Ambition Without Compromise
Ambition Without Compromise is the space where powerhouse women of color — with a special heart for Black mothers and future mothers — come to redefine success on their own terms.
Hosted by Monique R. Shields, executive coach, entrepreneur, and mentor to women at the highest levels of leadership, this podcast dives into the real challenges women face when juggling bold professional pursuits with the responsibilities of being present partners, mothers, and whole, healthy individuals.
Through honest conversations and powerful stories, you’ll gain insights on:
- Balancing ambition and freedom without burnout
- Crafting sustainable work-life integration
- Protecting your mental and emotional well-being
- Building intentional communities and seeking mentorship for growth
Whether you're scaling your business, stepping into a higher leadership role, or simply seeking clarity about what success means now, this show offers the tools and stories to help you thrive without compromise.
Follow Monique wherever you listen to podcasts and step into a world where ambition and joy can coexist.
Ambition Without Compromise
77 | Dreaming, Being, and Becoming: Why High-Achieving Women Struggle to Sit With the Dream
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In this day and age when there are a lot of things that want to stifle our dreams and stifle our energy and our creativity about what it is that we can build or do or how we can exist in the world, we need support with dreaming.
In this episode, Monique shares what came up during a recent dream session she led with her clients, and why making space for self-reflection and imaginative play is such a powerful (and necessary) practice. You’ll hear her unpack our relationship with dreaming and the ongoing work of becoming, not the version of yourself that gets approval, but the version that feels true. She also offers a gentle but clear shift: instead of chasing external validation, start paying attention to what you actually desire, because those internal cues are often the most honest fuel for your ambition.
If your dreams have been feeling distant, smaller, or harder to access lately, this conversation will help you reconnect. Tune in, explore what’s calling you forward, and take one small step toward reclaiming your dreams.
GEMS DROPPED
“Dreaming can feel really tough, especially for women who are positioned to be the caretakers of this world in our communities, in our families, in our offices, everywhere we go. And so we get wrapped up in what everybody else needs.”
“To have a relationship to the dream, which is like more of a destination positioning, as opposed to having a relationship to dreaming, which is the act of creating, engaging with the dream. I think the line of delineation there is one points to where am I supposed to go or and how am I supposed to go there. The other one points to who am I supposed to be and so that's the question I'll pose to you, which is who it is that you're trying to be?”
“The dream is really just a byproduct or a symptom of you being who you are meant to be expressed as here and now, right? Are you behaving as her? Are you existing as her? Are you at the energetic frequency? It's just what happens.”
“Whether or not we know it, y', all, we have mantras running through our heads every day. Directing our beliefs, directing our actions, all of our choices. You're already running off of a mantra, and it is your job to, as often as you can, examine what is the mantra that I'm living by right now. What is the track that is running through my mind that is directing my thoughts, my emotions, my behaviors, what's in there and is it serving me? Because sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't. Many times, especially in a season where you are triggered by fear and overwhelm, those kinds of things, they don't come from nowhere, and they don't have an impact. That's just external. It's like your mind is running on something. And so we’ve got to get a hold of our thoughts, and we have to replace our thoughts.”
“Your dream is about who you wish to be. How you wish to be expressed in the world. It's not about the destination or the accomplishments. It's about how you want to feel about yourself. The kind of woman who is. The kind of woman who does. The kind of woman who exists. Are you willing to put her at risk to make other people feel better?”
STAY IN TOUCH
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