Ambition Without Compromise
Monique R. Shields
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Top 10 Ambition Without Compromise Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Ambition Without Compromise episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Ambition Without Compromise for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Ambition Without Compromise episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
34 | Perfectionism & The Settled Place We're Seeking
Ambition Without Compromise
05/22/24 • 44 min
Have you ever felt like you're constantly chasing a moment of peace, where everything on your to-do list is checked off, and you can finally relax? This pursuit of the 'settled place' might be more ingrained in your daily life than you realize.
There's a way to shift from this endless cycle of striving for perfection to embracing an abundant boss mindset. A mindset that allows you to assume possibility, to believe that space and resources you need will be available to you, and to prioritize your own well-being alongside your ambitions.
Join me as we unpack the layers of societal expectation that have taught us to stifle our emotions, to maintain composure at the cost of our authentic selves. I also share personal anecdotes and insights into how modeling emotional honesty can shape our environments, encourage others, and foster a culture of genuine well-being. Tune in to learn more.
GEMS DROPPED
“An abundant boss mindset is a mindset around leadership where you assume possibility. You assume that the space you require is available to you. You assume that your needs shall be met. You assume that if you take up the space it’s gonna be okay. There's a way that we kind of assume that we can have our needs met and that the things get done... at the same damn time.”
“Some of the most important mental resource tools I've honestly ever picked up were between therapy and the fact that I worked for four years at a mental health startup where I learned cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in and out.”
“One of the greatest lessons that I learned in my coaching training is how emotions move. Emotions are emotions. There are no good emotions, there are no bad emotions... emotions are just energy. They are energy that needs to flow through us. Our body is engaging with the world and energetically reacting to the experiences that we have, the relationships that we keep and when our emotions come up, as adults, we have been trained to work them on down, to make them feasible, to make them workable, or to shut them off, to shut ourselves off, and to go into numb mode just to survive the moment because we're not socially given the space to do much more than that on a da -to -day basis.”
“This craving of arriving at the settled place, this desire to get ahead of this, to get to the point where you feel peace and confident and on top of things. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but I think that what we are not recognizing in that process or in that craving is that it's not just so much as a desire to get to a place as it is I think a desire to get away from. Because what's happening is we're just scared to be present to what is so we need to get somewhere else where there aren't the complicated, hard feelings there. Sadness is not there. Rage, anger and frustration are not there. It's just pure satisfaction and rest and peace, which we all deserve. And I want to argue today that we also deserve to have regular space to feel all of the other emotions as well.“
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].
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32 | The Right Time Is Not Coming
Ambition Without Compromise
04/24/24 • 28 min
Are you waiting for the perfect moment to make a change?
In this episode, I am shattering the illusion of the "magical right time" that so many of us are waiting for. The truth is, that moment when you feel entirely ready, when everything is in place, and when you've done enough—it's a myth. It's never coming. The right time is now.
Join me as I dive into the language of limitation and how phrases like "I just need to..." can trap us in a cycle of perpetual preparation, holding us back from stepping boldly into the life we're meant to live, without compromise. I also challenge the narrative that familiarity equals safety and explore the power of tapping into the unbridled strength of our younger selves to fuel our courage for change.
Press play and let's explore what it means to live freely and authentically, and how to back it into a plan that propels us forward.
GEMS DROPPED
“This magical right time, the time when you feel ready, when things are in place, when you have done enough, when you have prepared enough, and you know that this is up for you, that this is a challenge for you right now... The whole thing is a trick.”
“When you keep saying stuff like, well, I just have to think about, or I just have to decide, or I've got to give some more thought to ... I need to do some preparation... I just. I just. I just. I just. y'all. This is all danger language. Danger, danger, danger, danger, language. We start backing ourselves into deep limitation because we are fearful of giving ourselves permission to be specific about what it is that we truly want.”
“I recognize that in order for this next part of me, this next phase to come to fruition, for that to happen, I'm gonna have to relinquish the reins. I'm gonna have to let this other part of me, this free and creative and open, this vulnerable part of me, come up to the driver's seat and I might have to get in the back, I might have to get in the trunk at some point. That feels so risky. It feels so, so risky internally.”
“We disconnect from that part of ourselves. We leave those, air quote, ‘childish things’ behind and we get serious about life and we put on new coping skills and different things toughen us up and rough us up, and we forget that that wild and free little version of us, has so much power.”
“I hope that if you are sitting in stagnation and not realizing, I hope that if you are sitting in, ‘I need to wait for the right time’, or ‘I just need to think through. I just need to figure out,’ or ‘I just need to, you know, shore up x, y and z,’ that you bust down those walls and get real with the truth of what's going on here, which is knowing that you don't have to cling to what's familiar and that you're not going to find your freedom. Your salvation will not come from this place. You have everything you need to make the move if you give yourself permission to let that part of you actually dream it up and connect you to the urgency of it all.”
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].
16 | Knowing Your Value Beyond What You Produce
Ambition Without Compromise
09/13/23 • 40 min
How do you let go of the version of yourself that is all about producing and achieving? In today’s episode, I discuss why it is so terrifying for high-achievers to refrain from valuing themselves outside their ability to produce.
This season of fear is a core experience of exceptionally high achievers—that strong attachment to needing to identify as an achiever links to our sense of worthiness. For so many of us, we leveraged that drive to succeed as a means to survival, but what happens after? At some point, hyper-production will no longer serve you, and you will need to find new ways to experience yourself outside of achievement.
Breaking away from a singular identity of being an achiever is unbelievably hard because it starts when you stop assigning value to everything you do. Tune in as I share my personal experience in my journey to identify outside of producing. I give exercises to help you reconnect with your humanity and ways to move past the fear and insecurity that is keeping you from experiencing joy, peace, and spiritual freedom.
GEMS DROPPED
“Whatever it was that you are either running away from, seeking, or trying to create more of, there comes a tipping point of acquisition, this moment where you're like, Well, what do I love? And what do I enjoy? And how do I actually view myself outside of what it is that I can produce”?
“Most of us have identified with this, you know, I produce, I do well, I do things, I build, I create, I tackle for a very, very, very, very long time”.
“The way in which we worked through our childhoods, and our young adult lives to get to where we are now, that was out of necessity, but when your life no longer necessitates production in the same way it did, then it's like, who am I? And you hit this point where you've just recognized like, your identity is looking to latch on to something new, but you don't, you haven't been in touch with so many other parts of yourself.”
“When life calls us to take on new identities, this old, producer, achiever identity will start to interfere if we don't have ways of being with it differently. We don't have any structures in place to support us with trying to reorient ourselves around this.”
“The key, the first step in knowing your value beyond what you produce, is to stop looking for value”.
“Finding new ways in the small moments to be different with yourself, to experience and to take some risk and experiencing yourself outside of just being the producer, outside of just being the achiever and learning that you are safe. You'll actually finding that there might be some joy, deepening into some real pleasure and some peace, honey, some peace!”
“Ask yourself, if everything was stripped away, and when I say everything, I mean, everything. Everything that you know to be true today in your life, the comforts, everything is stripped away– What would matter most to you? Who would matter most to you? Where would matter most to you? ”
MENTIONED
EP. 14 Spiritual Knowing and Self-Integrity with Josie Rosario
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].
45 | How To Actually Prioritize Rest: What I've Learned To Do
Ambition Without Compromise
10/23/24 • 55 min
This episode is a delightful reflection on Monique's recent family trip to Australia and the valuable lessons she learned about balancing ambition with rest.
Monique takes us through her journey of stepping away from her solopreneur business to embrace a much-needed break, all while maintaining the essence of her work and personal life. She shares insights on how to create space in your life for rest and recovery, even when you're running a business that thrives on personal connections.
Monique also dives into the practices that have enabled her to take extended breaks without compromising her business. She discusses the importance of viewing rest as an asset, studying your own rhythms, setting a vision and plan, and getting the right support. For anyone contemplating a sabbatical, a big trip, or simply more spaciousness in their daily life, this episode is packed with actionable advice and inspiration.
Press play now to discover how to integrate rest into your entrepreneurial journey and emerge with renewed energy and clarity.
MENTIONED
42 | Committing To Success That Heals You With Marla Teyolia
GEMS DROPPED
“You have to decide that rest is an asset and not a liability.”
“We have to acknowledge that something is not congruent and that we actually have to step into a true valuing of rest, of space, not with the deep undercurrent of guilt that comes along with not constantly being productive. We have to see the relationship, like, truly feel the relationship between rest and productivity as one that is harmonious.”
“Conceptually, it's easy to understand that rest is good for you, but my behaviors over time are not necessarily lining up with that understanding. So I want to shift us from understanding to belief.”
“We are wrapped up in so many systems that tell us that if we ever stop moving, that we will be overtaken and destitute and just out of the game, that we will be fighting for our lives to feed ourselves and to be relevant. No matter how much money you have that track can be running in the background still pushing you to do more than what you need to be doing. And so I don't mean to in any way make light of this, but we have to kind of get real with how ridiculous it actually is and that it is not a narrative of our making. It is a narrative driven purely out of capitalism.”
“I'd given myself over to this season of rest, and it gave me the proof after going through that, that abundance can be possible for you when you treat yourself abundantly.When you treat yourself with scarcity, you cannot be surprised when your results are scarce.“
“We cannot always be sowing seeds. Sometimes we need time for the stuff to grow. Sometimes we need time for the stuff to wilt and die so that it has the energy to regrow in a new season. You cannot always be on, you cannot always be doing, you cannot always be giving because you're going to reap really weak crops or it'll be the wrong crop.”
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].
24 | 7 Gifts Of Coaching For High Powered Women
Ambition Without Compromise
01/03/24 • 34 min
I'm buzzing with excitement after leading an incredible retreat with a group of amazing black woman CEOs. Now, I'm ready to dive into a topic that's been on my mind for a year: coaching. It's a tricky thing to explain because there are a million different types of coaches out there and the term has come to mean a lot of different things.
So, in this episode, I'm breaking down what coaching means to me, shedding light on its benefits, and helping you conceptualize it in your own way. I've jotted down seven key areas that I believe capture the essence of my coaching philosophy.
Join me as I share my thoughts on coaching, drawing from what's reflected back to me from my clients, and highlighting what I excel at as a coach. Let's get into it!
GEMS DROPPED
“The type of person for whom coaching is a little more urgent, is the person who self identifies as the giver and structurally exists this way in their community, network, family, etc. ...there is a mental and emotional labor that comes with playing this role in any group or community. When you're always the provider, it makes it easy for you to also feel really alone. ...To be the person that most people look to for something. The role of coaching for this person is that you can finally be in a space with someone who is entirely committed to your thriving and has no personal attachments or agenda for you outside of you getting exactly what it is that you want.”
“The benefit of not feeling alone is something that is terribly hard to quantify. But I think we all know just how life changing it can feel to go from being in a state of loneliness to a state of “Oh, somebody's in my corner... somebody is dedicated to me... has no separate agenda... is not attached to my decisions, and the bounds of the relationship are formalized and set up so I can trust that I can fall back into that structure and not feel alone in my own head and on my own journey.”
“Coaching helps us get behind ourselves, examine why we're moving the way we move, giving us explicit permission to pause, asking us the right questions to help us get intentional, to examine our pace and to reset it to feel like we are actually self directed and that we are not being led by some false pace that has been set out in the ether by whoever, whatever, out in the world, all these pressures that make us feel like we need to be doing stuff that we maybe don't need to be doing.”
“Coaching provides you the space and the freedom and the safety for that inner little you to still show up, be seen, noticed and taken care of. There is something really, really, invaluable to be in space with someone who can create room for all aspects of you, all dimensions of you, all little ages and grown ages of you to be seen, to be heard and to be held so that we're not always pretending to be the grownup that we want to be... that we want everybody else to see.”
“This is one of the greatest gifts that I know I bring to coaching for sure is that I'm not intimidated by people's accomplishments. I love that about myself. I can be in awe of you, I can be celebratory, I can be inspired and at the same time, just because you do really impressive, superhuman-like things doesn't mean that you are less human yourself. And I think that that can be such a critical experience for someone to have... that space to be human and be regular, that gives you that break from the fandom. To trust that this person is not going to bypass my humanity for the sake of trying to be around for proximity.”
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and
00 | Welcome to the Ambition Without Compromise Podcast
Ambition Without Compromise
03/09/23 • 8 min
Hi and welcome to my corner of the podcast sphere! My name is Monique Shields. I'm an executive coach, a career strategist, a Black woman, a wife, a mom, and an entrepreneur.
I help ambitious women leaders move through fear and distraction to clarify, communicate and act on their unique definition of success without compromising what matters most.
For me, Ambition Without Compromise is based on internal rather than external metrics that we never built. And so in this space, I want us to focus on our individual visions, needs, curiosities, and how our ambitions can actually support us as we grow into the versions of ourselves that we desire to expand into.
I am so excited to share this space with you. Join me biweekly as I bring you solo and guest episodes to help you curate your path to success. No hiding. No Compromise.
I know you're going to enjoy this journey. Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields, and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected]. Let's go!
07 | Being "Worthy" Of The Pivot
Ambition Without Compromise
05/10/23 • 40 min
Today I am taking away our excuses. If you are tuned into this episode, you are attracted to the notion of self-directed ambition. There is something calling to you that is bigger than what you are doing now. But these changes we want to make in our careers and businesses are pivots that trigger our worthy button.
No matter how much anyone tells you that you’re worthy of success, you will not truly embody that feeling until you persuade yourself of your own worthiness. To grow, expand, and attain that next level of excellence, we need to engage in the art of self-persuasion. No one else can help make these pivots. It is on us to shift our mindset and learn how to build the skill of working with ourselves and reflecting internally to believe in our worthiness.
In this episode, I break down the obstacles and challenges that hold high-achievers back from making a necessary pivot. It’s less about doing and more about being. There is no way to know how a scenario will work out so believe in the story that is going to lift you up. When you move with the confidence of you who are and what you stand for, it’s magnetic. You are powerful. You are worthy. You can make that pivot.
GEMS DROPPED
“Setting yourself up for success is either code for, “I want to make sure that I make a move that protects me from failure” or “how do I make sure I'm set up for it is what will finally make me worthy of the success?” So one is about, I want to make sure that I have collected all of the Girl Scout badges, and the other is about I've put on enough armor to protect myself. Both of those buckets are a way of thinking that has been handed down to us through traditional career building in corporate structures and neither of those models is going to get you to your intrinsic vision”
“The social contracts that you make with people, they do exist. When we build up different brands, or even just professional reputations in people's minds, they exist, ...people need to be able to hold you in their imaginations as something, we need to make sense of each other. But those brands, those reputations are not built on the specific configuration of what you do and how you do it in the world. They're not built upon the specific titles that you carry, the specific strengths and skills that you have, and how those things specifically come together. That's not actually the bedrock, they're a part of it, for sure, but the bedrock of those social contracts, and the way that people are carrying us in their minds... is trust”.
“People are not thinking about us as much as we think they are. we're caught up in our own stuff y'all, like the same way that you're just trying to stay on top of all the basic necessities of your life in all the big questions of your life. That's what everybody else is doing, too.”
“...things that you think you need to have... all of the shiny objects that you need to collect... all of the people, all of the authorities that need to approve of you before you can make this step, you don't have to be set up in that way for success. The way that we set ourselves up for these pivots. The ways that we prepare ourselves to make these kinds of pivots is by going internal into making some decisions and making some shifts around how we are relating to ourselves, which then carry out to how we move. When we move with that kind of energy, you become magnetic...’
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].
19 | Liberated Business Building with Sabia Wade (aka The Black Doula)
Ambition Without Compromise
10/25/23 • 68 min
In this episode, we dive deep into the experiences and wisdom of Sabia Wade, a remarkable Black Queer CEO, Investor, Educator, and Author who's been making waves in the world of birthing and beyond. We reminisce about her childhood and her early concept of "Black luxury." From there, we journey through Sabia's path, from a small business owner to an audacious visionary, embracing her creativity and her resolute belief in the power of asking, "Why not me?"
Sabia's journey is an inspiration for many, and her commitment to self-care and representation is a powerful message for anyone on their path to personal and professional growth. Listen in as Sabia takes us through her journey, offering insights and inspiration along the way. Some key points discussed in this episode include:
- The importance of having a community that validates and values your work, especially as a black creator
- Unveiling shared stories of the trauma and experiences of black-birthing individuals
- Recognizing your needs and not feeling guilty about self-care
- Building and maintaining a supportive team for your personal and professional life
- The true meaning of rest
GEMS DROPPED
“...you're having this issue in your business because in your personal life, you need to work on that so you can incorporate that into your business”. - Sabia
“We can all be of high maintenance, we can all do that at the same time and show up for each other in the ways where it's just like, this is the strength that I have to give it, we're all focused on that..” - Monique
“If you don't invent the thing, then you never know what's gonna go right. Everything that we have on this planet has been created by someone, some brain somewhere, right? And it's like, they didn't know if that thing was gonna pop off ...But I just feel like why can't it be me?” - Sabia
“For most people, folks of color, in particular, and for many entrepreneurs... if you're thinking differently, you're dreaming differently, you want to create something different, you may not come from some, very specific special, “pedigree,” and is not necessary” - Monique
“Every day I can still choose my liberation, even more being in the matrix, right? Because we're in it. We all got capitalism. We all got sexism, bigeye, racism, right? We got all these phobias, all of these things. And, I still choose to do something every day. That is for my liberation”. - Sabia
“Everything you do doesn't have to make sense” - Sabia
“When you take care of yourself? Yeah, it's always a benefit to the team, right? Whether it's emotionally, financially, whatever the next thing we're gonna do on our part, like, it's always a benefit for me to care for myself”. - Sabia
“It takes surrounding yourself with the right people to rest, right. Like we have to build that up around you. We all need that”. - Monique
GUEST LINKS
Learn more about Sabia Wade | Website | Book | Newsletter | Instagram
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].
31 | When Will It Ever Be Enough?
Ambition Without Compromise
04/10/24 • 31 min
In this episode, I'm tackling a question that is rattling around the corridors of the minds of us highest achievers: "When will it ever be enough?" It's a relentless echo that reverberates in the silence left by our latest triumphs, a whisper that lingers even as we scale the peaks of what I’m calling “Money Mountain” with the weight of the world on our shoulders.
For those who've pushed themselves to the brink, who've crafted empires with their bare hands and sheer will, this episode is a soul-stirring examination of the unsustainable pace of success and the personal toll it exacts. We're pulling back the veil on the harsh truths behind burnout, the undercurrents of systemic pressures, and the personalization of collective dysfunctions that lead us to question our worth, our work, and our way forward.
Join me as we explore the deeper questions that should be guiding our pursuit of fulfillment. We'll navigate through the false narratives of entrepreneurship, the courage to be beginners in the public eye, and the vulnerability required to ask for what we truly want. Tune in and transform the way you approach your goals and your life.
MENTIONED
03 | What Are You Playing For? (CEO Series)
GEMS DROPPED
“In this quest to say, ’Am I doing enough? Is it enough? Have I ascertained enough? Have I done enough? Have I created enough?’ We're really searching for, ’Will I ever be enough?’ That's the real question that runs beneath all of this, is, will I ever be enough?”
“We're asking ourselves at the end of the day, why am I not enough? Why am I not rising to the occasion? Why is this wearing me out? Why am I having these emotional reactions and responses? Why am I being a fucking human being? We're punishing ourselves for our basic needs, and it's wrong. It is wrong. It is misguided. It is misdirected. So I want you to turn that energy into some better questions. I think a better question is ’Am I fulfilled, well, and whole?’“
“That moment where the decision is available to you, it can feel like you don't have a choice. And we always have a choice. We always have a choice.”
“At a certain point, money no longer delivers. There's no return on that investment emotionally. Once you get past a certain level it caps out and you're not going to get any more enjoyment, fulfillment, happiness, even delight. All of that just falls flat. And so, well, what are you even playing for? “
“There really is no enoughness that's going to truly satisfy you...the feeling that you're actually seeking to meet, which is fulfillment. If fulfillment is what's lacking, none of this other stuff even matters. And I think that that's what we end up getting ourselves to when we first start asking this question. What's enough? You're enough. What do you want? Who do you want to be? Who you desire to be? Start there.”
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email
20 | Experiencing Peace While Building Big Scary Things
Ambition Without Compromise
11/08/23 • 24 min
In this episode, I explore a powerful and often overlooked aspect of achieving success and finding peace while working hard. Drawing on my own experiences and insights, I highlight the complex dynamics that women, particularly women of color, face in their professional journeys. I challenge the conventional wisdom that peace is primarily linked to self-esteem or confidence and propose a different perspective: peace equals presence.
To maintain that presence and peace, I stress the importance of two fundamental elements. By embracing these lifestyle choices, you can detoxify your environment, counteract toxic power dynamics, and remain anchored in your true self. In a world where we often get lost in other people's perceptions, this episode serves as a reminder that finding peace is about coming back to yourself and staying connected to your core identity.
Join me on this journey to discover a path to peace and presence that transcends conventional notions of success and leadership.
GEMS DROPPED
“With each new level of leadership that we ascend to, or that we expand into rather, new things are required of us. New perspectives, new ways of being, new habits are required of us to actually access peace”.
“Peace, in my belief, peace equals presence”.
“This shift around peace and presence and what we're actually looking to do, it really is about relinquishing this grip that we have on a false sense of control... and this desire and need to control particularly what other people think about us”.
“We can't control whether or not people respect us. We can do things that are filled with integrity to our own values and to our own mission. We can do our best to collaborate and to reach across whatever it is we need to reach across to work with folks. But that's all we can do. The focus has to be on ‘what strategies do I need to employ? If we're talking about tactics and things like that, to get the work done? What things do I need to do to get what I need out of this relationship? How can I more and more skillfully begin to understand the ecosystem here, the political system here... whatever these things are that are at play... to just get what I need to happen done? Not how can I get this person to feel a way about me, we gotta let that go. We gotta let that go.”
“ The people who see you, help you see yourself clearly”.
“ It's hard to be present when you're so busy running around in other people's minds”.
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].
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FAQ
How many episodes does Ambition Without Compromise have?
Ambition Without Compromise currently has 50 episodes available.
What topics does Ambition Without Compromise cover?
The podcast is about Legacy, Career, Leadership, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Motherhood, Mindset, Podcasts, Business, Wellbeing, Coaching and Careers.
What is the most popular episode on Ambition Without Compromise?
The episode title '34 | Perfectionism & The Settled Place We're Seeking' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Ambition Without Compromise?
The average episode length on Ambition Without Compromise is 39 minutes.
How often are episodes of Ambition Without Compromise released?
Episodes of Ambition Without Compromise are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Ambition Without Compromise?
The first episode of Ambition Without Compromise was released on Mar 9, 2023.
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