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. 5d ago

    210. Shamelessly Identifying the Habit 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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Sep 8

    207. Shamelessly Unaligned & Doing Shit I Don’t Want to Do

    Last episode I got raw about uncertainty && not having it figured out. This one is the follow-up… because once you admit you've been standing still, the next question is: what does moving actually require? && the honest answer is sometimes it requires doing the shit you don't want to do, whether it feels aligned or not. TOPICS WE EXPLORE Why "does this feel aligned?" can become a very sophisticated excuseThe difference between discomfort as a message && discomfort as an invitationWhy discomfort isn't the same as wrongDoes your behavior match what you say you want?The hard && fast rule that keeps our family saneFeeling fully alive requires willingly experiencing shit that doesn't feel goodLove && grief. Ambition && disappointment. Business && selling. You don't get one without the other.What I think this next season is actually going to require of meTHE POINT Somewhere along the way we started treating discomfort as evidence that something is wrong… it isn't. The version of you that goes all in is still in there, and now it's time to resurrect her. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Episode 206: Shamelessly Not Having It Figured OutMIXTAPE waitlist (opens September 21st)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

  5. Sep 1

    206. Shamelessly Not Having It Figured Out

    I didn't know what I was gonna say when I hit record, truthfully… I'm in a funky season. I'm newly 39, && I'm noticing something I didn't expect: the more I know, the less certain I become. This episode is me processing that out loud. We're talking about the certainty epidemic, why we buy it, what it's costing us, && what I actually think it means to be a 39-year-old woman who is ambitious as hell && has absolutely no idea what comes next. This one is unpolished, unscripted && exactly what it needs to be. TOPICS WE EXPLORE What the data actually says about stress at 39 && why it felt like a permission slipThe hidden load epidemic && why millennial women are the most burned out demographicAdmitting out loud that I sometimes want a life where I don't have to workWhy certainty is profitable && what that means for who you're buying fromHomeschooling, travel, business models && the things I've changed my mind onAll in or all out: my unpopular belief about half-measures in businessWhat I actually want back: unbearable belief that success is inevitableTHE POINT Maybe the wisdom isn't in finally having all the answers. Maybe it's becoming a hell of a lot less threatened by the fact that you don't. && maybe the unbearable belief that success is inevitable is the only thing that ever actually mattered. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Wealth Walks (WLTH Walks, Denver)MIXTAPE waitlistWork 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

  6. Aug 25

    205. Ash Unplugged: It’s Kind of Chic to Know Where You Suck

    It's my birthday week, I'm turning 39, && I'm coming in with a raw one. This is a full behind-the-scenes Ash Unplugged episode, which means personal updates, business updates, && the thing I've been sitting with lately that I had to say out loud: it's kind of chic to know where you suck. We're talking about the gaps that actually cost us, why self-awareness is the highest-leverage business skill most people aren't using, && a list of things I genuinely believe are underrated right now. Plus: what's been hard this summer, what's coming with MIXTAPE, && why I'm coming back to social media for a few weeks. TOPICS WE EXPLORE Turning 39 && what this season of life actually feels likeWhat's been hard this summer MIXTAPE opens September 21st && what's inside itComing back to social media for the first time since AprilWhy "fake it till you make it" isn't the whole storySelf-witnessing over perfectionism && what that looks like with a clientSelf-awareness as the highest-leverage business skill you're not talking aboutTHE POINT People don't plateau because of their weaknesses, they plateau because they pretend not to have any. Knowing where you suck is not a liability… It's the most honest && efficient thing you can do for your business && your life. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE MIXTAPE waitlist (opens September 21st)ashmcdonaldmentoring.com (new website && rebrand)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. Aug 18

    204. Shamelessly Reclaiming My Ambition: The Disconnection Epidemic

    I've talked a lot about burnout, but so has everyone else in this space. I'm starting to think we've been diagnosing the wrong thing, because the women I work with aren't always JUST exhausted. They have capacity, however they seem to be lacking the desire they once had. They're functioning, often even performing well, but they feel flat… uninspired && disconnected from the drive that used to make them insatiable. That's not simply burnout, that's disconnection. In this episode I'm breaking down the difference, why it matters, && what I've been doing to actually reclaim the aliveness I thought I'd lost. TOPICS WE EXPLORE Why burnout && disconnection are not the same thingThe difference between anxious-overwhelm && depressive-flatWhy resting your way through disconnection makes it worseCuriosity as a North Star instead of certaintyHow to find aliveness in micro momentsThe body-brain connection && why transition routines aren't optionalWhy I stopped trying to minimize my ambition && what changedLanguage as identity: "I'm overwhelmed" vs "I'm feeling overwhelmed"What reconnection actually looks like in practiceTHE POINT You can recover from burnout && still feel completely, utterly disconnected from your life. If resting isn't working, maybe what you need is to reconnect. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE MIXTAPE waitlist (opens September 21st)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. Aug 11

    203. The Grief of a Declining Business: Identity, Income & Starting Over with Megan Yelaney

    Welcome to the Grief Series, a collection of conversations about the grief woven throughout our lives with some extraordinary women bringing their raw, vulnerable stories to the mic. I hope you see yourself somewhere in these stories. … This episode is for anyone who has watched a business they built go from printing money to something they barely recognize, and had to figure out who they are on the other side of that. My guest, Megan Yelaney, built her coaching business to insane heights during the golden era of 2018 to 2022, five-x-ed her income, lost her father-in-law && then her dad within fifteen months of each other, had a miscarriage, got pregnant, had twin boys, && came back to a business that just wasn't working anymore. She's one of the most honest people I've had in my corner, and she brought every bit of that honesty here. TOPICS WE EXPLORE The golden era of online coaching && what happened when it endedWatching your income decline && pretending everything is fineThe imposter spiral when your numbers don't match your reputationComing back postpartum to a business that tanked What she had to let die to rebuild with integrityComparison, viral moments, && the benchmarks that rob you of joyWhy unsexily consistent is the only thing that actually worksBuilding back to 100K months in under 30 hours a weekTHE POINT The grief of a declining business isn't just about money, it's about watching an identity you built your whole entrepreneurial-life around stop fitting. The only way out is to stop comparing yourself to a version of you that was built on circumstances you can't recreate, && start building something that actually belongs to you now. ABOUT MEGAN Megan Yelaney is a business coach && strategist who helps online coaches && service providers find and message their distinctive edge, the specific combination of story, process, && approach that makes them unmistakably them. She's based in Babylon, New York, is a theater girly, && is mom to two-and-a-half-year-old twin boys. After a complete rebuild in 2024, she had an almost $200K cash quarter && she is just getting started. Find her on Instagram @meganyelaney && on her podcast Business Not as Usual. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Business Not as Usual (Megan’s podcast)Ash on Business Not as UsualWith Megan Shamelessly Ambitious Soundcheck (free curated episode playlists)Work with Ash 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

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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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