What the Gender “Ambition Gap” Research Got Wrong

Women in corporate America aren’t burned out because of how much they’re working—they’re burned out by how much the system isn’t working for them.

Today, Sammi breaks down the latest Women in the Workplace report from Lean In and McKinsey, and the findings are more alarming than the headlines suggest. For the first time in over a decade, women are less interested in climbing the corporate ladder—not because they don’t want success, but because the ladder itself is broken.

Sammi unpacks the data behind the growing “ambition gap,” the consequence of rolling back DEI efforts, and why women are still being penalized for flexibility and remote work—while men aren’t. 

Sammi connects the dots between structural corporate failures and the rise of an entirely new career model—one that could define the next decade of work in America. If companies don’t adapt, Sammi says, they may be staring down a long-term talent crisis.

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00:00 The Breaking Point

01:10 Inside the Women in the Workplace report

02:15 The Truth About the “Ambition Gap”

3:13 The Broken Rung Problem

5:58 Corporate America’s Retreat from DEI

7:03 The Rise of Portfolio Careers

8:45 The Future of Work

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