Ambition 2.0

By GirlbossBusiness Entrepreneurship Careers

Ambition 2.0 episodes

October 13Ask Amanda: The Middle Manager Survival Guide
In this solo episode, host Amanda Goetz answers a question from a reader that deserved a full episode of its own: "As a middle manager, I'm struggling to find the balance between managing up to my director while also managing a team that reports to me. Help."
Drawing on her experience as a two-time founder, five-time CMO, and author, Amanda breaks down one of the most underrated (and hardest) jobs in the workforce, with real, tactical advice on managing up without people-pleasing, managing down without burning out, and proving your value at a time when middle management roles are shrinking.
Hit play if you're ready to make your impact impossible to ignore!
Got a question for a future episode? Send it to @girlboss or @theamandagoetz on Instagram.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
02:25 What a middle manager actually is
04:20 Why middle managers feel so much pressure right now
05:45 The most misunderstood things about middle management
07:45 Why middle management is the hardest leadership level
10:00 Three habits of the middle managers Amanda can't afford to lose
13:55 The "great flattening" of org charts
15:50 How to be seen as strategic, not administrative
17:40 How to manage up without people-pleasing
20:15 How to build trust with leadership
21:40 Managing down without micromanaging
25:30 How much to share with your team (and the KUBA framework)
28:55 Holding people accountable without feeling like a villain
30:10 How to stay visible and get promoted
31:40 What to document as a middle manager
32:30 Outro

Key Takeaways
Send a "Managing Up Monday" email every week with your top two to three priorities, any blockers, and last week's big wins, and copy your boss. It gives leadership a regular line of sight into your team's work.

Show up to one-on-ones with problems and potential solutions, not a list of what you're working on.

Stop reporting activity and start reporting impact. "The event was amazing" says nothing to leadership. Earned media value and brand sentiment do.

Manage up without people-pleasing by asking your boss to help you rank their priorities by level of impact and level of effort.

Push back on blurry feedback. Ask for an example, or ask what exactly they're reacting to.

Skip triangulation. If you have a problem with someone on another team, go to them directly instead of through your boss.

Use KUBA to give your team a safe way to ask for context: Do you know what to do? Do you understand why? Do you believe it's the right thing? Do you have the resources to act?

Hold people accountable by agreeing on KPIs and expectations up front. It takes the emotion out of hard feedback.

Guard one to two hours a day for "offense mode," strategic work you do before meetings and your inbox take over.

Document the impact of your work, how your people are performing, your processes, the high-level strategy, and how it all rolls up to a KPI.
GUEST LINKS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
Book: https://bookshop.org/a/116169/9781464233258
https://www.amandagoetz.com/

FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast

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ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min
September 29The New Rules of LinkedIn: How to Stand Out, Network, and Get Hired with Catherine Fisher
If you only open LinkedIn when you're job hunting (or creeping your ex's new girlfriend's profile), this episode is for you.
Amanda sits down with Catherine Fisher, VP at LinkedIn and one of the most trusted career experts out there. Catherine has built brands and led teams at eBay, Netflix and now LinkedIn. She's here to tell us what we've been getting wrong about the platform (spoiler: it's kind of a lot). The biggest mistake? Treating LinkedIn like a fire extinguisher you only grab in an emergency. Your network should be working for you long before you need it.
Maybe you're buried in applications and running on fumes. Maybe you're quietly wondering if it's time to leave. Or maybe you just haven't touched your profile since 2019 (no judgment). Either way, you'll leave with a real plan and fewer excuses. Catherine explains why "looking for a job is a full-time job" is terrible advice. She tells you which three profile fixes to make first, and how to send a cold DM people actually want to answer.
Catherine also gets real about how ambition changes over time. She scaled her ambition back when her kids were little and is now ramping up again as she's about to become an empty nester. Proof that ambition comes in seasons, and that's okay.
Key Takeaways:
Why you should be on LinkedIn all the time, not just when you're job searching.

The three profile updates that do the heavy lifting: your photo, your About section and your Experience section.

How skills-based hiring took off during COVID and why transferable skills matter more than big-name brands.

Why AI should help "around the edges" but never write your first draft.

The formula for a cold DM that gets a reply: be specific, set a time limit and offer to help.

How to beat job-search burnout by applying with a plan instead of applying to everything.

Catherine's biggest LinkedIn ick: being "humbled and honored."

Rapid fire: the Open to Work banner, Easy Apply and the worst career advice she's ever received.
00:00 Intro
04:22 What people misunderstand about LinkedIn
07:02 The first three profile fixes to make
10:08 LinkedIn do's and don'ts
11:05 Why engaging in other people's conversations matters
12:13 Should you accept every connection request?
12:29 How to write a cold DM that gets a response
15:35 How to be authentic without throwing your boss under the bus
18:08 What's changed most about job searching
20:38 AI skills vs. creative skills
21:49 How to beat job-search burnout
23:37 Why referrals are so important
26:43 Where LinkedIn is headed next
27:14 Catherine's biggest LinkedIn ick
27:32 Advice for people early in their career
28:36 Rapid fire: Open to Work, cold DMs and Easy Apply

GUEST LINKS
Connect with Catherine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinefisherlinkedin/
Read the Career Companion newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/career-companion-6994037905178398720/

FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast
SIGN UP
Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/
ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min
September 15The Confidence Trap: Why Talented Women Get Overlooked at Work with Laura Weldy
When Laura Weldy was first building her coaching practice, she took a group of the most accomplished women she knew out for coffee, one by one, and asked what was standing between them and what they wanted at work. Almost every answer came back the same: “I don't have anyone advocating for me in the room.” But when she pushed further and asked what they wanted their allies to say on their behalf, nobody had an answer.
That gap—between wanting to be seen and knowing how to ask for it—became the foundation of her coaching practice and her framework, the Personal Power Code.
Today, Laura is a women's leadership coach, speaker, and podcast host who helps high-achieving mid-career women build fulfilling careers and lead authentically.
On this episode, she and Amanda get into the specific phrases that undercut women before they've made their point, the difference between an ally and a sponsor, and why "just be more confident" is some of the least useful career advice out there.
This episode is about what happens the moment you stop asking for permission to take up space and start deciding you already belong in the room.

Key takeaways:
Confidence at work is about having a clear, well-thought-out perspective, and building that perspective is most women's real growth edge.

Small qualifiers like "sorry," "just," and "this might be a dumb question" undermine your authority before you've even made your point.

Allies will back you up in a room, but sponsors are the ones who speak up for you in rooms you're not in—and you have to tell them exactly what you want before they can do that for you.

The "likability trap" hits hardest for women who lead with connection, since softening their language and over-accommodating others can feel safer than risking being disliked.

Your work cannot speak for itself: if you're not talking about your wins, nobody knows they happened.

Reframing your default language—like swapping "I could be wrong, but" for "my thought is X, and here's why"—changes how people receive you before you've said anything else.
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:47 What women deserve to know about taking up space
2:20 How ambition has changed for women
4:05 Why "just be more confident" doesn't work
6:00 The real reason women don't get promoted
8:10 How to find your professional point of view
11:21 The five traits that build a leadership brand
13:16 Why women hesitate to ask for what they want
17:34 Phrases confident communicators avoid
19:21 Breaking the "manufactured vulnerability" habit
22:48 Allies vs. sponsors
25:48 Reframing promotions as wins for your manager
28:43 Talking about your wins without feeling cringe
29:39 Rapid fire: better scripts for common powerless phrases
31:26 Laura's final word on confident communication

GUEST LINKS
Learn more about Laura: lauraweldy.com
Follow Laura: instagram.com/lauraweldy
Connect with Laura: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-weldy/
Join her retreat for women in tech: https://topshelfretreat.com/
FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast
SIGN UP
Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/
ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
37 min
September 01The Power Pause: Rethinking Career Breaks After Kids with Neha Ruch
Neha Ruch built her career in brand strategy—an MBA from Stanford, a fast climb on the corporate ladder, and a title she loved. Then she paused her career after her second child and spent the years since rebranding what a career pause actually looks like for ambitious women.
In her book, The Power Pause, Neha makes the case that stepping back from paid work isn't the opposite of ambition. It's a chapter of it. She also reframes the “stay-at-home mom” label, citing survey results showing outdated stereotypes (like apron-clad June Cleaver from Leave It to Beaver), and argues modern parenthood is more fluid with technology, networks, and involved partners.
Whether you're actively wondering, "Do I quit my job? Do I take a pause? What should I do?", or if family planning is somewhere on your radar for the next few years, or if kids aren't even part of the picture yet—this conversation is worth having early. Neha and Amanda get into how to come out the other side of a power pause with a stronger sense of self, a real community, and clarity on what's next, well before you're right in the thick of it.
Key Takeaways
A "power pause" is deliberately shifting time and energy toward family for a chapter, while still holding onto a sense of self and community.

The most common image people associate with "stay-at-home mom" (June Cleaver) versus "working mom" (Michelle Obama, Sheryl Sandberg, Beyoncé) shows just how outdated and polarized our cultural narrative around motherhood still is.

A good partner is someone who can have difficult conversations and makes you feel safe having conflict, not someone who avoids hard topics altogether.

Career pauses don't have to mean fully leaving the workforce; they can look like part-time work, consulting, freelancing, or simply deprioritizing taking on demanding projects for a season.

Tracking small wins during a pause can become a real, resume-worthy experience when you're ready to return to work.

How to know when it’s time to return to work and how to market your power pause on LinkedIn.

Working moms, stay-at-home moms, and everyone on a power pause are part of the same ecosystem, not opposing sides, and supporting each other is what actually moves the conversation forward.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
02:07 Neha's career downshift
04:03 Dealing with judgment after pausing
06:03 The power pause framework
10:59 Why stay-at-home still feels loaded
13:09 Having money talks with your partner
17:11 Dating for shared values
21:12 Trade-offs and other options than just working or not working
24:50 Returning to work after the pause
29:57 We’re part of an ecosystem, not a divide
32:58 Rapid fire questions
GUEST LINKS
Follow Neha: https://www.instagram.com/neha_ruch/
Website: https://www.thepowerpause.com/
Read her book: https://bookshop.org/a/116169/9780593716182
FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast
SIGN UP
Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/
ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
39 min
August 18 Hayley Paige Built a $220M Brand—Then Lost the Rights to Her Own Name
At 25, Hayley Paige signed the contract of a lifetime—head designer at a major bridal house, her name on the label, a fast track to becoming a household name on TLC's Say Yes to the Dress. She went on to generate over $220 million in bridal sales and dress more than 10,000 brides.
Then, in the middle of a contract renegotiation, it all fell apart. In the span of just 24 hours, a judge's ruling took away her right to use her own birth name. She couldn't use it in business, couldn't publicly identify with it, and was locked into a seven-year unpaid non-compete—all while her former company took control of the social media accounts she'd spent a decade building.
This week on Ambition 2.0, Amanda Goetz sits down with Hayley to talk about the raw, deeply emotional experience of going through a public legal battle, how she rebuilt her business from the ground up, and the red flags she now tells every young creator to watch for before they sign any contract.

Key Takeaways

Signing a contract early in your career without a lawyer can leave you exposed for years, even after you've outgrown its original terms.

Believing "if I provide enough value, anything is negotiable" is a risky mindset going into any negotiation.

Once you're operating at a high level, you set your own precedent, and that gap between your value and your original terms is where disputes start.

Watch for red-flag language like "perpetuity," worldwide rights, and broad name, image, and likeness clauses before signing anything.

Contracts should hold up to your questions; if they can't, it might not be the right opportunity.

Setting boundaries early and having difficult conversations up front creates clarity, and contracts are meant to provide clarity, not create conflict.
What happened to Hayley isn't an isolated case; the same pattern shows up across industries whenever talent operates under contracts they've outgrown.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
07:48 How she lost the rights to her own name
11:42 Contract red flags to watch for
15:03 Reclaiming her name and starting her new business
17:52 Launching A Girl You Might Know Foundation
20:13 Hayley’s fave bridal trends + rapid-fire qs
GUEST LINKS
Follow Hayley: https://www.instagram.com/misshayleypaige/
Visit https://hayleypaige.com/
https://www.agirlyoumightknowfoundation.org/
FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast
SIGN UP
Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/
ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
25 min
August 04How to Choose a Side Hustle That Can Replace Your Salary With the Founders of Entreprenista
If you've ever caught yourself calling your side hustle "just a little passion project" while secretly wondering if it could be your next thing—this episode is your permission slip.
Amanda Goetz sits down with Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer, co-founders of Entreprenista, who quit their corporate jobs on the same day back in 2012 with zero investors, zero business plan, and one very clear number: $4,000 a month each, just to break even.
Fourteen years later, they've built a +3,500-member community, scaled an agency to eight figures in cumulative revenue, and helped women found and grow thousands of businesses.
We cover how they knew it was time to go all in, the real difference between a hobby and a business, whether (and when) to tell your boss about your side hustle, and why community (not funding) is what actually got them to seven figures.
Key takeaways
You don't need a grand plan to quit your job—you need a number: Stephanie and Courtney calculated the bare minimum they each needed to survive and used that as their revenue goal before walking away from corporate.

Stephanie's litmus test: if you're already making money, you have the start of a business. But turning a hobby into a business isn't automatically the right move.

Never burn a bridge, and give yourself a real timeline before walking away from a job (they gave themselves three months to prove it could work).

The single biggest driver of their early growth wasn't a funding round or a growth hack. It was showing up to one random networking group and actually building relationships there.

Comparing your timeline, your funding, or your exit to what you see on Instagram is a fast way to lose sight of the business you actually want to build.

Both Stephanie and Courtney say if they were starting a business today, they'd go all-in on learning AI.
Timestamps
[00:00] Intro
[05:05] The exact day they quit their corporate jobs
[08:47] How to tell a hobby apart from a real business opportunity
[10:44] The most common (and costly) mistake new founders make
[11:35] Did they set out to build Socialfly to sell it? The surprising answer
[14:49] How to spot your first "side hustle idea"—and use AI as a brainstorming partner
[17:48] Building a business while working full-time, without burning out
[20:20] Should you tell your boss about your side hustle?
[23:37] Why community (not funding) is their real superpower
[29:06] Rapid fire: tools, time-wasters, and the best (and worst) advice they've ever gotten
GUEST LINKS
Follow Entreprenista: https://www.instagram.com/entreprenistas
Join the Entreprenista League: https://www.entreprenista.com/tel-start
Follow Stephanie: https://www.instagram.com/stephjillcartin/
Follow Courtney: https://www.instagram.com/courtspritzer/
FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast
SIGN UP
Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/
ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min
July 21Ask Amanda: Navigating Layoffs, Email Anxiety & Mid-Life Career Pivots
Welcome to our first-ever solo episode with host Amanda Goetz! With an impressive career trajectory that spans roles at big corporations, startups, and as an author, Amanda offers invaluable insights into navigating the professional world in this big-sister-style coffee chat. She pulls from her own career path (Ernst & Young → celebrity wedding planner → startup founder → The Knot → CMO at Reale Actives) to give you real, tactical advice on annual reviews, one-on-ones, burnout, job searching, and more.
Consider this your permission slip to stop white-knuckling your career on your own.
Got a question for a future episode? Send it to @girlboss or @theamandagoetz on Instagram.

00:00 Intro
01:43 Amanda’s career journey
03:46 What she'd tell herself during the hardest year of her life
04:40 Her go-to career book recommendation
05:12 How to make the most of one-on-ones with your manager
06:56 Balancing your own opinions with your team's ideas as a leader
10:04 Returning to work after a year-long maternity leave
11:22 How to prepare for your annual review
14:56 Redesigning your career mid-life
17:38 How to know when it's time to leave a job
20:25 Falling back in love with your work
22:51 How to work with someone you don't get along with
24:37 Staying organized (and sane) as a business owner
26:41 Staying motivated during a tough job search
27:36 Managing email and outreach anxiety
28:56 Getting your manager to notice how much you're doing
30:00 Balancing all the hats marketers have to wear
31:31 Outro

Key Takeaways
Use the "start, stop, continue" framework in every one-on-one—it turns feedback into something structured, not confrontational.

Build a weekly "operating rhythm," so your team always knows when to bring you ideas.

Send a "managing up Monday" email each week: top wins, focus areas, and shout-outs. Visibility trumps ability.

Before an annual review, translate your work into business terms your boss can repeat to their boss.

Career changes don't need to be justified in hindsight—just take the next step with the best info you have.

Confront conflict directly instead of triangulating through other people.

"Focus and finish": pick two priorities a day instead of running an endless to-do list.
Networking should start long before you need it—keep a running list of contacts and stay in touch
GUEST LINKS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
Book: https://bookshop.org/a/116169/9781464233258
https://www.amandagoetz.com/
FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast
SIGN UP
Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/
ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
35 min
July 07How to Unlearn Limiting Money Beliefs and Step Into Your Financial Power with Haley Sacks (a.k.a. Mrs. Dow Jones)
When's the last time you actually looked at your bank account without cringing?
Amanda Goetz sits down with Haley Sacks (a.k.a. Mrs. Dow Jones), the internet's favorite financial expert, New York Times best-selling author of Future Rich Person: The New Rules for Building Wealth, and the woman behind the over two-million-strong community Mrs. Dow Jones. Haley built her entire brand on making money feel less shameful and way more accessible. And in this conversation, she gets into exactly how she did it (and how you can too).
They cover why most of us were never actually taught how to manage money (spoiler: it's not your fault), why "deprivation" is the worst financial advice, the money beliefs we absorb before we even turn seven (!!), and why looking rich and being financially powerful are two very different games. Haley also gets real about her own money trauma, her parents' complicated relationship to wealth, and the "aha money moment" that changed everything for her.
Key Takeaways:
People can inherit money, but nobody inherits financial literacy, which means anyone can build it from zero.

There's a floor to how much you can cut from your spending, but there's no ceiling to how much you can earn.

Money dates are Haley's monthly ritual of sitting down with her finances—credit card statements, invoices, upcoming spending—and it's how she stays in control.

Money is a relationship like any other—and you can't grow it if you avoid it. If you never actually sit down with your finances, don't expect it to get stronger.
A “future rich person” has control over their time, their relationships, their choices, and their ability to leave situations that no longer serve them.
Timestamps:
[00:00] Intro
[04:50] The origin story of Mrs. Dow Jones
[06:09] The messages girls absorb about money growing up
[08:08] Frictionless finance and doom-spending
[11:09] Growing up with a "Wall Street father"
[15:23] Why women still feel embarrassed talking about money
[18:25] Looking rich vs. being financially powerful
[20:12] What is financial helplessness
[22:21] Haley's monthly "money date" and the 50/30/20 rule she swears by
[25:08] Why negotiating is the most underrated money move
[28:14] Where women unknowingly give away their financial power
[30:13] What to do if you feel like you're behind financially
[31:45] Rapid fire questions
[36:48] What "future rich person" really means to Haley

GUEST LINKS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsdowjones/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrsdowjones
Website: https://www.mrsdowjones.com/
Book: https://bookshop.org/a/116169/9798217090907

FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast

SIGN UP
Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/

ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
44 min
June 23Portfolio Careers Are the Future—Here’s How to Build One of Your Own
What if "having it all" didn't mean climbing a single corporate ladder but building a whole web of work that fits your real life? An ecosystem of offers, clients, and projects fueled by your network and reputation, where you can tap into different opportunities at different seasons of life.
This week, host Amanda Goetz sits down with Anna Mackenzie, a startup advisor, writer, and author of the newsletter Anna Mack’s Stack, who traded the corporate dream for a self-designed portfolio career. They get into how to diversify your income, why articulating your value is harder (and more important) than selling it, and how to start building on the side without burning out or quitting your day job.
From the sunk cost fallacy that keeps you stuck to the 30-minutes-a-day rule that changed Anna's life, this episode is your friendly reminder to stop forcing your career into a straight line.

Key Takeaways:
A portfolio career is multidimensional and diversified by design—many income streams, projects, and identities at once.

A full-time job can absolutely be part of a portfolio. It's not all-or-nothing.

Your salary can fund the experimentation. Start building on the side before you leap.

Ask past bosses and colleagues what you're good at. You can't always see your set of skills or offers clearly.

Break big scary goals into the smallest achievable unit of effort—what Amanda calls the “KitKat” method.

Structure your portfolio career around three tiers: core, secondary, and experimental income.

You don't need a perfect strategy. Experiment your way to a plan that fits your life.

(00:00) Intro
(02:16) How ambition changes over time
(04:20) What a portfolio career actually is
(06:42) Signs a portfolio career might be for you
(08:55) What keeps people stuck
(11:41) Why the traditional path feels narrow for women
(13:42) The first step: knowing your value
(16:04) Starting when you're too drained
(20:04) Side hustle vs. portfolio career
(21:18) Building your flywheel
(24:30) Deliberate experimentation
(29:16) Rapid fire

GUEST LINKS
Anna’s new 6-week accelerator, The Portfolio Career Build Method: https://www.annamackenzie.com.au/portfoliocareerbuildmethodSubstack: Anna Mack’s Stack
Website: https://www.annamackenzie.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annaclmack/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@annaclmack
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclmack/

FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast

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Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/

ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min
June 09The Truth About Fertility, Egg Freezing, and the Biological Clock with Dr. Lucky Sekhon
We’re told that we can have it all if we time it right: build your career first, then start a family. But what does the medicine actually say?
Amanda Goetz sits down with Dr. Lucky Sekhon, a double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist at RMA of New York and author of the USA Today bestseller The Lucky Egg.
Dr. Lucky busts the biggest fertility myths (no, your fertility doesn't fall off a cliff at 35), explains why so-called "fertility checks" are mostly marketing, and breaks down the real difference between freezing eggs and freezing embryos. She also flips the script on a part of the story we tend to ignore—male-factor infertility, which accounts for roughly half of cases—and why family building is a team sport. Women shouldn’t carry all the burden!
It's an honest, science-forward, and surprisingly reassuring conversation about the fertility knowledge gap—and how it’s okay to not have it all figured out in your 20s. .
This episode gets into both the emotional and physical considerations of fertility treatment, and we think it's a worthwhile listen, regardless of what stage of life you might find yourself in—and even if you're undecided on the whole kids thing.

Key Takeaways:
Fertility doesn't fall off a cliff at 35. It's a gradual continuum, and many women conceive naturally into their 30s and 40s.

AMH measures egg count, not fertility, and a low number shouldn't cause panic.

Most pop-in or at-home "fertility checks" are marketing. No single test can predict whether you'll struggle to conceive.

Start paying attention in your 20s by understanding your cycle and spotting red flags like PCOS or endometriosis. And pay attention to your family history.

Freezing eggs and freezing embryos are different—eggs offer more flexibility and stay solely yours, while embryos give clearer answers but need both partners' sign-off.

When choosing a clinic, ask about its actual thaw and IVF success rates, not just whether you like the doctor.

Male-factor infertility is something we need to talk more about.

Every day stress doesn't cause infertility, but insulin resistance is an under-recognized and treatable driver worth checking.

(01:20) Intro
(03:30) Dr. Lucky's personal journey
(08:49) The misinformation problem and why absolutes are a red flag
(10:22) The "cliff at 35" myth and the continuum of fertility
(11:03) When to start paying attention (hint: your 20s) + birth control myths
(15:28) Amanda's PCOS diagnosis
(18:31) Family timing, privilege, and perfectionism
(21:46) Feeling "behind," the knowledge gap, and giving yourself grace
(24:56) Egg freezing: when it should enter the conversation
(27:14) All about eggs vs. embryos
(32:12) Men and male-factor infertility
(36:00) Rapid fire
(44:00) Inside The Lucky Egg

GUEST LINKS
Read The Lucky Egg
https://www.instagram.com/lucky.sekhon/
https://theluckyegg.com/

FOLLOW THE PODCAST
IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss
Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast

SIGN UP
Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/
For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/

ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
51 min

About Ambition 2.0

From the publisher's feed

Welcome Ambition 2.0, the new podcast from Girlboss, where we’ll be exploring what it really means to “have it all” in work, family, identity, and self… and if it’s actually worth it.