Home Podcasts Shamelessly Ambitious I Helping Ambitious Women Prevent Burnout + Create Nervous System First Success in Business, Motherhood
Shamelessly Ambitious I Helping Ambitious Women Prevent Burnout + Create Nervous System First Success in Business, Motherhood

Shamelessly Ambitious I Helping Ambitious Women Prevent Burnout + Create Nervous System First Success in Business, Motherhood

Ashley McDonald, Therapist & Nervous System First Business Mentor 208 Episodes Sep 22, 2026

Shamelessly Ambitious is a podcast for ambitious women who want to prevent burnout and build success with a nervous-system-first approach. Hosted by therapist and business mentor Ash McDonald, the show blends clinical expertise with personal stories to help listeners regulate, slow down, and create sustainable success in business and motherhood. Each episode offers embodied strategies, therapeutic insights, and radical permission to redefine achievement on your own terms.

Episodes

209. Shamelessly Practicing Ambition Again: 90 Days to Find Out If I Still Want This
209. Shamelessly Practicing Ambition Again: 90 Days to Find Out If I Still Want This Sep 22, 2026 508 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 EXPLOREWhy I can't decide if I'm don
208. Shamelessly Reclaiming My Edge
208. Shamelessly Reclaiming My Edge Sep 15, 2026 1086 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 EXPLOREThe slow unraveling nobody notices until it's already happenedWhy slowing down &&
207. Shamelessly Unaligned & Doing Shit I Don’t Want to Do
207. Shamelessly Unaligned & Doing Shit I Don’t Want to Do Sep 8, 2026 677 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 EXPLOREWhy "does this feel aligned?&qu
206. Shamelessly Not Having It Figured Out
206. Shamelessly Not Having It Figured Out Sep 1, 2026 1502 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
205. Ash Unplugged: It’s Kind of Chic to Know Where You Suck
205. Ash Unplugged: It’s Kind of Chic to Know Where You Suck Aug 25, 2026 1669 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-aware
204. Shamelessly Reclaiming My Ambition: The Disconnection Epidemic
204. Shamelessly Reclaiming My Ambition: The Disconnection Epidemic Aug 18, 2026 1001 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
203. The Grief of a Declining Business: Identity, Income & Starting Over with Megan Yelaney
203. The Grief of a Declining Business: Identity, Income & Starting Over with Megan Yelaney Aug 11, 2026 2672 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
202. The Grief of Motherhood: Ambition, Identity Crisis & the Versions We Leave Behind with Sophia Parra
202. The Grief of Motherhood: Ambition, Identity Crisis & the Versions We Leave Behind with Sophia Parra Aug 4, 2026 2510 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 the woman who fought hard to build something she loved, then had a baby && came back to her desk crying because she hated all of it. My g
201. The Grief of Losing Your Parents: Caregiving, Business & Keeping Life Moving with Cait Howard
201. The Grief of Losing Your Parents: Caregiving, Business & Keeping Life Moving with Cait Howard Jul 28, 2026 2325 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 ever had to keep showing up while watching someone they love disappear. My guest, Cait Howard, has experienced profound loss while
200. The Grief of Being Witnessed: What My Husband Really Thinks About Being Married to an Ambitious Woman with Jake McDonald
200. The Grief of Being Witnessed: What My Husband Really Thinks About Being Married to an Ambitious Woman with Jake McDonald Jul 21, 2026 3010 Welcome to the Grief Series, a collection of conversations about the grief woven throughout our lives with some extraordinary women && men bringing their raw, vulnerable stories to the mic. I hope you see yourself somewhere in these stories.---This is episode 200 and I knew I had to make it count. I brought on my favorite person in the world, my husband Jake, for the most honest conversati
199. Your Life Is What You Tolerate: The Mindset Shift That Changed My Summer
199. Your Life Is What You Tolerate: The Mindset Shift That Changed My Summer Jul 14, 2026 886 If you've been white-knuckling your way through a season and calling it productivity, this one is going to hit. Sometimes grief isn't about loss… sometimes it's about the story you've been telling yourself so many times it started to feel like fact.A few weeks into summer, I caught my own brain running a narrative I didn't even realize had taken over. I was ending every da
198. The Grief of Belonging: Friendship, Family & the Village That Never Showed Up with Emily Merrell
198. The Grief of Belonging: Friendship, Family & the Village That Never Showed Up with Emily Merrell Jul 7, 2026 3015 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 ever looked around and realized the people who were supposed to show up simply haven't. My guest, Emily Merrell, is a connect

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