13. “All The Gold Stars” With Rainesford Stauffer

Journalist and writer Rainesford Stauffer has a complicated relationship with ambition, and it started when she was just a kid. She published a book, wrote for top publications and never stopped reaching for the next golden ring — until she was forced to.

Stauffer spent months interviewing teachers, parents, psychologists and organizers about how they define and practice ambition, all while trying to reconcile its impact on her own life. Her new book, All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and All the Ways We Strive, is about the societal expectations that keep us striving for more and the tenuous balance between achieving your goals and burning out entirely.

If you were crushed by a B+ on your report card, spent hours practicing a hobby or sport you weren’t particularly passionate about because that’s what you were “supposed” to do or stubbornly climbed the corporate ladder only to find yourself thinking “What now?” at the top, this episode is for you.

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