Is Ambition A Dirty Word?
The heart wants what the heart wants.
Is there a part of you that feels guilty for wanting more out of life?
Do you see your ambition as something “cringe,” unspiritual, or even a little selfish?
After my life-changing heart-surgery inducing burnout of 2013, I fled the world of business and dove right into the spirituality space for a full year.
I moved to New Orleans where my husband was opening a juice bar and taught yoga, meditation, and practiced Reiki full time.
The community was chill, classes were relaxed, and everyone charged sliding scale rates. No one (at the time) was really building a brand, growing their business, or thinking strategically. Which makes sense and I am down with that… I am SO down with that for them and yet…
That’s just not who I am — and I knew that even then.
When Jay-Z said, “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business — man,” I felt that down to my soul. I am no longer an overworking burnt out wreck, but down to the core of my soul, I’m a business, woman. I love building and scaling. It lights me up. It is definitely a big part of my purpose…
So, less than a year later. I moved back to NYC and eventually got a “real job” in wellness as a VP at Sakara Life. A cool job that paid (almost) the kind of money I was used to in my hospitality executive days and frankly, offered the kind of status that I wanted.
Now I’m self-aware enough to know that SOME people will be like — ew that’s your ego talking… and that’s fine.
But others will be like damn… I feel that sis. I want to do something I love/believe in and give back to the world but I ALSO want to get paid / have notoriety / get a book deal / grow my following / etc. etc.
Well, if that’s you — you have come to the right place. My speciality is ambitious entrepreneurs who want to do good in the world but also be rich but also make an impact but also not do super cringe things to get there…
ENTER = YOUR DHARMA!!
Dharma: The Sacred Purpose
When we explore ambition through the lens of dharma (loosely translated to mean “sacred purpose”) —a concept rooted in traditional Indian religions — we begin to see a more nuanced, integrated approach to living a “successful” life.
Dharma is interpreted about a trillion sloppy ways from its original Sanskrit root. A better direct translation might be "right way of living" or "path of rightness". In a broader sense, living your dharma means living in alignment and fulfilling YOUR role in the greater cosmic order.
Now I’m not saying anyone’s dharma is “f*ck bitches, get money…” but fame, success, notoriety, impact, etc. may in fact be a part of what your soul came to this earth to experience.
And you shouldn’t have to apologize or feel guilty for that. You CAN be wildly successful, wildly happy, and wildly ethical in the way you build your brand or business. It might take longer and it might look different — but it’s absolutely possible.
Discernment on the Path of Becoming
Deciphering what YOU (and your soul) want — vs what you want because you see other people having it can get VERY tricky. In these days of social media, it can be really easy to think, “yes! I want to create a million-dollar-a-month digital course,” or “maybe I actually want to be a rich Trad wife??” when your soul wants nothing to do with EITHER of those things.
I wish I could tell you there was a fool-proof easy way to tune out the noise and only follow your soul (if there was, I would have already made it into a million-dollar-a-month course, y’all!) but instead — I’m going to share with you MY process that works/is working for me and works/is working for my clients.
NOTE: I did not say “worked” because this is a never-done, always evolving kind of thing. I teach the path of “Becoming” — which is a life-long journey of allowing your dharma to evolve overtime. This process invites you to stay open to growth, new inspiration, and continual transformation as you walk your path.
So, in very truncated form here’s how you figure out this whole dharma / Becoming thing:
STEP ONE: KNOW YOURSELF
CLARITY of destination is a non-negotiable on any successful journey. You must have a north star on the path of Becoming — somewhere your soul is longing to go. To find that, you’ll need to get to know yourself intimately through introspection, mindfulness, and maybe a little (or a lot of) therapy.
You need to remember who you were before all the trauma and societal programming. And most importantly — you need a clear vision of a future that lights you the F up. A future vision so compelling that you’re actually motivated to get up and do the damn thangs. Because there will be thangs!! Which leads me to…
STEP TWO: HONOR YOURSELF
ALIGNMENT is like the lasso that pulls down your vision into reality. It’s one thing to get clear on who and what you want to be — it’s quite another to do the things that are required to get you there. This is where most people tap out… and where accountability from a coach or community is key.
You’ll be saying NO to all the bad habits and toxic people who have held you back and held you down this long. And you’ll be saying YES to the new habits, challenges, people, and places that will take you where you know you deserve to be.
This is not a fluffy or uncomplicated process. It’s hard work. It requires radical honesty, ruthless prioritization, and boundaries. But remember — as you go through the challenges and trials, the next version of you is waiting for you and cheering you on — and may be closer than you think.
STEP THREE: LOVE YOURSELF
EMBODIMENT is the ultimate manifestation of stepping into the brightest, boldest version of you. And TBH — I’m still working on this step. In some ways, we always are.
Because our “best selves” aren’t fixed. We are ALWAYS evolving. ALWAYS upleveling. ALWAYS Becoming.
At this level we are reparenting ourselves and clearing those deepest wounds. We are making joy a non-negotiable because — even though hard work is required — play and laughter are what really set our souls free.
This is also the step where the cycle will eventually begin to repeat, like all things in nature. You think you get to uplevel ONCE and then you’re done forever? Not you, divine being. You’ll be revisiting “STEP ONE” over and over and over again if you’re LUCKY as long as you live. We have to be willing to let go of our current reality in order to claim what’s next.
There is no “end goal” when you are living your dharma. Every day that you wake up and breathe is part of your dharma.
I NEVER believed back in the old days that I could have the career I have today. A thriving business where I weave startup expertise and spirituality and somatic healing (and even shamanism) and get paid well to do it. I did not have a clear plan. I just kept listening to my soul and doing the work.
AND FRIENDS — there is so much more I want to do. I AM ambitious. I DO want to make a massive impact. I KNOW my soul was sent here to have a “big life” and so I continue this process of Becoming myself — even as I am teaching and guiding others. I will ALWAYS have more to learn and I claim that with enthusiasm. How boring would it be to… arrive?
Remember, ambition fueled by purpose is not ego or greed; it's the universe calling you to step into the fullness of who you are meant to be.
If you’re ready to leap into your next level — let’s chat about 1-1 coaching. It would be my honor to help your soul embody it’s full purpose in this lifetime.
