Ambition Without Compromise
Ambition Without Compromise is the space where powerhouse women of color — with a special heart for Black mothers and future mothers — come to redefine success on their own terms.
Hosted by Monique R. Shields, executive coach, entrepreneur, and mentor to women at the highest levels of leadership, this podcast dives into the real challenges women face when juggling bold professional pursuits with the responsibilities of being present partners, mothers, and whole, healthy individuals.
Through honest conversations and powerful stories, you’ll gain insights on:
- Balancing ambition and freedom without burnout
- Crafting sustainable work-life integration
- Protecting your mental and emotional well-being
- Building intentional communities and seeking mentorship for growth
Whether you're scaling your business, stepping into a higher leadership role, or simply seeking clarity about what success means now, this show offers the tools and stories to help you thrive without compromise.
Follow Monique wherever you listen to podcasts and step into a world where ambition and joy can coexist.
Ambition Without Compromise
82 | If You Feel Like You’re Falling Short Everywhere, Listen to This
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Ladies, it's time to embrace our mess! Because our mess has the most to offer us.
In our latest episode, Monique shares her transformative experience with a group of women who bravely confronted their struggles and emotions. Each woman, while successful in her own right, expressed feelings of falling short in various aspects of life—be it motherhood, relationships, or career. This candid discussion highlights a common theme: the burden of perfectionism and the unrealistic standards that high achieving women often impose on themselves.
Join in to find out how accepting your mess can give you real clarity and a better way to connect with who you really are.
LINKS
GEMS DROPPED
“I think this is the nature of high achievement, where we feel we're coming up short because the bar is way, way, way too high. And that, way, way, way, way too high bar serves us in many ways throughout our life. And so it's tricky when that same strength becomes your greatest weakness. Having an extremely high bar in life, when you don't wield it with intention, with thoughtfulness, is a lot of suffering.”
“If you allow it, if you submit to yourself, you get to find that the message is not actually too much for anybody.“
“Many people won't take that step, won't move past that threshold, that marker of control, that line of demarcation, because they believe if they start crying, if they start raging, if they let the sadness out, the confusion out, that they'll never stop. That it feels so vast and so deep that no one can contain it. No one would be able to hold the space for it. And it feels unending. be. It's never as scary as you think it's going to be. And when you allow yourself to let some of that steam out of the pot, you allow yourself to be out loud in your mess, like you just kind of relinquish control, again in safe held space, that you get to meet the side of yourself that you've been dying to meet.”
“Our mess has the most to offer us, our mess has the peace that we're craving, our mess has the creativity that we can't access, our mess is where our compass lies in seasons of life, where we feel so lost.”
“Just because somebody is feeling fragile in a moment, somebody is breaking and cracking in a moment, doesn't mean that that is who they are. That fragility is something that we experience sometimes, that we move through, that we learn from, that we need to just be with. And then you find your way. We are all whole.”
“It is a practice. It is a skill. It is a capacity to build within yourself. And it takes a lot of strength and willingness and just faith that you can allow yourself to be seen by yourself and by others, to be witnessed as well, at your most honest, at your most real and raw.”
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields or YouTube and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.