhy seasoned women forgot how to hustle What brave action does that journaling never willThe investments that burned us bothTwo coaches, 11 spots, one amazing comebackTHE POINT You can pick up the pieces of who you once were && go after whatever you want in every arena, including your business… ALSO, you do not have to do it alone. ABOUT DELIA Delia Monk is a messaging and positioning strategist who has written conversion copy for seven-figure entrepreneurs. She now helps people pivot into what comes next and talk about it with total clarity. She is British, lives in Barcelona, && coined the phrase "the entrepreneur's therapist" for me.  Find her on Instagram @delia.monk && at deliamonk.com. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Encore, an 11-month mastermind with Ash && Delia (early bird bonuses through 11/11, 11 spots)Episode 214: Shamelessly Expanding My CapacityEpisode 197: The Grief of Reinvention with Delia MonkDelia MonkWork with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASH I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business. I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.  LINKS: Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

  2. Oct 27

    214. Shamelessly Expanding My Capacity: How to Have More Without Doing More

    No time management hack is going to fix how you feel right now. I've watched brilliant, high-achieving women (myself included) get unbelievably efficient at running a life that drains the shit out of them. Time && capacity are two different animals, && most of us are only managing one of them. In this episode we'll explore what actually expands your capacity, the small shift that took a client from resentment to ideas, + the announcement I've been bursting at the seams to share… so stay till the end. TOPICS WE EXPLORE The question that sits underneath "remove before you add"What your calendar is lying to you aboutThe danger of getting really good at a draining lifeWhat your four walls are doing to your capacityThe emotional capacity that nobody is talking aboutThe small shift that turned a client's resentment into ideasThe announcement I'm bursting at the seams to shareTHE POINT Having the capacity to hold more does not mean doing more. Decide what you want more room for, then make it.  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Encore, an 11-month mastermind with Ash && Delia - doors open 11/1 and early bird bonuses go away 11/11 (11 spots only)Delia MonkEpisode 213: Shamelessly Getting Out of My Own WayWork with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASH I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business. I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.  LINKS: Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

  3. Oct 20

    213. Shamelessly Getting Out of My Own Way: 4 Ways to Make Taking Action Easier

    You're all in… you know exactly what you want… you've got the energy, the ideas, the vision but it feels impossible to actually move!? This is not a motivation problem, it's actually a friction problem and there are four specific places it tends to show up with most of my clients. TOPICS WE EXPLORE Vague ideas become paralyzing before you even begin the workThe capacity trap that no amount of time management can fixThe emotional cost you're not naming that's keeping you stuckHow to create the immediacy your brain needs without creating a crisisWhy discomfort is informationThe pressure-powered system ambitious women accidentally buildWhat it means to remove before you addTHE POINT You don't need to feel perfectly focused, motivated, regulated, or ready before you begin. You only need to understand what friction is making it impossible to move, so that you can name the thing holding you back from taking action && MOVE. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Work with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASH I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business. I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.  LINKS: Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

  4. Oct 13

    212. Shamelessly Unedited in Europe

    There's a version of you that only shows up when nobody needs anything from you. This episode is about her… what she knows, what she wants, what she's a little jealous of, && what she has absolutely no shame saying out loud. This is a go for it pep talk, my friend. This episode is a reminder to get to know yourself a little bit more as I share a completely unedited version of me, (recorded naked in a bed in Rome… obviously). TOPICS WE EXPLORE The magnetizing portal of living unedited What I am wanting more of right nowThe jealousy mirror we all need to look into Triggers that can derail or inspire you as an entrepreneur What I want people saying about me when I'm not in the roomHow to witness your brilliance and weakness with love Why the magic we give most is usually what we need mostTHE POINT Stop editing yourself into someone easier to digest. The unedited version of you is not a liability… she's the whole f*****g point. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Work with AshShamelessly Ambitious Soundcheck (free curated episode playlists)Are you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASH I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business. I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.  LINKS: Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

  5. Oct 6

    211. Shamelessly manipulating the people I love

    There’s a strategy I’ve been using in my marriage, my parenting, my friendships, and even with myself that gets me more of what I want without requiring anyone else to lose. And somewhere between two days of nonstop conversation in a tiny village outside Barcelona, I realized… technically, it might be manipulation. So let’s talk about it. TOPICS WE EXPLORE The wildly underrated art of letting yourself be taken care ofWhat hyper-independence cost me in my marriageWhy being needed might matter more than we realizeThe rise of purposelessness in menThe friendship piece we don’t talk about enough as ambitious womenThe two things I bring into almost every hard conversationWhy disarming someone changes what becomes possible nextThe parenting strategy that gets my kids to actually talk to meHow I “manipulate” the people I loveTHE POINT Maybe getting more of what you want from the people you love isn’t about asking harder, explaining better, or controlling the outcome. Maybe it’s about understanding people well enough to create the conditions where you both get more of what you need. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Work with AshP.S I’m back on socials so you can follow along on IGAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASH I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business. I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.  LINKS: Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

  6. Sep 29

    210. Shamelessly Making Life Harder

    I recorded this from my car on the way to a networking event because I couldn't wait. It started as a rough morning with my middle son && turned into the most important realization I've had in a while. The habit that’s making my life harder these days is a perspective problem. && I caught myself teaching my son something I clearly needed to hear myself. TOPICS WE EXPLORE A rough school morning && what my son was really scared ofThe seed metaphor I used with him && how it landedVulnerability begets vulnerability: how to actually get to the root with your kidWhat we focus on grows, for better && for worseI have to vs I get to && why the difference is everythingWhere I caught myself watering the wrong weedsHow victim mentality shows up without looking like victim mentalityWhat this has to do with the reclamation I'm in the middle ofTHE POINT What you focus on grows. && if you've accidentally been living in “I have to” instead of “I get to,” everything starts to feel like a weight you're dragging instead of a life you're building.  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Episode 208: Shamelessly Reclaiming My EdgeEpisode 209: Shamelessly Practicing Ambition AgainMIXTAPE waitlist (MIXTAPE is open now through September 30th. Waitlist only.)Work with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASH I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business. I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.  LINKS: Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

  7. Sep 22

    209. Shamelessly Practicing Ambition Again: 90 Days to Find Out If I Still Want This

    This is a follow-up to my last (Episode 208), so make sure you listen to that first if you haven't already. Last week I announced the 90-day challenge to reclaim my edge && this week I'm getting specific: here are the actual rules, the micro-commitments, && what you're going to see from me starting October 1st.  TOPICS WE EXPLORE Why I can't decide if I'm done with entrepreneurship while only half participating in itThe difference between a vague intention && an observable behaviorShowing up on social media every single day for 90 days && whyPracticing discomfort as a deliberate strategyProtecting my attention && what that looks like in practicePrioritizing income-producing activities for the first time in a long timeWhy I'm collecting data, not trying to be perfectThe thing I wish someone had grabbed me by the shoulders && told me years agoThis isn't about finding the old version of me. It's about reigniting a new one.THE POINT I can't accurately decide whether I'm done with entrepreneurship while I'm only half participating in it. So I'm going all in for 90 days to find out. The answer lives in the evidence, not the thinking. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Episode 208: Shamelessly Reclaiming My EdgeMIXTAPE waitlist (opens September 21st, waitlist only)Work with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASH I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business. I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.  LINKS: Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

  8. Sep 15

    208. Shamelessly Reclaiming My Edge

    I'm giving myself 90 days to find out what happens when I genuinely start going for it again. This is the formal announcement, the whole messy truth, && the reason I'm coming back to social media for a little bit. Also… MIXTAPE opens September 21st to waitlisters only. ;) TOPICS WE EXPLORE The slow unraveling nobody notices until it's already happenedWhy slowing down && soft living literally stole my fireThe moment I realized I'd been laying down for a few yearsWhat I do know even when I don't know what I wantThe intolerance for risk I developed without realizing itWhy comfort is not found in avoiding discomfortThe 90-day challenge: locking in for Q4Why I'm coming back to social media even though I stand by leavingWhat MIXTAPE is actually built for && why I've been living inside itWhat I'm terrified of && going anywayTHE POINT I've been thinking my way to answers for years, but honestly… thinking doesn't give you answers, action does. So I'm taking 90 days to find out: do I still want this? && I'm going all in to find out. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Episode 206: Shamelessly Not Having It Figured OutEpisode 207: Shamelessly Unaligned: Doing Shit I Don't Want to DoMIXTAPE waitlist (opens September 21st, waitlist only)Work with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASH I'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business. I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time.  LINKS: Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

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5
out of 5
60 Ratings

About

Shamelessly Ambitious is an honest, grounding, and vulnerable podcast for ambitious, emotionally intelligent women who are done proving themselves, tired of living in constant high-functioning burnout, and craving a life and business that actually feel good. Hosted by Ash McDonald—therapist, nervous-system-first business mentor, and speaker this show blends clinical expertise with lived experience to deliver nervous system tools, embodied strategies, and radical permission so you can expand your capacity, root into emotional steadiness, and build sustainable success that supports your whole life. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, caught in productivity guilt, or stuck running on stress, this podcast meets you where you are—with therapeutic insights, embodied practices, and heartfelt stories that create real shifts. Whether you’re navigating motherhood, entrepreneurship, or the messy middle of redefining success, each episode helps you slow down, regulate, and return to a felt sense of safety in your body. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of therapy and leadership, Ash pulls back the curtain on what really works—offering grounded guidance you can apply in real life. What you’ll hear: Honest conversations about burnout recovery, nervous system regulation, and redefining successSomatic tools, meditations, and practices that build inner safety and capacityStories of motherhood, mom-life, ambition, and the courage to create a life and business that feel rich and realIf you’re asking the following questions, you’re in the right place: How do I stop tying my worth to productivity?How do I know if I’m experiencing high-functioning burnout and what do I do about it?How do I balance motherhood and leadership without losing myself?How do I calm my body when I feel overwhelmed or overstimulated?This is the podcast for when you’re ready to reclaim peace, expand what you can hold, and create success that doesn’t cost you yourself. Tune in and take the next step toward a regulated, rooted, and deeply fulfilling life.

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