Make Some Noise with Andrea Owen Episode 680: The Truth About Ambition, Burnout, and Your Zone of Genius with Amina AlTai
I’m so excited for you to hear this conversation with Amina AlTai. She’s enthusiastic, warm, and wicked smart, and her work around ambition is deeply important. Amina is a holistic career coach and chronic illness advocate who helps leaders lead from their brilliance and truth. Her new book, The Ambition Trap, reframes what ambition means, and how it can be a tool for healing and wholeness instead of burnout and over-functioning.
We discuss the two types of ambition: the kind rooted in purpose and values, and the kind that comes from pain, people-pleasing, and old wounds. Plus, Amina shares her own story about autoimmune diagnoses and near organ failure; and how they shaped the framework she now teaches.
As Amina says, “Ambition is the desire to grow,”and anything is possible with your ambition when it's coming from that place of purpose and wholeness.
You’ll hear us talk about:
- Ambition rooted in purpose vs. ambition driven by family or societal expectations (aka purposeful ambition vs. painful ambition) (6:13)
- Why overworking is often a systemic and economic issue, plus signs you're caught in the cycle and how to break free (10:25)
- What it means to live above the resentment line and how it applies to your professional life (12:56)
- The three E’s of identifying your zone of genius: excellence, energy, and ease and how they help align your career with your true self (15:25)
- How to shift your perspective around the word ambition, especially if it’s always felt a little uncomfortable (21:39)
- Practical strategies to prevent burnout while still pursuing your goals (24:08)
- The internalized beliefs that equate your worth with your work and how core belief and shadow work can help flip the script (32:53)
Resources:
Andrea on Instagram @heyandreaowen
My Ketamine Therapy Journey secret podcast seriesAmina’s websiteAmina’s book, The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living
Amina on Instagram @aminaaltai
The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks
Book recommendations:
I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!
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