Ambition Without Compromise

45 | How To Actually Prioritize Rest: What I've Learned To Do Oct 23, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

This episode is a delightful reflection on Monique's recent family trip to Australia and the valuable lessons she learned about balancing ambition with rest.

Monique takes us through her journey of stepping away from her solopreneur business to embrace a much-needed break, all while maintaining the essence of her work and personal life. She shares insights on how to create space in your life for rest and recovery, even when you're running a business that thrives on personal connections.

Monique also dives into the practices that have enabled her to take extended breaks without compromising her business. She discusses the importance of viewing rest as an asset, studying your own rhythms, setting a vision and plan, and getting the right support. For anyone contemplating a sabbatical, a big trip, or simply more spaciousness in their daily life, this episode is packed with actionable advice and inspiration.

Press play now to discover how to integrate rest into your entrepreneurial journey and emerge with renewed energy and clarity.

MENTIONED
42 | Committing To Success That Heals You With Marla Teyolia

GEMS DROPPED
“You have to decide that rest is an asset and not a liability.”

“We have to acknowledge that something is not congruent and that we actually have to step into a true valuing of rest, of space, not with the deep undercurrent of guilt that comes along with not constantly being productive. We have to see the relationship, like, truly feel the relationship between rest and productivity as one that is harmonious.”

“Conceptually, it's easy to understand that rest is good for you, but my behaviors over time are not necessarily lining up with that understanding. So I want to shift us from understanding to belief.”

“We are wrapped up in so many systems that tell us that if we ever stop moving, that we will be overtaken and destitute and just out of the game, that we will be fighting for our lives to feed ourselves and to be relevant. No matter how much money you have that track can be running in the background still pushing you to do more than what you need to be doing. And so I don't mean to in any way make light of this, but we have to kind of get real with how ridiculous it actually is and that it is not a narrative of our making. It is a narrative driven purely out of capitalism.”

“I'd given myself over to this season of rest, and it gave me the proof after going through that, that abundance can be possible for you when you treat yourself abundantly.When you treat yourself with scarcity, you cannot be surprised when your results are scarce.“

“We cannot always be sowing seeds. Sometimes we need time for the stuff to grow. Sometimes we need time for the stuff to wilt and die so that it has the energy to regrow in a new season. You cannot always be on, you cannot always be doing, you cannot always be giving because you're going to reap really weak crops or it'll be the wrong crop.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

44 | Submitting To Hard Changes In A New Season Oct 09, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Are you navigating a season of change? This episode is here to provide inspiration and guidance.

Join in as Monique revisits a transformative period in her life, reflecting on a throwback episode from her earlier audio newsletter series, "Letters from Monique." She shares insights from her journey of allowing herself to be changed, especially during significant life transitions like the birth of her second child and the early seeds of this very podcast. She also emphasizes the importance of allowing oneself to be changed, the power of community, and the necessity of support and presence.

Monique dives deep into the messy and beautiful process of change, offering a raw and honest account of her experiences. Whether you're in a season of transition or just seeking inspiration to embrace change, this episode is dropping gems.

So, grab your tea, journal, and a cozy spot as Monique takes you on a journey through personal evolution, resilience, and the beauty of embracing change. Enjoy, and may this episode meet you exactly where you need to be met.

GEMS DROPPED

“You can't want change without permitting yourself to be changed.”

“Our thoughts are anchored upon the changes that we get to experience externally, but what has to happen internally we undersell, we undershoot, and oftentimes, we don't fully anticipate because it's something that's new. So you're not really able to preemptively anticipate what those internal changers are. So to be changed is something that is easy to struggle with.”

“We want the external product of change, we want the external experiences of change, but it's not all upside to get there. It can't be. There has to be some pain. And I'm not gonna say, full on suffering, necessarily, but pain, loss, absolutely. And this comes with any kind of change.”

“When we ask for change be ready for everything that comes with that, but also recognize the beauty in it.”

“Permitting ourselves to be changed is to permit ourselves to have permission to change, to have permission to create in the midst of change, to have permission to reenvision, to pivot, to shift, to reimagine, to want differently. And it requires support. I think for most of us, particularly so for women, we are so practiced at not permitting ourselves to want, to create,to build freely, unapologetically, and inviting in the support to do that. And not even the support to do that, but also just making sure that we are part of communities where that was heralded and encouraged and modeled. It means everything.”

“It is very easy to scale back on our self investments when we think we can't produce as much, or we think that, like, oh, I'm stepping into a season of less. So then we start giving ourselves less. Girl, you're doing the opposite of what needs to happen. This is a season where we give ourselves more,much, much more.”

“If you want change, you have to permit myself to be changed. So ask yourself, what needs to be true in this next season in order for you to get prepared for that season? There's a new version of you that is waiting.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

43 | Rebooting Social Media Boundaries As A Business Owner: What I Had To Do Sep 25, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this episode, Monique takes us on a journey through her relationship with social media. She dives into an ongoing experiment that is reshaping her life, work, and well-being. Instead of waiting until the end of this process, Monique brings you into the messy middle, sharing her live experiences, feelings, and the steps she’s taking to reclaim her time and attention.

Join Monique as she unpacks the psychological and emotional layers of her social media detox, offering valuable insights that might just inspire you to rethink your own digital habits. Grab your tea, take some notes, and let’s dive in together.

GEMS DROPPED
“I too, grapple with my relationship to technology, specifically that of social media. And I'm in the middle of an experiment that impacts my life, my work, my wellbeing,and my relationships regarding social media.”

“We are going to reclaim our time. We are going to reclaim our attention. That is of high, high value to me, especially in this transitional season where I am really focusing down and redirecting my path with some new intention. And this (social media) cannot be a thing that stands in the way.“

“I was actually really surprised by the release that I felt (with unfollowing every account on IG). It felt like a real releasing, a relinquishing of something… something relieving and easeful.”

“Baby, I got goals and [social media] cannot be a thing that stands in the way. This cannot be a thing that feels like it's clogging up my brain. A top line goal for all of this was to build the belief that I could feel in control of technology that I claim to use for my business and engage in for entertainment and connection. But its primary use is to be a tool to amplify the messaging of my business, to make sure I'm reaching people with my message.“

“Social media can serve as this passive proxy for connection that does not exist and it keeps you in a state of inaction of actually creating the thing you want, which is real connection.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

42 | Committing To Success That Heals You with Transformational Healer & Coach Marla Teyolia Sep 11, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Welcome back, good people! This episode is a special treat as we welcome the inspiring Marla Teyolia, a seasoned transformational coach with over two decades of experience. Marla’s expertise lies in executive presence development, enhancing communication skills, career growth, and team expansion, all while preserving core values and personal authenticity. Her holistic approach integrates mindfulness, meditation, and yoga practices, making her coaching a transformative experience.

In this episode, we dive deep into Marla’s journey, from her early work in the field of domestic violence to her current role in empowering leaders. We explore how she balances her deeply spiritual practices with her work in high-powered corporate spaces, and how she navigates the dance between personal freedom and family commitments.

Marla shares profound insights on the importance of reconnecting with our humanity, the power of breathwork, and the necessity of decolonizing our vision of success. This conversation is a powerful reminder that our true power lies within, and that by tending to our spirit, we can navigate any space with grace and strength.

Join us for this enlightening conversation and discover how you can embrace your inner power and live a life aligned with your deepest values.

GEMS DROPPED
“Nothing about the fuckery that I was experiencing shifted, but I had shifted. And that's when I realized, oh, my liberation is an inside job, first and foremost. And then when I feel strong and powerful and I feel free, then I can actually do the work I'm here to do in a way that's fully aligned and isn't coming from a place of lack or trauma, but it's coming from a place of power.” - Marla Teyolia

“We have a western way of thinking where it's like, medicine is an external thing that you take into your body to help you to solve a problem. But your relationship to your inner spiritual awareness and connectedness is at your core and is your medicine. The medicine is inside. Making your medicine your lifeline has to start from there and everything else flows from that.” - Monique R. Shields

“The strength that comes from knowing. First of all, what you value most-family, freedom, etc- there's no perfect static place that you arrive to that just stays that way. There's always this constant dancing trade off. When you think about doing that dance, we will cannibalize the things that matter most. And it's not like your family always gets the best of you or your work always gets, you know, 100% of the time, all the time. But there are other things outside of what matters most. And it's like focus on cannibalizing that.” - Monique R. Shields

GUEST LINKS
Learn more about Marla Teyolia, Exec Coach + Advisor to BIPOC Visionary Leaders | Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Tik Tok

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

41 | What to Do When Your Vision Is Changing Aug 28, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Have you ever found yourself feeling stuck, even though you've accomplished everything you set out to do? Life is full of subtle shifts and changes that can catch us off guard, leaving us feeling lost or in limbo. As high achievers, we can sometimes be so focused on our goals that we miss the subtle shifts happening around us.

In this episode, we’ll explore how to recognize and adapt to these seasonal transitions, ensuring that our dreams expand and contract with grace. Whether you're a CEO, entrepreneur, or someone in the midst of a personal transition, this episode offers valuable guidance to help you align with your next season.

Join in as we explore the importance of acknowledging shifts, seeking trusted perspectives, and giving yourself the grace to grow.

MENTIONED
15 | Learning To Dream First (CEO Series)

GEMS DROPPED
“Dealing with seasonal transition in our life means to have a life that is ever moving, ever changing, and responding to those changes, …getting what we need out of the seasons that we're in, not fighting the seasons that we're in.All of those things are going to come up, but, I think part of where we hit the rough edges is we don't realize that a season has changed until it's too late. “

“It's hard to detect that something is off because the really tricky thing about it is that things aren't actually broken.”
“I don't think we spend enough time talking about what it's like to navigate the murky waters of - not just ‘I set the vision,’ ‘I set the mission,’ ‘I walked the path,’ and ‘I'm accomplishing the things I said I wanted to do’ and now something is wavering, something is shaky.”

“Dreams move. They pivot and change course but our dreams also expand and contract through different seasons. When something contracts, usually everything comes closer together and you become more compact. There's no more or less material there. It's just that we are more focused, and only going to do a certain number of things. And when we have a little more heat–think of that as energy or capacity …then that same dream gets to expand.”

“Sometimes we will wake up in the middle of a season that is basically trying to end. I had to wake up to the fact that my season had shifted. Now I'm in a season where all these doors are open, and I get to choose which door I want to walk through. Initially, the prospect of that felt kind of exciting. But then, immediately, it turned to overwhelm because I had not given myself space to actually unpack the season that I'd come through because I did not realize that that season had come to a close.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

40 | Are You Asking Too Much Of Your Team? Aug 14, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

One of the most challenging aspects of this journey of entrepreneurship is people management. As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves grappling with delegation and feedback, two crucial elements that can make or break our team dynamics and overall business success.

In this episode, I’m diving deep into these very topics by exploring the common pitfalls entrepreneurs face when trying to delegate tasks and provide feedback, and offering practical solutions to overcome these challenges. Join me as I share personal experiences and the lessons I've learned from coaching clients through the intricate dance of delegation. From setting clear expectations to creating effective checkpoints, I walk you through my thought process and provide actionable advice to help you delegate tasks more effectively and give constructive feedback.

If you've ever struggled with feeling like your standards are too high or questioned your ability to trust your team, this episode is for you.

MENTIONED
I'm opening three exclusive spots for women CEOs ready to redefine their leadership. If you're at a pivotal moment—launching a new fund, leading a team, or stepping into a new role—and feel the weight of what's next, I’m here to support you. Ready to invest in your growth and tackle challenges head-on? Visit www.moniquershields.com and fill out the simple contact form to get started.

GEMS DROPPED
“When we delegate the first thing we go to is the initial delegation, but I think that we skip a couple of steps when we jump to initial delegation. We bundle together in our mind that expectation setting and delegation are the same thing. Telling someone what you expect them to do in terms of steps that you expect them to take, people that you expect them to speak to, that is not the same thing as expectation setting. Expectation setting really revolves around, have I actually taken the time to define what ownership means?”

“I think the other part of defining ownership, is also explaining the stakes in the context because when we start handing over decision making authority - even if it's very low stakes or small decisions - they still have an impact. We equip our team members with what they need to increase their chances of success when we explain to them the context, that is necessary for the task at hand or for the whatever it is that you're trying to hand over ownership for. This is a key missing piece.”

“Before we set any expectations, we have to recognize how little we actually know about what our expectations are. Especially as women leaders, we know what we want, but we don't know how to express what we want. We're not practiced at it. We're not practiced at both, what it is that we want, and expressing it freely because we are often in spaces where it is not safe to do that. And so, number one … is to drop into and find support for expressing your needs. This flows outside the walls of your business or your organization. This is about how you are also showing up in life, how you relate to what it is that you need… How you express that. Period.“

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

39 | On People Pleasing Jul 31, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this live-recorded episode, we explore the pervasive issue of people-pleasing, its roots, impacts, and the paths to overcoming it.

This behavior, often rooted in a desire to be liked and accepted, can have profound impacts on both our personal and professional lives. Join me for personal stories, client experiences, and actionable steps to help you reclaim your voice and set healthier boundaries. Learning to love and accept ourselves, flaws and all, is a vital part of the journey towards breaking free from this behavior.

If you're ready to reclaim your voice, tune in to this enlightening episode. It's time to prioritize your own well-being and create a life that truly reflects who you are.

GEMS DROPPED

“People pleasing is symptomatic of feeling unseen, going for long periods of your life, probably in your youth, probably having to deal with some of our traumas, where we've been unseen. “

“I want to be really clear that people pleasing is not the same thing as being ”weak”, or, not having a perspective or being passive. Some of the most hard hitting, ambitious, aggressive, in all the best ways, women that I know also identify as being people pleasers. Two things can be true at the same time, y'all. People pleasing is not the same thing as playing second fiddle and always taking a backseat.”

“You are in the driver's seat of the choices you make, no matter what choices you make. This podcast, Ambition Without Compromise, is about you designing what ambition looks like. And I think oftentimes when you really think about it, one of the most ambitious things, if I'm honest, that a black woman in this world could do is to decide against all odds that she is prioritizing just her basic well-being over anything else. Over career, over accolades, over anything. And that could look a lot of different ways.”

“Our bodies are our bodies. We are still real flesh and blood human beings. We are not supernatural. We are not meant to take on all the burdens of the world. We have got to stop convincing ourselves that, like, I can hold it. They're not built like me, so I guess I better handle it. Like, at some point, it will catch up with you. 1000% guaranteed and on that day, you won't be able to always just walk it back.”

“I think all of this boils down to a very fundamental need that all of us have as humans, which is unconditional love. It's like the ooey gooey center of it all. I'm talking about leadership. I'm talking about, you know, showing up in spaces and holding things and pleasing folks. And you gotta please your investors, you gotta please your team, you gotta please your clients, you gotta please your parents, you gotta please your extended family, you gotta please your spouse, you gotta please your kids. Right? But when we operate like this, I think a big part of it is that we move into circumstances, in general, in life, where we just don't expect unconditional love. We don't know what that looks like. We have not been taught that and not in a blanketed way. And it's what we crave most, where it's just like, I can be me and I'll still be accepted. I can want what I need too, and still be loved. I’m deserving of it all.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on I

38 | Scared To Hire Jul 17, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this special behind-the-scenes episode, I pull back the covers on my personal journey as a CEO and entrepreneur sharing my fears, challenges, and breakthroughs. From hiring hurdles to business growth, I get real and raw about the ups and downs of my five-year journey of building my business and the challenges of making my first full-time hire.

If you've ever hesitated to invest in yourself or your business, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in now and discover how you can move past your fears and build the business of your dreams.

MENTIONED
12 | Allowing Your Ambition To Evolve with Jereshia Hawk

GEMS DROPPED
“Inevitably when we move through and we get one new level of clarity, a new barrier gets introduced. When we break through one ceiling, a new ceiling all of a sudden appears.”

“I had begun to buy into this sort of vague, emotional reaction, and told myself a story that was irresponsible to hire someone until I have this feeling that I can support them. And that's not what hiring is like. The actual exchange of expectations and the resources and the energy that flows between you and your team members or those who are working for your company, you're not paying to take care of them. And so that doesn't have anything to do with my values around being a thoughtful and kind and compassionate person and leader, right. How I will treat people, how I actually care about whoever works with me, their humanity, like I'm still me and I don't have to place this additional weight on the relationship that doesn't need to exist. It just really has no place.”

“We all need this. We need other people to help us catch those blind spots and shift our perspective. Otherwise, we're trapped in our own way of thinking, and we overcomplicate stuff. We make things harder than they need to be and it's just because certain things are hidden or there’re certain angles that we're just not exploring.”

“I think it's important to get yourself into conversation not only with your coach, because I would not have made the connections to the undercurrents right around the belonging, around the messiness if I had not already laid the groundwork, which with the deeper level work that I do with my coach and that I have done with my therapists. But these kind of [questions], ‘What's the next step? Where are we going to take it next?’ Not sitting in that alone. It makes all the difference.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

37 | The Power Of Prioritizing Friendship And Connection Jul 03, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

As a coach, facilitator, and speaker, I have come to realize that our dreams don't always welcome us with open arms. The journey towards our aligned future can often feel lonely and unwelcoming, especially when we are made to feel isolated.

Join me as I share personal stories and revelations about overcoming isolation and finding support in our journeys. From a significant encounter in 2018 that solidified my commitment to working with women of color, to the transformative power of finding and fostering authentic connections during the pandemic, this episode is a heartfelt testimony to the necessity of community for thriving.

Tune in to discover how prioritizing connection can unlock your potential and lead to greater success in both your personal and professional life.

MENTIONED
I'm opening three exclusive spots for women CEOs ready to redefine their leadership. If you're at a pivotal moment—launching a new fund, leading a team, or stepping into a new role—and feel the weight of what's next, I’m here to support you. Ready to invest in your growth and tackle challenges head-on? Visit www.moniquershields.com and fill out the simple contact form to get started.

GEMS DROPPED
“Success requires community. Success requires belonging. Someone needs to be looking out for you, holding space for you, sending up prayers for you, thinking of you, knowing what's going on with you, knowing a few layers deep, understanding the dimensions of your life, because enough of them overlap with theirs, and because they've spent the time, the intention of both working on themselves and making it known that they are serious and invested in your success, that they want you to win. There's no, like, weird, threatening, frenemy energy going on, right? “

“Your primary concern must be about connection. It must be about community. It must be meeting the needs.”

“As a black woman, we're used to counting on ourselves. And so the help that we really deep, deep, deep, deep down, that desire, the vulnerability, the sadness, the emotions, the joy that we wish we could not only express, but to be witnessed and to be held in and celebrated in or whatever needs to be amplified or just held, we don't know how to do that. Nobody has taught us how to do that. And so it is the medicine for so many things. “

“There's a whole different experience of human interaction in the world. And I think we think about this just for our kids. We are greatly impacted by this, • and I think it is costing us dearly. And I think for those of us who have layer upon layer of subjugated and or marginalized identities, however you hold that language in your mind, it's even more so. So we are under attack, like, our humanity. And what becomes possible for us is under attack because of what kinds of patterns and practices have become normalized in our societies.”

“When belonging is blocked, or you're not getting enough of that, it has far reaching impacts over the rest of your life. It has everything to do with how much money you believe you can make as well. Make it happen like you're fighting for your life, because you are.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an

36 | Learning How To Do Nothing Jun 19, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In today's fast-paced world, the concept of truly resting and enjoying success often feels elusive. Many of us are caught in a cycle of hyper productivity and achievement, constantly striving for the next milestone without pausing to reflect or recharge.

Inspired by a friend's sabbatical and a compelling story from Will Smith's autobiography, I’m examining the internal struggle and unexpected discomfort that comes with stepping away from the grind.

If you're seeking ways to incorporate rest into your life, or simply curious about the journey of self-discovery and enjoyment, this episode offers valuable reflections and practical advice to help you embrace stillness and find balance. Tune in as I dive into the art of stillness and explore what it means to remove yourself from the relentless pace of life to reconnect with your true self.

MENTIONED
The Will Smith Autobiography Will by Will Smith

GEMS DROPPED
“Many of us have the privilege to do this, to actually take sabbaticals or to open a new chapter in your life where your work, your business, your profession is not at the center, at the core of your identity.”

“Some of us have been working full time employees since we were very small children. Whether we were going elsewhere, outside of our household to work or whether we were energetically, emotionally laboring, we've been like many of us have been laboring for a very long time. And so when that threshold arises where it's time for my sabbatical, it's gonna vary.”

“Without the expressed belief that I am working towards a sabbatical, some sort of extended break to pull yourself away and to reconnect with yourself and life…whatever. I think that that's what we're quietly playing for, but I don't think that many of us have actually taken ourselves to the place.”

“The question is what do we actually think we want and what we truly will find on the other side of this freedom to rest, the stillness, the pause that we all keep saying that we want?”

“I think we focus a lot on, like, I need to have a hobby, I need to have fun. And I think a lot of that just comes back down to like sit down either with yourself or someone else, however you process out your thoughts. If you can't think of like what am I into? What am I interested in besides making money, besides doing, you know, achieving things and you know, like working, what am I into? Go back to your younger self and think about what brought you delight and joy and surprise and what really intrigued you as a kid. What was something that you used to spend hours on. It may not be that exact thing today in its exact form, but some continuity of that still exists within you.”

“Build yourself a bridge back to yourself first.”

“Until he had had that kind of stillness experience where it's like, I have nowhere to go but to be here with me and to actually feel what it is that is trying to be felt. That is the thing that I think we are avoiding most.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

35 | The Courage To Pursue Peace With Hillarie Maddox of BlackGirlCountryLiving Jun 05, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Are you yearning for a change in your life, especially one that brings you closer to your true self? This episode might just be the nudge you need.

In this episode, we unfold the essence of rewilding – a term that transcends its ecological roots to embody a spiritual awakening and connection with the natural world. Hillarie Maddox, a mother, aspiring farmer, community builder and the visionary behind Black Girl Country Living, shares her profound shift from the corporate grind to a life steeped in nature, healing, and community on Whidbey Island.

Join in as Hillarie recounts her journey– from her aspirations for big-city success to her courageous leap into a life that truly resonates with her soul. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of transitioning multiple times, the power of visibility in attracting life-altering opportunities, and the importance of aligning one's work with deeply held values.

Her story is a powerful reminder that it's never too late to seek a more fulfilling path, and that transitions are not just about the physical move from one place to another but also about the spiritual passage from one state of being to another.

GEMS DROPPED
“When we allow ourselves to be free and have the privilege… it really ends up being like coming back into this formative early part of myself, this foundational part of me as a child to live a fuller expression of that kid now.” - Monique R. Shields

“When I first started getting into gardening, and homesteading and thinking about, like, you know, this is something that I have to do all on my own. And then realizing, like, homesteaders, farmers, they don't do this on their own, they work in connection to all of these other people, and you can't possibly grow everything on your own. And so it's been like this sort of expansive rethinking of what this lifestyle actually means. And that understanding has trickled into all parts of my life, including my career.”- Hillarie Maddox

“Many of us are still building our careers off of that very old dream. There's nothing wrong with having that dream, like, whatever age you have it at, and you pursue it and then decide, actually, this is not what I thought it was going to be and then making a new decision. But sometimes we never hit that point or allow ourselves to hit the point of reckoning where it's just like, this ain't it. It may be “it”, but sometimes it's not it, many times it's not it.” - Monique R. Shields

“If you don't know what your values are, then you're making decisions from all of these different inputs from who knows where in your life and then it creates this really out of touch, out of alignment way of living.“ - Hillarie Maddox

GUEST LINKS
Learn more about Hillarie Maddox | Website | Instagram | Substack
If you are looking for retreat space to host your programming around climate justice, BIPOC wellness, or land-based healing work, connect with Hillarie at hillarie@whidbeyinsitute.org

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to

34 | Perfectionism & The Settled Place We're Seeking May 22, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Have you ever felt like you're constantly chasing a moment of peace, where everything on your to-do list is checked off, and you can finally relax? This pursuit of the 'settled place' might be more ingrained in your daily life than you realize.

There's a way to shift from this endless cycle of striving for perfection to embracing an abundant boss mindset. A mindset that allows you to assume possibility, to believe that space and resources you need will be available to you, and to prioritize your own well-being alongside your ambitions.

Join me as we unpack the layers of societal expectation that have taught us to stifle our emotions, to maintain composure at the cost of our authentic selves. I also share personal anecdotes and insights into how modeling emotional honesty can shape our environments, encourage others, and foster a culture of genuine well-being. Tune in to learn more.

GEMS DROPPED
“An abundant boss mindset is a mindset around leadership where you assume possibility. You assume that the space you require is available to you. You assume that your needs shall be met. You assume that if you take up the space it’s gonna be okay. There's a way that we kind of assume that we can have our needs met and that the things get done… at the same damn time.”

“Some of the most important mental resource tools I've honestly ever picked up were between therapy and the fact that I worked for four years at a mental health startup where I learned cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in and out.”

“One of the greatest lessons that I learned in my coaching training is how emotions move. Emotions are emotions. There are no good emotions, there are no bad emotions… emotions are just energy. They are energy that needs to flow through us. Our body is engaging with the world and energetically reacting to the experiences that we have, the relationships that we keep and when our emotions come up, as adults, we have been trained to work them on down, to make them feasible, to make them workable, or to shut them off, to shut ourselves off, and to go into numb mode just to survive the moment because we're not socially given the space to do much more than that on a da -to -day basis.”

“This craving of arriving at the settled place, this desire to get ahead of this, to get to the point where you feel peace and confident and on top of things. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but I think that what we are not recognizing in that process or in that craving is that it's not just so much as a desire to get to a place as it is I think a desire to get away from. Because what's happening is we're just scared to be present to what is so we need to get somewhere else where there aren't the complicated, hard feelings there. Sadness is not there. Rage, anger and frustration are not there. It's just pure satisfaction and rest and peace, which we all deserve. And I want to argue today that we also deserve to have regular space to feel all of the other emotions as well.“

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

33 | Unpacking Trauma And Achievement with Psychologist Andrea Michel May 08, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this episode, we explore the intricate web of trauma, perfectionism and high achievement with Andrea Michel.

As a developmental psychologist, trauma-sensitive leadership coach, and former corporate badass, Andrea peels back the layers of what it means to be a high achiever, how our childhood traumas shape our professional lives, and the subtle yet significant distinction between burnout and trauma responses in the workplace. She offers a compassionate lens through which to view our inner perfectionist – not as something to be vanquished, but as a part of ourselves that requires understanding and, if we choose, healing.

Whether you're a leader seeking to create a trauma-sensitive environment or an individual ready to confront the roots of your perfectionism, Andrea's expertise will guide you toward a path of self-awareness and empowerment. Press play to join the conversation.

Some key points discussed in this episode include:

Understanding decision-making
High-functioning behavior, overachievement, and childhood trauma
Parenting and trauma
Forming relationships based solely on achievement
Self-awareness and Healing
Differentiating burnout and trauma response

GEMS DROPPED
“Simply put, trauma is any experience or any event that overwhelms our internal resources. And when we feel out of control of a situation. So in other words, trauma is anything that happens to us where we feel like we have no control over the situation and we're basically stressed out to the max. And so I like to say, when we think about trauma, there is the event, there the experience, and then there is the expectations. So the event is the thing that happens, the experience is how we interpret that thing that happened and then the expectation is how do others around us respond to that situation.” - Andrea Michel

“What I come into contact with, even with some clients in session, sometime we're asking, like, where does that come from? Why is that showing up? Why is that happening? What was that about? But we can't take it much further. And I just feel like sometimes it's just another reminder that you can't really do this alone. You can, many times only get yourself so far, because we can't see outside. We can't see outside of how we see.” - Monique R. Shields

“We have to unburden ourselves of things that we ultimately cannot control and we're not supposed to anyway.” - Monique R. Shields

“If you want to stop repeating the same cycle, you have to heal the trauma.” - Andrea Michel
MENTIONED

EP. 14 Spiritual Knowing and Self-Integrity with Josie Rosario

GUEST LINKS
Learn more about Andrea Michel | Website | The Global Center for Trauma | Private Coaching

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

32 | The Right Time Is Not Coming Apr 24, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Are you waiting for the perfect moment to make a change?

In this episode, I am shattering the illusion of the "magical right time" that so many of us are waiting for. The truth is, that moment when you feel entirely ready, when everything is in place, and when you've done enough—it's a myth. It's never coming. The right time is now.

Join me as I dive into the language of limitation and how phrases like "I just need to..." can trap us in a cycle of perpetual preparation, holding us back from stepping boldly into the life we're meant to live, without compromise. I also challenge the narrative that familiarity equals safety and explore the power of tapping into the unbridled strength of our younger selves to fuel our courage for change.

Press play and let's explore what it means to live freely and authentically, and how to back it into a plan that propels us forward.

GEMS DROPPED

“This magical right time, the time when you feel ready, when things are in place, when you have done enough, when you have prepared enough, and you know that this is up for you, that this is a challenge for you right now… The whole thing is a trick.”

“When you keep saying stuff like, well, I just have to think about, or I just have to decide, or I've got to give some more thought to … I need to do some preparation… I just. I just. I just. I just. y'all. This is all danger language. Danger, danger, danger, danger, language. We start backing ourselves into deep limitation because we are fearful of giving ourselves permission to be specific about what it is that we truly want.”

“I recognize that in order for this next part of me, this next phase to come to fruition, for that to happen, I'm gonna have to relinquish the reins. I'm gonna have to let this other part of me, this free and creative and open, this vulnerable part of me, come up to the driver's seat and I might have to get in the back, I might have to get in the trunk at some point. That feels so risky. It feels so, so risky internally.”

“We disconnect from that part of ourselves. We leave those, air quote, ‘childish things’ behind and we get serious about life and we put on new coping skills and different things toughen us up and rough us up, and we forget that that wild and free little version of us, has so much power.”

“I hope that if you are sitting in stagnation and not realizing, I hope that if you are sitting in, ‘I need to wait for the right time’, or ‘I just need to think through. I just need to figure out,’ or ‘I just need to, you know, shore up x, y and z,’ that you bust down those walls and get real with the truth of what's going on here, which is knowing that you don't have to cling to what's familiar and that you're not going to find your freedom. Your salvation will not come from this place. You have everything you need to make the move if you give yourself permission to let that part of you actually dream it up and connect you to the urgency of it all.”

STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

31 | When Will It Ever Be Enough? Apr 10, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this episode, I'm tackling a question that is rattling around the corridors of the minds of us highest achievers: "When will it ever be enough?" It's a relentless echo that reverberates in the silence left by our latest triumphs, a whisper that lingers even as we scale the peaks of what I’m calling “Money Mountain” with the weight of the world on our shoulders.

For those who've pushed themselves to the brink, who've crafted empires with their bare hands and sheer will, this episode is a soul-stirring examination of the unsustainable pace of success and the personal toll it exacts. We're pulling back the veil on the harsh truths behind burnout, the undercurrents of systemic pressures, and the personalization of collective dysfunctions that lead us to question our worth, our work, and our way forward.

Join me as we explore the deeper questions that should be guiding our pursuit of fulfillment. We'll navigate through the false narratives of entrepreneurship, the courage to be beginners in the public eye, and the vulnerability required to ask for what we truly want. Tune in and transform the way you approach your goals and your life.

MENTIONED

13 | Re-Mothering Ourselves

03 | What Are You Playing For? (CEO Series)

GEMS DROPPED

“In this quest to say, ’Am I doing enough? Is it enough? Have I ascertained enough? Have I done enough? Have I created enough?’ We're really searching for, ’Will I ever be enough?’ That's the real question that runs beneath all of this, is, will I ever be enough?”

“We're asking ourselves at the end of the day, why am I not enough? Why am I not rising to the occasion? Why is this wearing me out? Why am I having these emotional reactions and responses? Why am I being a fucking human being? We're punishing ourselves for our basic needs, and it's wrong. It is wrong. It is misguided. It is misdirected. So I want you to turn that energy into some better questions. I think a better question is ’Am I fulfilled, well, and whole?’“

“That moment where the decision is available to you, it can feel like you don't have a choice. And we always have a choice. We always have a choice.”

“At a certain point, money no longer delivers. There's no return on that investment emotionally. Once you get past a certain level it caps out and you're not going to get any more enjoyment, fulfillment, happiness, even delight. All of that just falls flat. And so, well, what are you even playing for? “

“There really is no enoughness that's going to truly satisfy you…the feeling that you're actually seeking to meet, which is fulfillment. If fulfillment is what's lacking, none of this other stuff even matters. And I think that that's what we end up getting ourselves to when we first start asking this question. What's enough? You're enough. What do you want? Who do you want to be? Who you desire to be? Start there.”

STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email

30 | How I Became A Podcaster - 1 Year Anniversary Episode! Mar 27, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In today's episode, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Ambition Without Compromise, a testament to the power of persistence and the beauty of evolution. Join me as I take a reflective journey down memory lane, recounting the origins of this podcast, born from a desire to connect authentically and serve a community of visionary women.

From the humble beginnings of voice memos sent out to a small circle of friends and family, to the robust, twice-monthly musings that reach an ever-growing audience, this journey has been one of learning, growth, and unwavering commitment to my vision. I delve into five key lessons learned along the way, from embracing imperfection to tuning into the data, and the importance of meeting ourselves where we are.

As we step into the next year of the show, I invite you to celebrate the milestones we've reached together and the space we've created for daring questions and honest answers. Whether you've been with me from the start or have recently joined our community, I hope you find inspiration in the realization that ambition does not have to be compromised when we listen, adapt, and serve with heart.

In honor of our anniversary, I ask for the gift of your feedback. Leave a review and share how this podcast has impacted your journey. Your words not only help others find this podcast but also guide the future of our conversations. Send me a DM or an email to let me know your thoughts, and together, let's step into another year of uncompromised ambition.

REQUEST

Share your anniversary well-wishes by leaving a rating and review for Ambition Without Compromise on Apple Podcast. Your engagement fuels this journey, and I can't wait to hear from you.

MENTIONED

13 | Re-Mothering Ourselves

GEMS DROPPED

“Perfection is not required to do the next thing that you're trying to do. I just want to remind you, if you don't already know, or if you know, that you're placing this undue pressure on yourself, that perfection is not required.”

“Sometimes it's not about you having said the perfect thing, crafted the perfect positioning, and language, and put all of this thought and science and art just melding together into this gorgeous piece of work. Sometimes it's just the way you naturally say things. Someone else out in the world needed to hear it in that way. Someone's looking for YOU.”

“Sometimes we think we need to over prepare when it's like you are enough as you are, that your rawness is actually the best gift you can give people, for people to get a real taste of the essence of you.”

“You have everything you need to start, you just need to be creative. Just allow yourself to have the freedom to have like, a quick and easeful creative exploration. If you give yourself permission to be where you are and to listen to what exactly it is that you want.”

“Listen to the data to block out distraction. Most of the time, I think the distractions are like our insecurities, fears or doubts.”

STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on

29 | Betting On My Wellbeing: Sharing My Practices Mar 13, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this heart-to-heart episode, I'm peeling back the curtain on my personal journey of self-investment and well-being. As I navigate the ebbs and flows of life, I've come to realize that to manifest the life I aspire to, I must over-invest in my well-being. Join me as I share the strategies and practices that are guiding me through 2024, from embracing the power of coaching to the subtle magic of herbal remedies and the transformative impact of environment organization.

I'll dive into the profound clarity that comes from addressing health and healing holistically, the importance of community and nurturing relationships, and the spiritual nourishment found in nature and the innocent play of children. This episode is an intimate exploration of how prioritizing ourselves can lead to attracting higher quality opportunities and achieving professional abundance with seemingly effortless grace.

Whether you need a nudge to take that first step towards self-care or you're seeking affirmation that your path of personal investment is valid, this episode is a gentle yet powerful reminder that when we take care of ourselves, the universe conspires to take care of everything else. Tune in to be inspired, to find permission, and perhaps, to make that life-changing decision for yourself.

MENTIONED

25 | Avoiding The Real Work

GEMS DROPPED

"We'll sabotage what could be big for us. We'll sabotage what could be incredible and exciting for us because we know that we don't have it within us, energetically, emotionally, spiritually, physically, that we don't have it to rise to that occasion”.

“If you take care of yourself, the things you want get taken care of, too. So how can we aggressively take care of ourselves?”

“Listen to your body and respond”.

“Every time you walk past something in your house and you're like, I got to figure out where to put these things, or I've got to figure out how to make that work better. But you don't have the tools to do it, or you don't have the time to do it. You leak energy … It's a cognitive drain, and it's small. But we're walking through our spaces…the environments that we're existing in, that we're working in, that we're living in, and we're having these little moments of energy, of attention that are being drained away from us because we don't have a space that fully supports the humans living in it and the belongings that we have.”

“Stop tolerating discomfort with setting up these systems, adhering to systems that actually support your financial well being, because that has everything to do with how you feel energetically, emotionally in your day to day life.”

“When we don't feel alone in the paths that we're walking, the journeys that we're on, because we know someone else is holding space for us, someone else is thinking about us. Or we can reflect back on the inside joke that came out of the last time we spoke, or the vulnerable share, and we can hold space for that person outside of it. It's just so important.”

“Once you leave the college and the grad school of it all, there are very few spaces that will forge that kind of bonding and connection because we don't have the same level of interconnected … intensity of a shared experience. Right? We have to create them”.

STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an

28 | Beneath The Struggle To Ask For Help Feb 28, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Often, we tell ourselves that the key to expanding our leadership is merely becoming better at asking for help or refining our delegation skills. But what I've unearthed in my work as a coach to CEOs and leaders is that the challenge goes deeper than tactics and tips. It's not just about optimizing to-do lists or honing delegation strategies; there's a profound internal barrier between us and the help we seek.

Join me on this exploration of the struggle of asking for help and the complexities surrounding delegation. I’ll dig into the fears of appearing incompetent, needy, or even abusive when asking for help (especially as women and POC) . I’m also dissecting the misconception that unlimited capacity equates to competence and pull back the covers on how shifting our perspective can transform our leadership dynamics.

Press play to tune in as we peel back layers and challenge the narratives that may be holding us back from authentic and sustainable leadership.

GEMS DROPPED

"What I am constantly finding is that it's not about the tactics, it's not about the tips, it's not about the tricks, it's not about optimizing your to-do list, not at least at first. That's not the first step. There's something that runs much deeper within us around what feels like a barrier between us and the help that we want to better leverage”.

“Building this skill, building confidence and comfort, around asking for help, employing help, receiving help, it's gonna be make or break for whatever it is that you're trying to build. It creates a ceiling immediately if you can't move through this and expand and grow this part of yourself.”

“I think women and people of color, we can carry a great deal of undue pressure on our leadership design… that maybe makes us account for too many variables. Trying to hold too many things, and maybe not always the things that matter the most.”

“There is a level of thoughtfulness that we try to bring to our own leadership, to not repeat and not recreate a culture around reckless and uncaring delegation, and I think that there's a weight to that intent that we carry around …being better, trying to be more thoughtful… that just adds another layer of pressure to what it means to ask for help, what it means to delegate or to set expectations for someone else… what it means to be responsible when you are occupying a position of a great deal more power within a power dynamic, trying to be respectful and responsive to that.”

“You're wanting to make sure that basically, the team knows that you can handle hard shit, that the team knows that you have horsepower, that they can believe in your work ethic, and your ability to handle things… but what's happening, because you have such a focus on this, on proving to this team, appearing to this team that you have what it takes, and essentially, that you are strong, is that you are conflating capacity with competence. Meaning, you’re trying as hard as you can to always appear competent through how infinite your capacity is, which it's not.”

“When we're focused on, I just need to be the strong one that's getting all the things done, we don't create space for relationships and for what really needs to be invested in here.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

27 | Scaling Your Humanity With Your Wealth Feb 14, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

I've been reflecting on my self-discovery journey, facing challenges and pondering profound questions this season. Recent conversations, especially those delving into my middle school experiences, have revealed personal truths and beliefs related to my sense of belonging.

Sharing these experiences isn't just about my journey but aligns with a broader theme observed among powerful women. As we navigate success, visibility, and seniority, we often compromise spaces where we can be authentic. This episode delves into the significance of investing in spaces that foster thriving, full expression, and true belonging.

It's time to prioritize our humanity, transition from survival to thriving, and acknowledge the immense potential in embracing our authentic selves. Join me as we explore this crucial investment in our well-being and growth.

GEMS DROPPED

"In the absence of belonging, my basement was that people would respect me …if looking for and embracing and trusting that belonging wasn’t available to me, that at the very least, I didn't go seeking anything beneath basic respect.”

“A big important part of our core and important part of this work for you, is to allow yourself to feel that you want to belong… to feel the wanting, to feel the desire, allow yourself to feel that. It's okay …you deserve to want that as opposed to just saying, well, I'm not going to assume that I belong, but I will assume respect and how do you know when one of the ways that we can think of respect is like a proxy for it, that can be sort of symbolic.”

“Especially in this day and age, we have got to cling to the things that bring us back into our humanity. We have got to. And when you're operating as the powerful woman, the woman who knows when you're operating at this level, and you have big dreams, big aspirations, and you've got the track record, you can look back and you can say look, check my receipts. I do the things, I operate in a big way, and I have every intent of doing what feels expansive. We're discounting this key aspect of what it looks like to grow and belong and make things happen as a fertile, loving collective.“

“As you become more and more successful, the more wealth you have, the more seniority you occupy, the more visibility that you have, there are fewer and fewer spaces where you can be your own human self, your real true blue, honest, quirky, full self because cameras are on, people are watching, your team is looking to you, everybody needs something from you. And so people don't always see you as human. Even those who are cheering for you.”

“Our humanity carries with it a tapestry of really critical energies– our true personalities, our preferences, our quirks, who we actually are. It’s an energy that is meant to be expressed. It is meant to flow. And when it is caged in and bottled up, because you are on a pedestal, you are on a platform, everybody is looking to you and you have to button the shit up, and you need to look a certain way, you need to say a certain thing, you need to…”

“Not everybody has the capacity to negotiate their own identities in the distance between your reality and theirs with personal security. People sometimes can't maintain their own self- esteem in your presence.”

“The privilege of just being able to be who you are out loud in front of people, bear and real and raw you, that has immeasurable value.”

STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an

26 | When Achievement Is No Longer The Goal Jan 31, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Today's episode focuses on a crucial perspective shift for high achievers who have hit all the targets and are now facing brand new questions and a career crossroads.

Listen in as we explore the significance of introspection, identifying our true passions, and the value of taking small steps towards aligning with our inner artist on our journey of self-discovery and transformation as we redefine success beyond mere achievement.

This episode serves as a reminder that transcending the constraints of achievement opens doors to a new level of fulfillment. Tune in and let the shift begin.

GEMS DROPPED

"Achievement has a cut-off point; it's time to shift from being the achiever to embracing the artist within."

"In a world of achievement, there's a scarcity hierarchy baked in because not everyone can reach the top. It's time to redefine success beyond achievement."

"Transitioning from achievement to artistry requires letting go of the need to constantly prove oneself and embracing the unknown of creating your own path."

"Being a high achiever is like playing by a fixed menu; stepping into artistry means creating your own secret menu, even if the page is blank."

"As an artist, you need to be in touch with your sensory being, understanding what activates you, where you shine, and what uniquely belongs to you."

"The shift from achiever to artist involves doing a whole lot less, embracing stillness, reflection, and the less tangible, yet powerful, work of creation."

"You're no longer qualified for roles you excelled in decades ago; your value now lies in the invisible, visionary work that sets the stage for impactful change."

"Transitioning to artistry requires taking small steps, aligning with an executive coach, therapy, or activities that nourish your inner creative being."

"Your job is to prioritize activities that resonate with your inner artist, even if they seem unrelated to traditional notions of success."

"Embrace the discomfort and grieving process of letting go of old identities; prioritize wisdom, vision, and time freedom to enact the influence you desire."

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

25 | Avoiding The Real Work Jan 17, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Reflection season is here, and I'm delving into the experiences of the past year, contemplating what truly matters. In today's episode, we uncover the layers of self-discovery and transformation, emphasizing the importance of doing the real work we often avoid.

Join me on this deep dive as we concentrate on the four pivotal buckets of meaningful connections and personal growth and why when we nurture them, everything else falls seamlessly into place.
This episode is your invitation to embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation. Cheers to undertaking the real work in 2024!

GEMS DROPPED

"The real work is more murky, not always gratifying, but important for the experiences we desire in the coming years."

"The real work starts with healing, childhood stuff, therapy – the core that yields new outcomes within yourself."

"Your body has to be set up for success; it informs your thoughts, creativity, and innovation. You've never seen your peak performance until your body is right."

"Investing in community and relationships can skyrocket your dreams with half the effort because you're no longer doing it alone."

"Sometimes it's just the fact that there is someone else holding space for your dream alongside you that makes the difference."

"Time and energy constraints often hinder building friendships and community, but it's about the quality, not the quantity, of time spent together."

"It's not about the superficial tasks and planning; the real work is diving into the emotional and healing aspects, the work we often avoid."

"Most of your relationships are lopsided; you're constantly the giver, fixing others' problems. Meaningful connections require a thoughtful design space."

"Connection and vulnerability can lead to love in a moment with a stranger, but we're not taught to have trust in open-ended spaces with friends."

"Put yourself into spaces designed with intention and care to achieve the depth you crave in relationships."

"It's important to have both - the little Kiki moments and the depth that anchors into something real."

"Connectedness requires thoughtfulness, especially in the pace of life as a business leader."

"Don't avoid the real work in the depth of friendships and community; it's crucial for success and feeling good about your success."

"Spirituality is personal; it's what makes you feel connected, hopeful, and alive. It goes beyond religious beliefs."

"Arriving at success without spiritual investment feels empty; integrate spirituality into the journey for a fulfilling destination."

"Focus on healing, health, friendship, and spirituality; when you nurture these buckets, everything else falls seamlessly into place."

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

24 | 7 Gifts Of Coaching For High Powered Women Jan 03, 2024

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

I'm buzzing with excitement after leading an incredible retreat with a group of amazing black woman CEOs. Now, I'm ready to dive into a topic that's been on my mind for a year: coaching. It's a tricky thing to explain because there are a million different types of coaches out there and the term has come to mean a lot of different things.

So, in this episode, I'm breaking down what coaching means to me, shedding light on its benefits, and helping you conceptualize it in your own way. I've jotted down seven key areas that I believe capture the essence of my coaching philosophy.

Join me as I share my thoughts on coaching, drawing from what's reflected back to me from my clients, and highlighting what I excel at as a coach. Let's get into it!

GEMS DROPPED

“The type of person for whom coaching is a little more urgent, is the person who self identifies as the giver and structurally exists this way in their community, network, family, etc. …there is a mental and emotional labor that comes with playing this role in any group or community. When you're always the provider, it makes it easy for you to also feel really alone. …To be the person that most people look to for something. The role of coaching for this person is that you can finally be in a space with someone who is entirely committed to your thriving and has no personal attachments or agenda for you outside of you getting exactly what it is that you want.”

“The benefit of not feeling alone is something that is terribly hard to quantify. But I think we all know just how life changing it can feel to go from being in a state of loneliness to a state of “Oh, somebody's in my corner… somebody is dedicated to me… has no separate agenda… is not attached to my decisions, and the bounds of the relationship are formalized and set up so I can trust that I can fall back into that structure and not feel alone in my own head and on my own journey.”

“Coaching helps us get behind ourselves, examine why we're moving the way we move, giving us explicit permission to pause, asking us the right questions to help us get intentional, to examine our pace and to reset it to feel like we are actually self directed and that we are not being led by some false pace that has been set out in the ether by whoever, whatever, out in the world, all these pressures that make us feel like we need to be doing stuff that we maybe don't need to be doing.”

“Coaching provides you the space and the freedom and the safety for that inner little you to still show up, be seen, noticed and taken care of. There is something really, really, invaluable to be in space with someone who can create room for all aspects of you, all dimensions of you, all little ages and grown ages of you to be seen, to be heard and to be held so that we're not always pretending to be the grownup that we want to be… that we want everybody else to see.”

“This is one of the greatest gifts that I know I bring to coaching for sure is that I'm not intimidated by people's accomplishments. I love that about myself. I can be in awe of you, I can be celebratory, I can be inspired and at the same time, just because you do really impressive, superhuman-like things doesn't mean that you are less human yourself. And I think that that can be such a critical experience for someone to have… that space to be human and be regular, that gives you that break from the fandom. To trust that this person is not going to bypass my humanity for the sake of trying to be around for proximity.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and

23 | Fighting Against Living Your Own Dream Dec 20, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Over the past few weeks, I've been actively exploring a concept that's been alive in me, sparked by conversations with others and introspection. I've reached a point where I need to share it publicly and grapple with it out loud. So today we are going to do some wayfinding.

Listen in as I explore the fear of success, and the challenge of creating a life that aligns with our deepest desires. It's a journey of building and receiving, of embracing the vision while navigating the uncertainties and the discomfort of living the dream.

So, buckle up and come along with me as we navigate the intricacies of wanting, building, and trusting the process of experiencing Ambition Without Compromise.

MENTIONED
EP. 15 Learning To Dream First (CEO Series)

GEMS DROPPED
“So many of us want to be more fully connected, invested in and confident in what we want. In some ways, this is the whole point of Ambition Without Compromise, which is getting to want what we want… getting to embrace it and know – in full, vivid color – what it is that we want, and not needing to look like anything else to anyone else. And as I find myself honestly, in this season of having what I want, I am a business owner stepping into the identity of someone who actually owns her time and chooses her work and pitches for what she wants, and creates opportunities for herself –no permission needed from anybody else. And the vision I had set for myself was, we're going to move to the burbs, I want it to be slow, I want more ease, I'm going to work with fewer clients, I'm going to do fewer things, I'm going to continue to make more money and I'm going to feel connected to myself, take care of myself and be able to see the people that I love and care about. I'm living that dream, so why do I keep fighting against it?”

“Step into a realization or an ownership over the fact that you can actually do this. You can command your time. You can exist in spaciousness. You can feel like you're not at the behest of everybody's unspoken needs.”

“When you're an overachiever or a high-achiever when you think about it, it's like my bar is so astronomical, it's like I never should be able to reach anything or close to it. And so when you do it, immediately you're like, ‘well, this bar must be too low or something must be wrong with this, like something is off.’ We can be quick to question these things and to feel discomfort.”

“This is part of what can feel really uncomfortable for us with charting a course towards the life we really, really want is that there is this kind of white space, stuff I can't account for, that feels unreal, kind of unimaginable and we feel uncomfortable with that. There's a big leap that takes place in terms of what we have to learn to value and who we have to be to become comfortable with being in that in-between space. Like who am I if I'm not doing everything? “

“When we think about I want to feel more connected to this place I want to go that scares the shit out of me. Because I'm like, ‘Who am I going to be if I'm there and I'm not doing all the things I'm doing today?’ Right? But you have to be able to see it. Because you have to give yourself a reason to want to set down some of those fears, or to at least open up like okay, maybe I still have these fears, but I'm open to some exploration are all around them. So there's that. We start there.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on

22 | Wanting Change vs. Being Changed Dec 06, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this episode, I explore the concept of desiring change and the realization that to truly experience change, we must be willing to be changed ourselves. I share insights from coaching conversations and my personal experiences, emphasizing the importance of creating rituals and safe spaces for courageous conversations.
Join me on this journey of self-discovery and transformation, where we confront the discomfort of change, embrace the power of courageous vulnerability and uncover the keys to unlocking the change we crave.
GEMS DROPPED
“You want more money, respect, to feel more valued and at ease as you put forth so much effort day to day in the things that you do for a living, but it's never going to happen as long as you are still walking into these situations being the same person that you have always been.”

“ You want to be a different kind of mother than maybe you experienced growing up, than you see most commonly around you in your community, than you were last Season, or just a parent in general. And your heart's in the right place, your desire is clear, but you don't know how to get there. And I can say, like, you won't get there until you're ready to be changed”.

“In our marriages and relationships, we want to feel free, easeful and valued, but where we stop the conversation short. We have to take things a step further and ask ourselves, how am I being free? How am I being useful? How am I valuing myself? Who am I to be in these scenarios and in these relationships, that would allow me to experience what it is I keep saying that I most want to experience?”

“There's no blueprint, no exact plan for how to change because we're all unique individuals. We all have unique lives, work and relationships and so there's not some off the shelf template that you can just check down a bunch of boxes and be like, this is what I do to be this kind of different person. What’s actually required is a great deal of energy, creativity and courage to open yourself up to a decision.”

“To begin this process of being different, and identifying what that decision is, can feel confronting and difficult, especially when you're exploring these things by yourself. But the decision is always very simple. It's stop doing this, start doing this. It's say yes to this, say no to that. It's always black or white, cut and clear. Yet we try to make these half assed decisions, that are not really decisions.”

“You can't just make a decision and have no rituals and habits to support the decision. You have to have rituals and habits that you begin to build, but it's not just the habits alone, it is who I believe myself to be to even embark upon changing my behaviors, to embark upon exceeding what it is that I want to experience in my work and in my life.”

“Being different requires a great deal of vulnerability and you have to have the safe and courageous space to confront this stuff.”

“The only way to, is through and we can't go through, we can't get through unless we are willing to be cracked open and to be changed. We have to really look at ourselves and be willing to be different with how we feel about things, how we react to things, how things settle in our gut. Otherwise, you can't make new decisions in the moment, you can't do new things if you don't feel yourself open and willing to be different.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

21 | You Need A New Story Nov 22, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Picture yourself playing at a new professional level; the stakes are higher, your scope of responsibility is broader, and the pressure is palpable. It's a unique blend of excitement and nerves, especially for people of color, who are navigating spaces that might not always feel welcoming. This is fear and it can be paralyzing.
The conventional response in this situation is fighting back or getting curious. But here's the thing: I've got a different approach for you—an unexplored option that's like a secret weapon. Join me for a down-to-earth conversation with practical insights and a fresh perspective on embracing fear in a way that feels authentic and manageable.
GEMS DROPPED
“As long as you're growing, you're gonna keep hitting these growth edges. And these growth edges are meant to scare the shit out of you…. Like, that's the whole point. Otherwise, big growth is not happening. Because big growth entails a lot of ripping away, re-confronting, and that stuff is hard y'all. It's hard. It's scary. It does not feel good. And it can feel very confusing, very illogical, because it's like, when I look back over my story, I see how I got here. So why am I feeling this way?”
“There's usually an internal voice, if not several, that says something like, Who do you think you are? If you can identify that voice and put shape and form around that voice so that it is not this faceless, formless, mystical thing that is just in the atmosphere around you, and then give yourself a bit of space to actually face it, the more that you have power to actually address it. It puts you back in a seat of power. It puts you back in a position of agency and it helps you rewrite this story”.
“Our scary voices, those, those things that are, that are trying to speak fear into us, oftentimes are coming from a place of caution, which is coming from a place of protection. And sometimes that same voice, or some version of that voice is still showing up in us when we reach these new heights. And it is asking us to turn to it and say we're safe. We're okay”.
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

20 | Experiencing Peace While Building Big Scary Things Nov 08, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this episode, I explore a powerful and often overlooked aspect of achieving success and finding peace while working hard. Drawing on my own experiences and insights, I highlight the complex dynamics that women, particularly women of color, face in their professional journeys. I challenge the conventional wisdom that peace is primarily linked to self-esteem or confidence and propose a different perspective: peace equals presence.
To maintain that presence and peace, I stress the importance of two fundamental elements. By embracing these lifestyle choices, you can detoxify your environment, counteract toxic power dynamics, and remain anchored in your true self. In a world where we often get lost in other people's perceptions, this episode serves as a reminder that finding peace is about coming back to yourself and staying connected to your core identity.
Join me on this journey to discover a path to peace and presence that transcends conventional notions of success and leadership.
GEMS DROPPED
“With each new level of leadership that we ascend to, or that we expand into rather, new things are required of us. New perspectives, new ways of being, new habits are required of us to actually access peace”.
“Peace, in my belief, peace equals presence”.
“This shift around peace and presence and what we're actually looking to do, it really is about relinquishing this grip that we have on a false sense of control… and this desire and need to control particularly what other people think about us”.
“We can't control whether or not people respect us. We can do things that are filled with integrity to our own values and to our own mission. We can do our best to collaborate and to reach across whatever it is we need to reach across to work with folks. But that's all we can do. The focus has to be on ‘what strategies do I need to employ? If we're talking about tactics and things like that, to get the work done? What things do I need to do to get what I need out of this relationship? How can I more and more skillfully begin to understand the ecosystem here, the political system here… whatever these things are that are at play… to just get what I need to happen done? Not how can I get this person to feel a way about me, we gotta let that go. We gotta let that go.”
“ The people who see you, help you see yourself clearly”.
“ It's hard to be present when you're so busy running around in other people's minds”.
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

19 | Liberated Business Building with Sabia Wade (aka The Black Doula) Oct 25, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this episode, we dive deep into the experiences and wisdom of Sabia Wade, a remarkable Black Queer CEO, Investor, Educator, and Author who's been making waves in the world of birthing and beyond. We reminisce about her childhood and her early concept of "Black luxury." From there, we journey through Sabia's path, from a small business owner to an audacious visionary, embracing her creativity and her resolute belief in the power of asking, "Why not me?"
Sabia's journey is an inspiration for many, and her commitment to self-care and representation is a powerful message for anyone on their path to personal and professional growth. Listen in as Sabia takes us through her journey, offering insights and inspiration along the way. Some key points discussed in this episode include:

The importance of having a community that validates and values your work, especially as a black creator
Unveiling shared stories of the trauma and experiences of black-birthing individuals
Recognizing your needs and not feeling guilty about self-care
Building and maintaining a supportive team for your personal and professional life
The true meaning of rest

GEMS DROPPED
“...you're having this issue in your business because in your personal life, you need to work on that so you can incorporate that into your business”. - Sabia
“We can all be of high maintenance, we can all do that at the same time and show up for each other in the ways where it's just like, this is the strength that I have to give it, we're all focused on that..” - Monique
“If you don't invent the thing, then you never know what's gonna go right. Everything that we have on this planet has been created by someone, some brain somewhere, right? And it's like, they didn't know if that thing was gonna pop off …But I just feel like why can't it be me?” - Sabia
“For most people, folks of color, in particular, and for many entrepreneurs… if you're thinking differently, you're dreaming differently, you want to create something different, you may not come from some, very specific special, “pedigree,” and is not necessary” - Monique
“Every day I can still choose my liberation, even more being in the matrix, right? Because we're in it. We all got capitalism. We all got sexism, bigeye, racism, right? We got all these phobias, all of these things. And, I still choose to do something every day. That is for my liberation”. - Sabia
“Everything you do doesn't have to make sense” - Sabia
“When you take care of yourself? Yeah, it's always a benefit to the team, right? Whether it's emotionally, financially, whatever the next thing we're gonna do on our part, like, it's always a benefit for me to care for myself”. - Sabia
“It takes surrounding yourself with the right people to rest, right. Like we have to build that up around you. We all need that”. - Monique
GUEST LINKS
Learn more about Sabia Wade | Website | Book | Newsletter | Instagram

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

18 | Running a Business And Having A Baby Oct 11, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this episode, I share a profound conversation that I had with my amazing mindset coach, where she dropped a bombshell: "Pregnancy is a trauma." This left me truly shaken and I couldn't help but resonate with this statement deeply. In this first year with my second baby, I had to hold back from screaming in agreement.
The truth is, for most of us, pregnancy is far from the glowing, joyful experience often portrayed. It's a complex journey, often fraught with pain, fear, and challenges. What's more, it's a journey that carries the weight of systemic and statistical disparities, particularly for women of color.

This episode dives headfirst into the unspoken realities of pregnancy and postpartum experiences, highlighting the need for more support and understanding. It's a conversation that's long overdue, and I'm honored to share it with you. So, join me on this emotional rollercoaster as we explore the profound impact of motherhood, worthiness, and the career-focused world we navigate.

GEMS DROPPED
“I may not be the coach for you. That's not what this is about. But if you don't have a coach, I need you to rectify that… I really do. And not just any coach obviously. I have been blessed to find the kinds of coaches that I have and to sit at their feet, and to learn about myself through them reflecting back to me and from their sage guidance and wisdoms and strategies …just having walked paths that I'm on but they're ahead of me. And it is everything.”
“You cannot live in this society, and be thinking about your future, and your goals or your desires, your interests, your curiosities, and money…somewhere in the recesses of your mind…not play some meaningful role especially as women of color, people of color, or people who don't come from a long lineage of money, we have these poverty scenarios, these destitution scenarios that we have to confront because they're operating in the background.”
“Pregnancy is a trauma. I know that we see these extreme cases of people who are having really, really horrible, horrible, horrible things. And so you look at that you're like, ‘well, I didn't have that happen to me.’ Or you have these women who are just like, ‘I love to be pregnant, the glow is real, I had none of that postpartum depression and anxiety.’ You're gonna hear basically, the polar opposite ends of that experience and that's it, but there's a whole swathe of us… the majority of us…in between, have had some kind of experience with pregnancy that can be categorized as trauma”.
“You feeling, grounded, rooted, firm, clear and connected to your own worthiness and having an empowered relationship to your ability to create money has everything to do with what you go after in life. And so it's not just, ‘oh, I'm tired, oh, I'm emotional and hormonal,’ you have gone through something, you are going through something that is way bigger than I ever really hear in social narratives.”

MENTIONS
Book:The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Ou , Amely Greeven , et al.
Book: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth August 7, 2008 by Ina May Gaskin
Book: Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?: A Novel by Crysta

17 | Do What You Are Called To Do Sep 27, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Do you have an idea, a concept, a product, or a business that you are drawn to? Do it! Someone is waiting for you and your unique perspective.
Today's episode is all about inspiration. I had past clients reach out to me to share the amazing success they are living right now. Not only does it take me aback that my coaching has impacted my unbelievable clients, but I know their stories will resonate with so many of you. Like so many women, I used to view myself in such a small way. At the time of recording this episode, I’d just received some really moving messages from past clients of mine about how their lives had changed. These messages really reminded me of what becomes possible when we pursue the work we feel called to do.
So many of us are sitting on our talents, vision, and magic. It's so easy to say something isn't good enough, it doesn't have enough degrees behind it, or that no one will care. I want you to trust in your magic. Do not wait for someone to tell you that you are worthy. You've got this, you deserve this, and nothing can hold you back. All you have to do is START.
GEMS DROPPED
“If there is something that you know that you're just good at, or that you're just drawn to, it's like you have this creative inkling to go and put out into the world, someone is waiting on you. Someone is waiting on you…it's going to matter for someone in the end. You don't know how these things are going to take shape”.
“I know that there is someone, there are a lot of us, who are sitting on our visions who are sitting on our talents, or we're just minimizing, the baddest, most exciting, and dopest parts of ourselves”
“It doesn't have to look a certain way for you to get out. Take the thing that you know is in you and just give it like you mean it.”
“No good ever comes from us thinking of ourselves as insignificant or not significant enough”.
“Don't wait to offer the most real, true, honest parts of who you are to the world. Don't wait for someone to tell you that it's time. Don't wait for someone to tell you that it's okay. Don't wait for someone to tell you that you're worthy”.
“Courage takes time, I think to build… time and testing. You have to put yourself out there in small ways and build and build and build until you can look back and see, oh, wow, look how much I've grown. Look how much I can offer. Look what I can do, right? Sometimes it just does take time to, see our magic”.
“The community that you've been waiting for, the community that you have desired and wanted. Actually, it's on the other side of you offering your most true and honest self”.
“There's a connection on the other side of you offering your, whatever your thing is. There is a community, there is a person, there is a human being who is waiting for your bat signal so they can be drawn to you so that you can connect for your purpose”.
“Doing what you were called to do, showing up as you're meant to show up in the world is not easy. It's going to force you to confront things that make you feel deeply uncomfortable, things that make you feel terrified. And it's not to minimize the fear, it's not to minimize the feelings of terror, those feelings can be real, those feelings are yours, and they are real. And you could give yourself permission to hold those feelings and to just do it messy”.
MENTIONS
Episode 07 | Being "Worthy" Of The Pivot

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedbac

16 | Knowing Your Value Beyond What You Produce Sep 13, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

How do you let go of the version of yourself that is all about producing and achieving? In today’s episode, I discuss why it is so terrifying for high-achievers to refrain from valuing themselves outside their ability to produce.
This season of fear is a core experience of exceptionally high achievers—that strong attachment to needing to identify as an achiever links to our sense of worthiness. For so many of us, we leveraged that drive to succeed as a means to survival, but what happens after? At some point, hyper-production will no longer serve you, and you will need to find new ways to experience yourself outside of achievement.
Breaking away from a singular identity of being an achiever is unbelievably hard because it starts when you stop assigning value to everything you do. Tune in as I share my personal experience in my journey to identify outside of producing. I give exercises to help you reconnect with your humanity and ways to move past the fear and insecurity that is keeping you from experiencing joy, peace, and spiritual freedom.
GEMS DROPPED
“Whatever it was that you are either running away from, seeking, or trying to create more of, there comes a tipping point of acquisition, this moment where you're like, Well, what do I love? And what do I enjoy? And how do I actually view myself outside of what it is that I can produce”?
“Most of us have identified with this, you know, I produce, I do well, I do things, I build, I create, I tackle for a very, very, very, very long time”.
“The way in which we worked through our childhoods, and our young adult lives to get to where we are now, that was out of necessity, but when your life no longer necessitates production in the same way it did, then it's like, who am I? And you hit this point where you've just recognized like, your identity is looking to latch on to something new, but you don't, you haven't been in touch with so many other parts of yourself.”
“When life calls us to take on new identities, this old, producer, achiever identity will start to interfere if we don't have ways of being with it differently. We don't have any structures in place to support us with trying to reorient ourselves around this.”
“The key, the first step in knowing your value beyond what you produce, is to stop looking for value”.
“Finding new ways in the small moments to be different with yourself, to experience and to take some risk and experiencing yourself outside of just being the producer, outside of just being the achiever and learning that you are safe. You'll actually finding that there might be some joy, deepening into some real pleasure and some peace, honey, some peace!”
“Ask yourself, if everything was stripped away, and when I say everything, I mean, everything. Everything that you know to be true today in your life, the comforts, everything is stripped away– What would matter most to you? Who would matter most to you? Where would matter most to you? ”
MENTIONED
EP. 14 Spiritual Knowing and Self-Integrity with Josie Rosario
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

15 | Learning To Dream First (CEO Series) Aug 30, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Who do you desire to be, and have you created the space to dream her up?
There is a big difference between a goal and a dream. As a high achiever, fundamentals, planning, and logistics are second nature. Instead of prioritizing your dreams, you focus on goals and to-do lists. You end up in a space where you are doing all this hard work but don’t feel connected to the amazing thing you are building.
Today, I invite you to dream. Our dreams are the North Star against which we can set our goals. That needs to come first. Planting the seeds of dreams starts with building self-trust in the face of fear and uncertainty, which isn’t always something that comes naturally. We must teach ourselves to recognize and prioritize peace to force the articulation of the dreamiest version of ourselves. So I ask you, what is your dream?

GEMS DROPPED
“If you truly want to innovate, if you truly want to build something that doesn't exist in its current form, you want to do something new in the world, this way of growing (through dreaming), it's going to fail you at some point”.
“There is a dream and a vision that I have for my life, the kind of life that I want to live that goes beyond being unalone, that goes beyond being surrounded by people that I call friends, or just humans, you know, which definitely is generally a part of the vision. But it goes beyond that. There's some specificity built into how exactly I want that to feel”.
“There is a difference between a dream and a goal, there's a difference between a dream and a plan or a strategy. All of those have various roles to play, whether we are talking about something as human, as connection and friendship or if we were talking about business strategy, or leadership growth, or what it means to scale up a team, for example.”
“The thing that we will immediately move towards is plans and goals and strategies because as we are high achievers, that's actually the easy stuff. It takes effort, it takes work, it takes putting in more work than maybe the average person will and you recognize that and so it's like, “well, I'm willing to do it. I know that about myself, why am I still fearful?” I want you all to really understand that this starts to get down to this fundamental, almost childlike place for us, where we need to connect to a dream of what it's going to look like”.
“The challenge comes into place when you haven't dreamt into the version of yourself that you want to occupy. At this new level of visibility, who do you desire to be? And have you created the space to dream her up? The dream has to come first y'all. We have to learn to give proper credit to this dimension of ourselves. It's not always about the strategies and the plans and the goals.”
“We talk about playing big. We talk about expansion and growth. And it's all there. It's all in you. It is. It's just begging you to access yourself. To spend the time to slow it down to access yourself”.
“I believe our dreams are anchored in peace because peace lends itself to clarity. Peace lends itself to creativity. Peace lends itself to restiveness which lends itself to clarity. That imaginative state that we need to be able to bask in, to soak up, to shine out. We have to be at peace”
“You have the privilege of dreaming, you have it. You've been blessed with it. You got to occupy it”.
MENTIONS
Kemi Doll - Your Unapologetic Career Podcast
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your

14 | Spiritual Knowing and Self-Integrity with Josie Rosario Aug 16, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Today’s episode includes a special guest! My friend and fellow coach, Josie, is a former therapist who serves as a performance coach for entrepreneurs and teams. She is a disruptive thought leader whose unique mind shifts perspectives for high-performing, successful women. I am excited to share a dialogue between two high-level female executive coaches. Listen in as we touch on the topics of ambition and motivation and how they come together in our lives.
Tune in as Josie, and I talk about conceptualizing a healthy ambition and how our lineage has influenced our lives today. Key points discussed in this episode include:

The idea of waking up to your “medicine.”
You don’t know what you want unless you know who you are
Using values and beliefs as an anchor for ambition
Gathering strength from our lineage
Overcoming disappointment when an achieved goal doesn’t feel right
You are more than a professional title

GEMS DROPPED
“ I think it's time that we wake up, right that we wake up to not only what's happening around us, but really that we wake up to our medicine, I'm always talking about how every single one of us has medicine, right? It doesn't matter what your formal title is, or what role you're in right now what season of life you're in, we all have medicine to offer the people that we are here to be in community with, people that we're here to serve… the people that we're here to guide, whether that's children, clients, whatever… peers, we really need to wake up to that”. - Josie Rosario
“Do you know who you are? How do you do that work first to feel safe in your body, to know what is yours, where that core actually resides, and how to be with it. It just never ceases to amaze me how all of this stuff ends up coming back to like one or two core truths about …can you just get still and present with who you are? Can you do the work and spend the energy and the time or find the support, which I know it's not always accessible to so many people… to do that work… but it's critical, because you can't know where you're headed if you don't know where you're located”. - Monique R. Shields
“When we want to get deep with ourselves, that's not easy work to do, and that it's okay, if it feels confronting or scary, even at, like the notion of doing that work.” - Monique R. Shields
“For us as women of color, as first or second generation, you know, we're not allowed to talk about our mothers, our identity and mothering ourselves and healing those… we're not allowed to publicly talk about them things, you don't say nothing about mama, you don't say nuthin! Right. But there's so much available to us …in chasing this feeling of success, we can be chasing this experience of ourselves with our ambitions.” - Monique R. Shields
GUEST LINKS
Learn more about Josie’s program COTERIE, a sacred 6-month intimate experience for womxn of color entrepreneurs to heal the deepest parts of their Mother Wound at josierosario.com/coterie. | Podcast: ‎Healing Meets Hustle on Apple Podcasts | Instagram:@thejosierosario
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

13 | Re-Mothering Ourselves Aug 02, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Mothering is strongly connected to ambition because it is a core part of the undercurrent of what we are experiencing as women building and creating in the world. I am choosing to open up this conversation because it is difficult, but we all have these personal experiences, and it is crucial to acknowledge that we are not alone in them.
This can feel like a particularly challenging topic for those of us who are people of color or first and second generation because it’s typically seen as taboo and even disrespectful to ever publicly broach the topic of our mothering outside of doting celebration. But there is more to our experience of being mothered than that.
This is not a conversation about being ungrateful or attempting to be disloyal. I want us to begin to separate honesty from loyalty and find a safe space to own that how we have experienced mothering is completely subjective to us and we (and our mothers as well) are allowed to hold our individual perspectives of what was and wasn’t there and how we feel about it.
Our mothering and re-mothering experiences are, in a profound and pervasive way, impacting how we make choices, make decisions, and show up as leaders. I came to an understanding of my own mothering through years of therapy. I came to today’s topic through numerous interactions with the women I know and/or have worked with and, in particular, three recent conversations with some important women in my life where I realized there was something special to offer by opening up the (layered!) conversation about our mothering and, more importantly, what it can look like for us to re-mother ourselves (and each other) as grown women.
So I wanted to share some stories today and offer my unique perspective of why I was empowered to reexamine, reassess, and redefine what mothering looks like for myself, my children, and the women in my village who are re-mothering alongside me.
GEMS DROPPED
“We are carrying our mothers’ stories, we're carrying the most beautiful and powerful… like in ways that the world never recognized in them, not truly not in a way that was congruent with just how amazing they truly are and what potential they carry. And, what opportunities they should have had … what shots they should have been able to take, and we're carrying their dreams. And many times …in many cases, their broken dreams [we] are carrying that with us and all of their potential and that can be heavy. Like you can hold that as an honor. You can hold that as a lot of things. But it's also …I don't care what anyone says… that's heavy. It's a whole human’s potential that, in many ways, was overlooked and stomped on right, systemically. “
“We never stopped needing mothering. We never stopped needing it. And it's hard when you just can't access it in the ways that you need it most. It's hard. It really really, really is. and it will impact what you go after”.
“I think a big part of what makes things realistic is looking back at what has actually been true. And what do I know about where this is coming from? That is not based in my current reality, that this is based on some old stuff, that this is based on some emotional reckoning that is trying to occur, but it's not based on the actual data of what's available to me, what's going on in the world? What is most likely based on my experiences?”
“I have to work with myself in these ways to re-mother because the experiences of my past and what I feel emotionally obligated to or like I'm being pushed to rise into that I don't have it…, it's not real.”
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershi

12 | Allowing Your Ambition To Evolve with Jereshia Hawk Jul 19, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

I am excited to welcome Jereshia Hawk to the podcast. She is a highly sought-after business coach whose mission is to narrow the racial wealth gap by helping industry professionals leverage their expertise to chart new career paths with strategic online sales. Jereshia grew her business to multi-millions (creating $1MM in PROFIT during one of those years) in less than four years! I know her story will inspire you.

This episode is about uncovering how Jereshia's ambition unfolded. Not only is there so much to learn from her success, but I know you will connect with her personal experiences as a Black woman high-achiever who comes from humble beginnings. She is an incredible example of how believing in yourself, knowing there is more to achieve, and connecting to an unwavering sense of ambition is an unstoppable combination.
Tune in as we dive deep into heavy topics such as:

The effect of "proximity to possibility."
Believing in more out of necessity & survival
The power of accepting & embracing where you are right now
Seeing yourself as more than what you are able to produce
Personal growth & ambition beyond making money

GEMS DROPPED

“I don't know if I ever had this moment in time where I was like, I have this infinite belief in myself that I can do anything. I think a lot of my, like, belief in more was rooted in how clearly I knew what I never wanted to experience”.- Jereshia Hawk
“We just never know how we can be shaping and influencing other people's ambitions and dreams”. - Monique R. Shields
“...you have to understand the customer and know who you're for and who you're not for…know when to cut the tie versus wasting the time and when to invest in that in the communication of the relationship.” - Jereshia Hawk
“You need somebody who can teach you privileges that you don't have”.- Jereshia Hawk
“Sales is not really about just the act of sales, it's about how you view the world and how you understand human behavior and people”. - Monique R. Shields
“It has to be a Divine Alignment. You have to be operating in your obedience and I have to be maybe operating in mine and it's a prayer answered in both ways. That's how I know that that's the client for me…that's the filter”. - Jereshia Hawk
“I used to think that freedom was, ‘I get to do whatever I want.’ And it is, but I've recognized that when I feel the most free is when I have really beautiful structure in place… the structure allows me to experience freedom”. - Jereshia Hawk
“It's not about, ‘Oh, I already know the answers. I don't need support.’ But it's like you might need to surrender to an environment that allows you to unravel your truth to fully come out, like the truth is in you, you need that space sometimes to be held for it to be released”. - Jereshia Hawk
GUEST LINKS
Instagram: Instagram (@jereshiahawk)
Podcast: ‎Jereshia Said on Apple Podcasts
YouTube: Jereshia Said
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

11 | When Relationships Take More Than They Give Jul 05, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Today I'm talking about relationships and the imbalance that so many of us are experiencing and tolerating in our relationships with other people. When I say people, I mean EVERYONE - your friends, family, investors, employees, and clients.

This topic matters so much because too many of us are in lopsided relationships. We are giving more than we are receiving. Women, especially, can be so willing to give, and give, and give. But we have to choose something different. Our money, missions, and joy are on the line because of how we engage in relationships.
We allow people, organizations, clients, customers, and teams to enter our life willy-nilly. The threshold for engagement is too low.
We think that current mistreatment will make us worthy or more ready for a future where that doesn't exist, but it doesn’t work this way. It's much easier to endure things when you haven't taken the time to be specific about what you need. Don't let imbalanced relationships harm your spirit. You deserve more. It's up to you to make the shift.
GEMS DROPPED

“...many of us are actually moving through our lives and our professional experiences. … below rock bottom, and completely unaware of it because we won't allow ourselves to feel the true pain, the true rage, the true sadness, that exists here, right now, if we allow ourselves to feel it, we'd make some new decisions. And that's scary. We'd have to change. And that's scary”.
“...being specific is critical, especially when we're trying to make a change. We know something isn't right where we are right now. We know it's not right. It's because we're allowing ourselves to operate in vagueness, it's much easier to continue to endure things when you haven't taken the time to be specific and precise around what needs to be what and why”.
“Just because I've known you for 15, 20, 30 years, or more, doesn't mean we're friends. …the fact that that can be automatic for some of us, is getting us in trouble. We are extending loyalty to folks that have just been around for a long time that have been mislabeled as ‘friends’ because we have said time equals friendship in this instance for some reason, and they have done nothing friend-like true blue friend-like to actually have acquired their title”.
“We have these different types of friends. Not any individual can be your everything. I don't think that any friend (professional, personal) can be your everything... This is to say that there are certain things that we have to define ahead of entering into [friendship]… ahead of labeling people, friends – that we should know what we're talking about first, what does ‘friend’ mean to you? … time does not equal friendship, not in and of itself”.
“People don't need to earn my energy. People don't need to earn my connection. People don't need to earn my time, people don't need to earn my loyalty. All of those things are built on trust, trust is earned. Trust is demonstrated”.
“We as humans impact each other, like on a cellular level, … we have to be thoughtful about who gets in, and who we're calling friend, who we are saying that we are in relationship with… who we allow to take up that space, it should be earned”.
“You laying yourself bare to just be trampled upon in a relationship is not a show of gratitude. That is simply a demonstration of inequity and abuse”.
MENTIONED
Monique's client referral site: moniquershields.com/referral
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an

10 | Teaching Your Team How To Treat You (CEO Series) Jun 21, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Let's discuss what it means to teach people how to treat you. You can't go out into the world expecting people to understand how you specifically need to be treated. This especially holds true when you are in a leadership position because your time and energy have to be optimized.

In this episode, I challenge you to answer this question: "How do you want to be treated?" I want you to identify what matters to you regarding your treatment as a leader.
It's okay to feel hesitation or confusion about this. As a woman in leadership, or as a woman of color in leadership, you desire to lead a team in a way that's different from what you've experienced in your past roles. You want equity. You want your team to feel heard and supported.
But a big part of leadership has nothing to do with democracy and everything to do with you getting clear on what you need and what your expectations are. So we must learn how to shift back and forth between being open-minded or collaborative and being very specific and directive about what we want our team to do or not do.
This starts with learning how to articulate what you need from your team as a leader. We need to assert what we want in life. Unfortunately, that is a skill that most women of color are grossly inexperienced in. Ask for help. Engage with a coach. Because making this a priority will drastically change how you feel and move as a leader.

GEMS DROPPED
“You have to train people for how you want to be treated. You can't go out into the world expecting people to understand how you specifically need to be treated. …this holds especially true when you're in a position of leadership because your time and your energy have to be so well optimized. It's critical that the folks who say they're on the team with you, the folks that you hire, the folks that you're engaging with day to day to get things done towards your mission, towards the vision of your business, they need to know how to … best leverage you and how to best set you up for success because by setting you up for success as the leader, they set themselves and the entire organization up for success…we as women of color are particularly untrained in how to do this… it's really uncomfortable for us”.
“As a leader, it can feel like this dichotomy of either I am democratic, or I am a dictator… Either I am someone who is a doormat or I am a big boss, ‘shut it down. Shut up. I don't care what you have to say,’ right? Like, this false dichotomy, right? Y'all know, and whenever I talk about dichotomies, they're not real. There are always tons of shades of gray in between, there are so many different options and nuances in between and ways that we can be with our leadership… being a strong leader, getting things done, and getting what we need out of our teams without having to occupy either of those polarizing states”.
As women of color, we are grossly under-resourced and under-leveraged. And so when you've positioned yourself to be in a leadership role, and then all of a sudden, it's like, here I go, again, I'm getting that feeling of being under-resourced …it’s like we're being re-triggered…just more evidence …, in our minds that I don't deserve to be here, I'm not equipped… Because we've been hearing these messages forever in our careers, in our lives, and in the broader media. …our absence in these spaces, in these places of leadership in these places of like well-resourced, well-funded, you know, our absence says it all.”

STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an

09 | Being The First Or Only (CEO Series) Jun 07, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

It’s lonely at the top.
I want to talk about creating something from something instead of the narrative we hear most prominently, which is creating something from nothing. There is merit in taking what you’ve been given and making something of those blessings. This conversation is important because I want you to see how exceptional you are for taking anything, even one step further than what you saw in your house or community.
We are experiencing all of this isolation out in the world by existing as the only person, the only woman who’s been able to achieve “XYZ.” Then we come back home, and we are with family, and a whole other level of isolation occurs. These folks who will lay their lives on the line for us, who love us deeply - they don’t understand us.
You can be incredibly proud of your humble beginnings, and you can say it sucks to be the only one on the outside as one of the few who are exceeding, who evolve. It’s hard to continue to excel and have this fear that you might grow too much and leave people behind. It is okay to say that that is hard. Don’t normalize it. Acknowledge it.
Hope exists. You do not have to do this alone. Take pride in your ability to leverage and connect with others because that is what a great leader does. It is okay to say that it is hard. But don’t insist upon your own isolation.
GEMS DROPPED

"Don't normalize being the first or only. Acknowledge that this is an isolating experience for me. You can acknowledge that, yes …, I am equipped with some of the skills I need to navigate this. I can figure this out. We don't need to bash our confidence around it, but we also need to hold space for the fact that this is a uniquely challenging circumstance to exist and to continue to excel in”.
“It's okay for you to claim moments in space where you can just say, this is too much or this feels unfair. There's an undue weight on me. That is not in any way expressing that you are not grateful for your community. That you are not grateful for where you come from. That you are in some way ashamed of where you come from. That is not an admittance of any of those things. They both can exist– you can be extremely proud of where you come from, your humble beginnings, or the humble beginnings of your family and friends in your community…and you can say it sucks to be one of the few who are exceeding that, who have been able to go and move beyond and expand and evolve. And it's hard to try to evolve with this fear of also not evolving too much and leaving folks behind. It's hard to hold both of those things at the same time. And it is okay to say that it's hard.”
“The beauty of getting older, wiser, and having more ownership and direction over our lives is that we get to redesign and choose to experience this next phase differently. Because I tell you what, everything that you've been building towards …the levels of success that you are experiencing now…it's going to be hard to keep moving the way you used to move and expect new growth to come from that. There comes a point in time where isolation will eat away at you and you will not be able to push through because we have been able to compensate with energy…that changes as we get older…”.
“Leaders are people who are great at seeking and finding good help… leveraging excellent help. That is what leadership is.”
“Make yourself available to the inner signals that tell you a connection is waiting for you.”

STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambi

08 | What Rooms Deserve You May 24, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Today’s conversation is about deserving and the spaces we deserve to be in.
This topic has me fired up because as women, until we begin to move through the world with a filter, a level of standards that defines a mutually beneficial criteria to our personal and business relationships, we are going to continue to end up in situations that we don’t deserve.
I share my experiences where this set of criteria for my time and energy has served me. Don’t put yourself in a situation where there is scarcity of magic. Where you are making decisions from a place of big risk because you're moving through your business out of desperation.
So if you have asked yourself “Why have I lost track of where my footing is? Who am I?” I hope this episode reaches you and sparks a shift in how you think about who and what deserves your energy.
MENTIONED
05 | Why We MUST Stop Isolating Ourselves - How To Connect Deeply With Other Women
GEMS DROPPED
“I want us to flip this entire framing on its head because it is getting us in trouble. And when I say us, I am talking about the black and brown women of us. Okay, so today's conversation about deserving is about first and foremost, understanding that we have to flip the way that we are holding deserving in our minds. What rooms, what tables, what spaces, what relationships want connections, what people …deserve us. Because until we begin to move through the world, with this filter on with this set of criteria with this level of standard, we're going to keep winding up in situations where we should never be, we're going to keep winding up in situations that take more from us than they could possibly ever give”.
“...we are accepting misaligned things, misaligned work, misaligned opportunities and projects, we are hiring this way…we are getting into relationships this way… we're going into places where our time and our talents have nothing to do with our actual time and our actual talents”.
“...many of us are being purely motivated by this notion that we just need to be everywhere. Being everywhere is not a sign of competence. It's not a sign of strong character… just being places, doesn't really add up to or amount to much in terms of your market value, your perceived market value…”
“...having that clarity of priority around what you have and how things line up and what you know, what actually makes sense for you, before deciding that you need to be somewhere or be a part of some conversation or be seen someplace is critically important”.
“...don't ever be so desperate for opportunity that you don't assess for its worthiness of you…”
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

07 | Being "Worthy" Of The Pivot May 10, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Today I am taking away our excuses. If you are tuned into this episode, you are attracted to the notion of self-directed ambition. There is something calling to you that is bigger than what you are doing now. But these changes we want to make in our careers and businesses are pivots that trigger our worthy button.
No matter how much anyone tells you that you’re worthy of success, you will not truly embody that feeling until you persuade yourself of your own worthiness. To grow, expand, and attain that next level of excellence, we need to engage in the art of self-persuasion. No one else can help make these pivots. It is on us to shift our mindset and learn how to build the skill of working with ourselves and reflecting internally to believe in our worthiness.
In this episode, I break down the obstacles and challenges that hold high-achievers back from making a necessary pivot. It’s less about doing and more about being. There is no way to know how a scenario will work out so believe in the story that is going to lift you up. When you move with the confidence of you who are and what you stand for, it’s magnetic. You are powerful. You are worthy. You can make that pivot.
GEMS DROPPED

“Setting yourself up for success is either code for, “I want to make sure that I make a move that protects me from failure” or “how do I make sure I'm set up for it is what will finally make me worthy of the success?” So one is about, I want to make sure that I have collected all of the Girl Scout badges, and the other is about I've put on enough armor to protect myself. Both of those buckets are a way of thinking that has been handed down to us through traditional career building in corporate structures and neither of those models is going to get you to your intrinsic vision”
“The social contracts that you make with people, they do exist. When we build up different brands, or even just professional reputations in people's minds, they exist, …people need to be able to hold you in their imaginations as something, we need to make sense of each other. But those brands, those reputations are not built on the specific configuration of what you do and how you do it in the world. They're not built upon the specific titles that you carry, the specific strengths and skills that you have, and how those things specifically come together. That's not actually the bedrock, they're a part of it, for sure, but the bedrock of those social contracts, and the way that people are carrying us in their minds… is trust”.
“People are not thinking about us as much as we think they are. we're caught up in our own stuff y'all, like the same way that you're just trying to stay on top of all the basic necessities of your life in all the big questions of your life. That's what everybody else is doing, too.”
“...things that you think you need to have… all of the shiny objects that you need to collect… all of the people, all of the authorities that need to approve of you before you can make this step, you don't have to be set up in that way for success. The way that we set ourselves up for these pivots. The ways that we prepare ourselves to make these kinds of pivots is by going internal into making some decisions and making some shifts around how we are relating to ourselves, which then carry out to how we move. When we move with that kind of energy, you become magnetic…’
STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

06 | On Trying To Save Everyone Apr 26, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

This episode is about reframing generosity. As high achievers, the temptation to help everyone looking for mentorship is strong. Many of us get trapped in this version of generosity that has us spread thin, trying to do the best we can for everyone. All of these mentorships take up time and energy that could have been spent on our core vision - the passion that has propelled us to the top of our fields.
I know how tempting it is to say yes to everyone asking for help. But if we want to continue growing and expanding, we must shift our mindset on giving.
Generosity is not about how much you give. Generosity is about how well you give. Ask yourself: “What’s at risk for me if I give to this person and what’s at risk for them if I say yes?” It’s not always about filling in the gaps with little ways that you can help people here and there and spreading yourself thin. It’s about keeping your eye on the prize and putting energy in places that drive your mission and goals.
GEMS DROPPED

“...because of the structural barriers, there's no one above us. And so we feel once we get to these levels, it's like, well, I didn't have anyone to look up to. I'm now the person I wish I had been back then. So I owe it to this young, bright mind …to take the phone call to say you know what, go ahead and send me your resume. Yeah, you know, go ahead and send me your portfolio. You know what, I'll find some time in my calendar, reach out to my assistant, you're just saying yes to everybody. And look, I want you all to understand, sometimes you're gonna say, Yes but it has to be filtered through a set of criteria that you have determined for yourself that it incorporates, and really, I think, at its foundation is about protecting who you are most meant to be showing up in the world”.

“...we got to stop trying to save everyone, and losing ourselves in the process and losing our big pictures in the process. It's not a strike against you to have boundaries in this way…we mistake generosity for spreading ourselves out. And that generosity actually has nothing to do with giving a lot. It's not about the amount of giving that you do but about the number of people that you give to and how much you give them. Generosity is about quality. Generosity is about how well you give. Generosity is not about how much you give, it is about how well you give. And what happens is we get into this practice of giving ourselves away”.
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

05 | Why We MUST Stop Isolating Ourselves - How To Connect Deeply With Other Women (CEO Series) Apr 12, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

How are you navigating and managing your path to success? The biggest challenge high-achieving women face is isolation. You are wired to be self-sufficient and have an overwhelming feeling of responsibility and ownership. Those qualities propelled you into a powerful leadership position, but is being alone sustainable?
In this episode, I share a story from my young adult life that was a turning point for me. At that moment, I realized how disconnected I felt from other women. That is also when I made a choice to start navigating life through relationships. That decision was the greatest shift I had made professionally and personally.
Now, I have gained the gift of personal connection. Relationships are essential to our basic well-being. No matter how much we fight it or insist, we can navigate the journey alone. Connections with other people bring clarity and motivation. Your advancement, your expansion, and your growth are absolutely dependent on your ability to connect and relate to others.
I encourage you to open up and pull others into your journey. I encourage you to experience the power of what it means to learn through relationships and to be exposed to another human being. Because if you’re not able to share your problems or not able to share your questions, you are never going to get new answers.
GEMS DROPPED
I've been able to shift my beliefs about myself about what's possible for me as a human, as a business owner, as a wife, as a mom, because I now know the power of what it means to learn through relationship, to be exposed to another human being, because if you're not able to share your problems, not able to share your questions or just the things that you're sitting with, you're never gonna get new answers”.
“...a big part of what I'm trying to share on this episode today is encouragement for you to find and tap into some bravery and belief around the fact that you can shift your entire existence, you can shift your being, by just deciding…to reveal that piece of yourself that feels messy or shameful or uncertain or not good enough. That's honestly the key. That's the thing that you're waiting on to be different. You have to decide to be different with it, which means to stop trying to hold it alone, to open yourself up, and recognize that, okay, I'm not meant to do anything alone in life. We're really not”
“If you are feeling isolated, and you are feeling like I know my high achievement… it's blocking me from connecting with other people from trusting other people from letting the other people in to actually see me and embrace me and hold me and help me, you're holding yourself back”.
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

04 | Power In The Pause (CEO Series) Mar 29, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

This episode is for everyone who is being pulled toward a new way forward. You are someone who has built something to be proud of, something people are taking notice of. After years of hard work and proving yourself, success is rolling in. It’s all you’ve ever wanted, but suddenly it doesn’t feel as exciting. Instead of rushing into the next opportunity, you’re asking yourself “What’s next?”
This is another type of crossroads. One where we are called to pause and step away.
I’ve dedicated this episode to a conversation about reframing what it means when we are called to restart. It is disorienting to feel like you are starting over or losing the passion for the brand and business you have built.
As entrepreneurs, we need to shift our mindset about quitting. You aren’t losing momentum because growth is not a linear journey. You are being called to recreate and expand into something else. The drive that lives deep within you isn’t fading. It is what will propel you into the next leg of the journey. And it’s time to get started.
GEMS DROPPED
“...subconsciously many of us are operating this way. Like, the only time I will stop, the only time I will pause, the only time I will take respite is when I get the terrifying diagnosis, suffer a major loss or blow in my life and everything comes crashing down…That is when it is okay for me to stop…We have to actually self-direct our pauses, our rejuvenation, our restoration, and our reinvention is what I'm inviting you all into in this conversation…”
“...when we build something so big, we have forged something so special and so bright and shining and powerful, that sort of the equal and opposite reaction required is a deep and powerful restoration, a deep and powerful aggressive recovery, and reinvention, space for reinvention, space for recreation, like the Phoenix, because it's drastic to go from being this bright and brilliant and powerful bird, this creature, this mythical creature, with all these powers to a pile of ash... the energy of those stages of this creatures lifecycle are…necessary”.
“...what that reworking requires many times, it's not the kind of work that we're used to doing, that kind of visible building, you know, revenue immediately driving work that we're used to doing, but it still is probably the bigger work, the biggest work of your life, and the biggest work of whatever you create, because what you create is going to be an extension of you.”
“... your potential is resting upon your ability to submit to this season that is calling you. Your potential is on the line, and you're holding it the wrong way. Your potential does not reside and you continue to power through, but something that does not feel aligned anymore. When you look forward and it's like this is not right. Something's not right for me. Don't ignore that voice”.
LINKS MENTIONED
Vanessa Lau - https://vanessalau.co/sabbatical/
Quit by Anne Duke - https://www.amazon.com/Quit-Power-Knowing-When-Walk/dp/0593422996
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields, and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

03 | What Are You Playing For? (CEO Series) Mar 29, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

If you have been questioning whether your current business or career is fulfilling or meaningful, that may be a sign that you’re at a crossroads.
This is a common stage on our journeys where we think to ourselves, “how did I come this far, build up this business, build up this professional identity, and all of a sudden, I don't know what I want or where I’m going?”
I think the question beneath all of this is, what am I playing for?
And so I wanted to have this whole episode to be a conversation to remind you that you absolutely know exactly what you're playing for. Your ability to connect with a North Star, and to go after that thing you desire, it hasn't gone anywhere. It's just being clouded right now and I want us to explore what might be causing you to feel as though your future is veiled. Let’s go.
GEMS DROPPED
“If you want to go and actually take full advantage of the brilliance that surrounds you… you want to be able to take that [brilliance] in and you still need a filter through which to process that stuff. And I think reminding yourself of who you are, and what you want, both before and after events… that is incredibly important”.
“This whole thing called entrepreneurship…we got into it because we were seeking to have a more unique individualized experience of our professional lives. And what that means is, the way we are going to do it is going to be unique to us, and you have it in you, you absolutely have it in you. It's just a matter of you giving yourself permission, full permission to embrace it.”
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields, and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

02 | Taking Your True Potential More Seriously Mar 29, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Does this sound familiar?
You have done all the things, and now you've earned independence. You're at a point in your career where you might have a business or some other sort of organization, or department or Institute or whatever it is that you're running, where you're the big boss. You're at the top, and you get to make the rules, still –
you don't feel deserving,
you don't feel like you're supposed to be where you are,
You don't know what to do with all that power.
What's happening is that so much of what has been driving you to this point has been externally directed. And so, in lieu of knowing precisely what you want, going after and defining your own rules and setting your own terms, in lieu of that, what you'll continue to do is give yourself away to this external mandate.
You stop giving your power away by beginning to take yourself more seriously. You do this by owning that you are a star and accepting and embracing that.
I want that for us. I want us to be able to see how brightly we shine. So in this episode, I will share what has helped my clients and myself with this process of taking ourselves more seriously and really positioning ourselves to create the kind of future we truly desire and deserve.
GEMS DROPPED
“There is no recalibrating of who I believe myself to be without some healing.”
“The greatest trick of all time when it comes to career building and vision setting is that we are convinced that we don't know what we want. Because even though the possibilities are limitless, it's like I could want so many different things, I want to choose the right one…there is no one right path.”
“Just taking one big bold step, one exposing, revealing, vulnerable step, it forces you to take the next step and the next step and the next step because it's like well shoot, I'm out here now. I'm out here now. I did it. I ripped the band-aid off. So I kind of have no choice but to go on to be great”.
“If you're trying to build your unique and intrinsic vision, you have to have clarity around what it is that you really want next, and not be driven by what other people say should be next, or what the ladder dictates should be next for you. We don't want to be building on default anymore. That's the whole point”.
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields, and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

01 | Embracing Your Next Season - How To Let Go Of What's Holding You Back Mar 29, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

In this episode, I reveal what it has looked like for both me and my clients to move through the challenging experience of needing to shed either what no longer serves us or no longer matters most - even during the “gray” uncertain seasons of our lives.
I am excited to invite you into what becomes possible when we identify the beliefs, identities, and behaviors that have begun to hold us back and shift our focus toward a more singular and intense way of existing.
You’ll hear about how I discovered that little 5th-grade Monique was showing up in my business goal-setting as a story I had to shed. You’ll also learn how I’ve helped my brilliant clients make massive shifts in their businesses by confronting some tough, but necessary people-pleasing and self-sabotage shedding of their own.
If you’re ready to turn the mirror inwards and consider what you need to shed in order to meet your next stage of expansion, this episode is for you.
GEMS DROPPED

“ When I took a step back and asked myself ‘what do I truly want this year?’ I said, ‘I want a more singularly focused experience of my time and my business. I want to be doing a very limited number of activities and doing them super duper duper well”
“We all get hung up on these false narratives that are trapped in our minds on an endless loop that are delivering half-baked data on our past that are now having massive implications on how we shape our futures.”
LINKS MENTIONED

Luminae Wellness (Oakland, CA): https://instagram.com/luminaewellness?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields, and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

00 | Welcome to the Ambition Without Compromise Podcast Mar 08, 2023

NEW! Click here to text Monique directly with any thoughts, feels or feedback ... seriously, it goes directly to her

Hi and welcome to my corner of the podcast sphere! My name is Monique Shields. I'm an executive coach, a career strategist, a Black woman, a wife, a mom, and an entrepreneur.
I help ambitious women leaders move through fear and distraction to clarify, communicate and act on their unique definition of success without compromising what matters most.
For me, Ambition Without Compromise is based on internal rather than external metrics that we never built. And so in this space, I want us to focus on our individual visions, needs, curiosities, and how our ambitions can actually support us as we grow into the versions of ourselves that we desire to expand into.
I am so excited to share this space with you. Join me biweekly as I bring you solo and guest episodes to help you curate your path to success. No hiding. No Compromise.
I know you're going to enjoy this journey. Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields, and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Let's go!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Ambition Without Compromise

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected