Shamelessly Ambitious I Helping Ambitious Women Prevent Burnout + Create Nervous System First Success in Business, Motherhood, & Life
Shamelessly Ambitious is an honest, grounding, and vulnerable podcast for ambitious, emotionally intelligent women who are done proving themselves, tired of living in constant high-functioning burnout, and craving a life and business that actually feel good. Hosted by Ash McDonald—therapist, nervous-system-first business mentor, and speaker this show blends clinical expertise with lived experience to deliver nervous system tools, embodied strategies, and radical permission so you can expand your capacity, root into emotional steadiness, and build sustainable success that supports your whole life. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, caught in productivity guilt, or stuck running on stress, this podcast meets you where you are—with therapeutic insights, embodied practices, and heartfelt stories that create real shifts. Whether you’re navigating motherhood, entrepreneurship, or the messy middle of redefining success, each episode helps you slow down, regulate, and return to a felt sense of safety in your body. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of therapy and leadership, Ash pulls back the curtain on what really works—offering grounded guidance you can apply in real life. What you’ll hear: Honest conversations about burnout recovery, nervous system regulation, and redefining success Somatic tools, meditations, and practices that build inner safety and capacity Stories of motherhood, mom-life, ambition, and the courage to create a life and business that feel rich and real If you’re asking the following questions, you’re in the right place: How do I stop tying my worth to productivity? How do I know if I’m experiencing high-functioning burnout and what do I do about it? How do I balance motherhood and leadership without losing myself? How do I calm my body when I feel overwhelmed or overstimulated? This is the podcast for when you’re ready to reclaim peace, expand what you can hold, and create success that doesn’t cost you yourself. Tune in and take the next step toward a regulated, rooted, and deeply fulfilling life.
Episodes
Welcome to the final episode... at least for a little while. Tune in to hear the journey that led me to this choice, including the challenges of balancing work and life, and the realization that sometimes, even the things we love need to take a backseat. 🎙️🚗 Exciting — I’ve recently reclaimed full control over my content and emails which has felt really good. I've been opening up space and pulling back on some things to pour...
I am doing things a littttttle bit differently this week, but I’m super excited about it! ➡️ I’m bringing you the BTS, original audio clip from the exclusive ATS Musings chat. I thought about rerecording it but as I listened back, I thought, “this is where the real magic is.” 🪄🌈
Here is my backstage pass to a recent conversation I had with a client, how I coached her through, and why it’s so important that we avoid making business...
Coming to you for another Musings style episode from the comfort of my bed on day one of my bleed as I watch the Washington rain outside and dream about ordering some hot Pho. 🌧️🍜🩸🛌 This is the first time it's rained since we've been here and I'm obsessed. I can't stop opening the window to smell the fresh rain. As always, this episode is a catch up of where I've been, what's going well, and what I...
I'm taking my healing journey to a whole new level. This summer has been dedicated to healing childhood wounds, creating moments to comfort little Ashley, and reparent myself for the years I was forced into "leaping" when I wasn't ready due to my trauma. ❤️🩹🥹
THE JUICY HIGHLIGHTS:
• Finally uncovering the piece of hurt from my childhood
• What creating experiential healing practices looks li...
I'm so excited to be coming to you from my serene backyard in the woods of Issaquah, Washington. Hear the tea BTS of Her Reinvention, what my daily thought pattern work is, and my challenges & adjustments of maintaining boundaries. &&& the freaking Above the Standard Collective is OPEN! I could cry. It feels like such a long time coming. 🥹 GTG, I think I just saw another bear.
THE JUICY HIGHLIGHTS:
If you tuned in to episode 141, I shared a very personal & vulnerable story about a time I didn’t belong. A huge reason why I felt compelled to share that was because of the sense of belonging that comes with my new membership, the Above The Standard Collective.
Another urge you get inside the membership is to stop simply showing up for life & settling to instead start living intentionally and create magic in the day to day....
This week's musings is brought to you riverside. I wish you could see & smell how fresh it is here. We are currently in Livingston, MT which is just outside of Bozeman. I am walking through the city alongside the Yellowstone River. 🗻 We're actually leaving today so I don't feel like I can fully check Montana off the list as we only stayed for two days, but we're off again and heading to Spokane, WA. Ya girl...
Drum roll pleasseee 🥁 The updated membership is here and it is simply amazing. The Above The Standard Collective. ✨🥹🖤 Although I can't give away too much, I can tease that the membership was largely impacted by the idea of healing & belonging.
Inside the membership are monthly healing intensives and within these intensives are prompts followed by my teachings of why that matters. The most recent prompt was abou...
I can’t lie, this first month of nomadic living has been a massive transition. The way we chose to do things in terms of work & children this time is much different than when we previously lived as nomads. My husband is keeping his full-time job which falls during regular work hours — this means my schedule is undergoing great change. We’re currently in our “trial period” of this new schedule and I’m finding what works & wh...
Life is all about perspective && that’s exactly what we’re diving into today. If you would’ve asked me a few years ago if it would be possible to pack up our three children and hit the road to do what we are most passionate about — exploring, adventuring, and traveling — I would have said you were crazy because that would simply be impossible.
Fast forward, my son asked me what I could do over and over again and not get ti...
Whew, I'm gonna have to get used to this. In today's episode we're walking together on Mission Beach in San Diego, California. 🌴 I'm sort of obsessed with this casual vibe. It feels like we're on a hot girl walk together.
Today we get personal about how I'm embodying my "more than enough" era. Tune in to find out how my kids are actually helping me get really anchored into this men...
A few months ago I did some "story extraction calls" with a close colleague where I laid my real, raw && oh so vulnerable life story all out on the table and had her help me decide what to do with it. Her name is Katie Quesada and she is an *incredible* story teller. So I knew when I made the decision to use my personal story to create a sense of belonging for others, I wanted her perspective of it.
I&apo...
Welcome to the first episode of Nomad Musings. Possibly low quality audio, but high quality connection. 😏
Ya'll know that 2023 was a hard year for me. I was dealing with some friendship breakups that fucking sucked. Why are friendship breakups the hardest?? I lost my passion for health which is SO unlike me. I lost my consistent workout routine & I was eating chips and ice cream like my life depended on it. 🥲 &a...
Gahh, I am so excited to be back. In this episode, I get real about falling victim to societal standards and letting them dictate my personal and business decisions rather than living above the standard. 2023 was a really beautiful yet hard year in some ways. I found myself on the edge of burnout and having multiple identity crises, but it all led me to now. Last year taught me the importance of prioritizing myself and my wellness...
Well, this sucks. I've officially been sick for FOUR weeks. A literal month. 😑 But I've been wanting to record this episode to fill you in on the few "aha" moments I've had since this sickness has forced me to slow down. I normally do an EOY recap, but things aren't panning out that way...
THE JUICY HIGHLIGHTS:
🖤 Two spots left for REDEFINE
🖤 I might be burning out...
🖤 Drastically pul...
Not to toot my own horn, but I hold space for deep, deep magic & connection inside my containers. A client recently asked me how I'm able to do this, more specifically, "how are you able to keep a pulse on your groups?" && this was my response. ⬇️🔥 This is the final episode of the Releasing The Wounds Of Success Series.
THE JUICY HIGHLIGHTS:
🖤 It will be what it will be
🖤 Host with themes or...
When I asked Katie about what wounds of success meant to her, she had a very different take and I can't wait for you to hear it. This woman and I have so many similarities in our stories from experiencing miscarriages to selling it all and living in an RV. This is the Releasing The Wounds Of Success Series, Episode 7, with Katie Quesada. ✨
MEET KATIE
Katie is an acclaimed speaker and consultant who is deeply passi...
From her parents experiencing great financial loss as a child to starting over at age 18, Shay still deals with her money mindset and fears she could lose it all again. She is experiencing "success" at this moment, but wonders if she'll ever be content. This is the Releasing The Wounds Of Success Series, Episode 6 with special guest, Shay Bacani. 🤎
MEET SHAY
Shay is a CFO, Financial Strategist, and owne...
Have you ever felt like the success you're chasing is someone else's goal? Have you experienced mom guilt as a result of showing up more consistently in your business than at home? Or, have you ever been ashamed of the fiercely audacious woman you are and felt like you had to dim yourself down for the comfort of others? This is the Releasing The Wounds Of Success Series, Episode 5. ✨ Today's guest has felt all of the...
Entrepreneurship can be a wildly emotional & lonely rollercoaster. If you've ever experienced losing a friendship or relationship from running your own business, this conversation is going to light you up. This is something that isn't talked about enough by CEOs, IMHO, but as humans who crave connection… it's so important. This is the Releasing The Wounds Of Success Series, Episode 4. ✨
THE JUICY HIGHLIGHTS:
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