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.
Shamelessly Ambitious I Helping Ambitious Women Prevent Burnout + Create Nervous System First Success in Business, Motherhood, & Life
154. How I’m Staying Visible and Growing My Business Without Social Media
Hi friend. If last week had you wondering “okay, but how do you run a business without the apps?”... This is the step-by-step guide. I audited where my sales actually came from, rebuilt my visibility around what works (and feels good), and let the rest go. Spoiler: less than 20% of my revenue traced back to social media and I was spending about 80% of my energy there. No more.
This episode lays out the exact mix I’m using now: podcasting, email, collaborations, real relationships, and a curated community that keeps high-quality opportunities flowing without the scroll.
TOPICS & TANGENTS:
• The audit that shattered “I need social to sell”
• What replaced the feed: podcasting and a weekly email with teeth
• Borrowed trust: podcast guesting, bundles, and cross-promos that convert
• Speaking, workshops, and warm intros over cold DMs
• In-person networking that actually gives you energy
• A curated connection hub (the “mixer mind”) and why I became a facilitator
• How I think about “platforms” now, and why consistency > virality
• Building a visibility flywheel you can sustain for years
POINT OF THE STORY:
Visibility isn’t a platform, it’s a trust engine. Audit where your best clients really come from, double down there, and let your strategy serve your values, not the algorithm.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
• Visibility audit (track sources for every sale)
• Podcast guesting, bundles, and email swaps
• The Mixer Mind — a curated connection community with peer pods, panels, and mix-and-mingles
→ I believe in this space so deeply that I became a certified facilitator
→ Join the FREE Mixer Mind event- Where’s The Money In 2026?
→ Join through my affiliate link and receive a one-on-one call with me to personalize your visibility strategy and get the most out of the Mixer Mind.
• Speaking + guest workshops as authority builders
Are you loving it? Send Ash a text!
MORE ABOUT ASH
I am the definition of duality — I swear like a sailor and break rules like it’s my job, but I also hold incredible space for my clients and work my ass off to help them achieve the success they’re after. But I'm also here for the non-preneur woman, too. My background in counseling gives me a unique perspective on what it means to show up, serve, & create connection for those who feel like they've never belonged before.
LINKS:
- Become the Regulated Woman
- Get emails that feel like your best friend (if your best friend was a therapist and actually told you the truth).
- Use code BB20 to get The Burnout Breakthrough for only $7
- Follow me on IG (dropping in once a quarter for updates & gossip)
- Website: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com
Work with me 1:1
- Therapeutic Mentorship
- Business Therapy (therapy + strategic mentorship) ...