For many of the incredible women I work with—entrepreneurs, creatives, salon owners, leaders—there’s a recurring theme: the belief that ambition and contentment are at odds. That if you’re striving, you can’t be settled. That if you’re grateful, you can’t want more.
But the truth is, ambition and contentment can live side by side. The key is alignment. I’ve worked with countless women who are, on paper, at the top of their game—big titles, full diaries, leadership roles, and six-figure businesses. But they come to me feeling drained, stuck, and wondering, is this it?
They’ve ticked all the boxes they thought they were supposed to, only to realise they were chasing someone else’s version of success—a parent’s, a partner’s, their industry’s, or society’s.
I know this story intimately. I started my own salon at 21, got pregnant at 22, and spent the next 15 years trying to prove I wasn’t just a hairdresser or a young mum.
I burned out badly in the process—physically, emotionally, mentally—because I thought I had to prove I was enough. But the entire time, I wasn’t the happiest or healthiest version of myself.
This isn’t just a “mum” thing, or even a “female” thing. It’s a human thing. We’re taught that success looks a certain way. That you have to work yourself into the ground to achieve it. But what if true success is actually finding peace in what you already have—and only striving for more when it feels good?
5 Ways to Stay Ambitious Without Losing Your Joy
- Understand Your Core Values
Ask yourself: What really matters to me? Not what you think you should want, but what actually makes you feel alive, grounded, and proud.
Values like freedom, creativity, connection, or calm might not align with hustle culture—and that’s okay. Understanding your values is the first step to redefining what ambition looks like for you.
- Check If It’s Your Dream
Is what you’re chasing really yours? So many of our goals are shaped by our families, peers, mentors, or society.
From a young age, we’re conditioned to want the gold star, the promotion, the house, the status. But when you pause and reflect, you might realise you’re working toward a dream that doesn’t even belong to you.
- Rewrite the Narrative Around “Enough”
What does enough mean to you? Enough money, enough rest, enough success. The idea that wanting more means you’re ungrateful is flawed.
You can feel deep gratitude for what you have while still wanting to grow. But striving for more at the cost of your wellbeing? That’s not ambition—that’s misalignment.
- Be Kind With Your Ambition
Ambition doesn’t need to be punishing. It doesn’t need to be 5am alarms, non-stop emails, or sacrificing joy for productivity.
You can be wildly ambitious and still prioritise rest, play, and presence. You can want better without needing to do more.
- Redefine Work-Life Balance on Your Terms
The myth of perfect work-life balance sets us all up to feel like failures. What if balance simply meant your work fuels your life—not drains it?
For some, success is being fully booked and travelling the world. For others, it’s a three-day week so they can do the school run and walk barefoot in the garden. It’s all valid.
So… Can Ambition and Contentment Coexist?
Absolutely. But only when your ambition is aligned with your truth—not someone else’s expectation You can be ambitious about creating ease.
Ambitious about living fully. Ambitious about doing work you love without losing yourself in the process. Real success isn’t about constantly pushing for more.
It’s about knowing what your more looks like—and making peace with the fact that sometimes, less actually brings more joy, freedom, and fulfilment.
Take one of my clients—she runs a successful business, has a small team, and works three days a week. She could grow bigger, open more locations, or chase the next big title. But she’s intentionally chosen to keep things simple because what matters most to her is time with her kids, feeling calm, and having creative freedom.
She’s ambitious—always evolving, mentoring her team, refining her brand. But she’s also content—because she’s built a life that aligns with her values.
She’s proof that you don’t have to sacrifice your peace to be ambitious. The women who inspire me most aren’t the busiest.
They’re the ones living in their truth, creating success their way. Ambition doesn’t have to be loud, shiny, or exhausting. It can be soft, grounded, spacious, and soul-aligned. And it can absolutely coexist with being content.
