Amanda Montell
@AmandaMontellPodcasts·19.4K subscribers·276 videos
Overthinking About Ambition
Posted
August 5, 2026
Views
84
Likes
3
Engagement
3.57%
August 5, 2026
84
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41:16Now PlayingAre you ambitious... or just exhausted? This week, Amanda is joined by award winning journalist and author of The Ambition Penalty, Stefanie O'Connell (@stefanieoconnell), to unpack one of the most misunderstood words in our vocabulary, ambition. They explore why ambition isn't a fixed personality trait, how corporate culture rewards some people while penalizing others for the exact same behavior, and why women are so often expected to walk an impossible tightrope between being "too much" and "not enough." They answer listener thought spirals about external validation, comparison, girlboss burnout, trad wives, capitalism, and whether it's possible to want a big life without letting your achievements define your worth. A validating spiral about redefining success and realizing your ambition was never the problem.
Further Reading: The Ambition Penalty by Stafanie O'Connell
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