Ambition 2.0

Welcome to our first-ever solo episode with host Amanda Goetz! With an impressive career trajectory that spans roles at big corporations, startups, and as an author, Amanda offers invaluable insights into navigating the professional world in this big-sister-style coffee chat. She pulls from her own career path (Ernst & Young → celebrity wedding planner → startup founder → The Knot → CMO at Reale Actives) to give you real, tactical advice on annual reviews, one-on-ones, burnout, job searching, and more.

Consider this your permission slip to stop white-knuckling your career on your own.

Got a question for a future episode? Send it to @girlboss or @theamandagoetz on Instagram.

00:00 Intro

01:43 Amanda’s career journey

03:46 What she'd tell herself during the hardest year of her life

04:40 Her go-to career book recommendation

05:12 How to make the most of one-on-ones with your manager

06:56 Balancing your own opinions with your team's ideas as a leader

10:04 Returning to work after a year-long maternity leave

11:22 How to prepare for your annual review

14:56 Redesigning your career mid-life

17:38 How to know when it's time to leave a job

20:25 Falling back in love with your work

22:51 How to work with someone you don't get along with

24:37 Staying organized (and sane) as a business owner

26:41 Staying motivated during a tough job search

27:36 Managing email and outreach anxiety

28:56 Getting your manager to notice how much you're doing

30:00 Balancing all the hats marketers have to wear

31:31 Outro

Key Takeaways



Use the "start, stop, continue" framework in every one-on-one—it turns feedback into something structured, not confrontational.



Build a weekly "operating rhythm," so your team always knows when to bring you ideas.



Send a "managing up Monday" email each week: top wins, focus areas, and shout-outs. Visibility trumps ability.



Before an annual review, translate your work into business terms your boss can repeat to their boss.



Career changes don't need to be justified in hindsight—just take the next step with the best info you have.



Confront conflict directly instead of triangulating through other people.



"Focus and finish": pick two priorities a day instead of running an endless to-do list.

Networking should start long before you need it—keep a running list of contacts and stay in touchGUEST LINKS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/

Book: https://bookshop.org/a/116169/9781464233258

https://www.amandagoetz.com/

FOLLOW THE PODCAST

IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss

Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/

https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast

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ABOUT AMBITION 2.0

Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When's the last time you actually looked at your bank account without cringing? 

Amanda Goetz sits down with Haley Sacks (a.k.a. Mrs. Dow Jones), the internet's favorite financial expert, New York Times best-selling author of Future Rich Person: The New Rules for Building Wealth, and the woman behind the over two-million-strong community Mrs. Dow Jones. Haley built her entire brand on making money feel less shameful and way more accessible. And in this conversation, she gets into exactly how she did it (and how you can too).

They cover why most of us were never actually taught how to manage money (spoiler: it's not your fault), why "deprivation" is the worst financial advice, the money beliefs we absorb before we even turn seven (!!), and why looking rich and being financially powerful are two very different games. Haley also gets real about her own money trauma, her parents' complicated relationship to wealth, and the "aha money moment" that changed everything for her.

Key Takeaways:


People can inherit money, but nobody inherits financial literacy, which means anyone can build it from zero.


There's a floor to how much you can cut from your spending, but there's no ceiling to how much you can earn.


Money dates are Haley's monthly ritual of sitting down with her finances—credit card statements, invoices, upcoming spending—and it's how she stays in control.


Money is a relationship like any other—and you can't grow it if you avoid it. If you never actually sit down with your finances, don't expect it to get stronger.

A “future rich person” has control over their time, their relationships, their choices, and their ability to leave situations that no longer serve them.Timestamps:

[00:00] Intro

[04:50] The origin story of Mrs. Dow Jones

[06:09] The messages girls absorb about money growing up

[08:08] Frictionless finance and doom-spending

[11:09] Growing up with a "Wall Street father" 

[15:23] Why women still feel embarrassed talking about money

[18:25] Looking rich vs. being financially powerful

[20:12] What is financial helplessness

[22:21] Haley's monthly "money date" and the 50/30/20 rule she swears by

[25:08] Why negotiating is the most underrated money move

[28:14] Where women unknowingly give away their financial power 

[30:13] What to do if you feel like you're behind financially 

[31:45] Rapid fire questions

[36:48] What "future rich person" really means to Haley

GUEST LINKS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsdowjones/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrsdowjones

Website: https://www.mrsdowjones.com/

Book: https://bookshop.org/a/116169/9798217090907 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST

IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss 

Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/ 

https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast 

SIGN UP 

Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/  

For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/ 

ABOUT AMBITION 2.0 

Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if "having it all" didn't mean climbing a single corporate ladder but building a whole web of work that fits your real life? An ecosystem of offers, clients, and projects fueled by your network and reputation, where you can tap into different opportunities at different seasons of life.

This week, host Amanda Goetz sits down with Anna Mackenzie, a startup advisor, writer, and author of the newsletter Anna Mack’s Stack, who traded the corporate dream for a self-designed portfolio career. They get into how to diversify your income, why articulating your value is harder (and more important) than selling it, and how to start building on the side without burning out or quitting your day job.

From the sunk cost fallacy that keeps you stuck to the 30-minutes-a-day rule that changed Anna's life, this episode is your friendly reminder to stop forcing your career into a straight line.

Key Takeaways:


A portfolio career is multidimensional and diversified by design—many income streams, projects, and identities at once.


A full-time job can absolutely be part of a portfolio. It's not all-or-nothing.


Your salary can fund the experimentation. Start building on the side before you leap.


Ask past bosses and colleagues what you're good at. You can't always see your set of skills or offers clearly.


Break big scary goals into the smallest achievable unit of effort—what Amanda calls the “KitKat” method.


Structure your portfolio career around three tiers: core, secondary, and experimental income.


You don't need a perfect strategy. Experiment your way to a plan that fits your life.

(00:00) Intro

(02:16) How ambition changes over time

(04:20) What a portfolio career actually is

(06:42) Signs a portfolio career might be for you

(08:55) What keeps people stuck

(11:41) Why the traditional path feels narrow for women

(13:42) The first step: knowing your value

(16:04) Starting when you're too drained

(20:04) Side hustle vs. portfolio career

(21:18) Building your flywheel

(24:30) Deliberate experimentation

(29:16) Rapid fire

GUEST LINKS

Anna’s new 6-week accelerator, The Portfolio Career Build Method: https://www.annamackenzie.com.au/portfoliocareerbuildmethodSubstack: Anna Mack’s Stack 

Website: https://www.annamackenzie.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annaclmack/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@annaclmack 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclmack/ 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST

IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss 

Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/ 

https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast 

SIGN UP 

Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/  

For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/ 

ABOUT AMBITION 2.0 

Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re told that we can have it all if we time it right: build your career first, then start a family. But what does the medicine actually say?

Amanda Goetz sits down with Dr. Lucky Sekhon, a double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist at RMA of New York and author of the USA Today bestseller The Lucky Egg.

Dr. Lucky busts the biggest fertility myths (no, your fertility doesn't fall off a cliff at 35), explains why so-called "fertility checks" are mostly marketing, and breaks down the real difference between freezing eggs and freezing embryos. She also flips the script on a part of the story we tend to ignore—male-factor infertility, which accounts for roughly half of cases—and why family building is a team sport. Women shouldn’t carry all the burden!

It's an honest, science-forward, and surprisingly reassuring conversation about the fertility knowledge gap—and how it’s okay to not have it all figured out in your 20s. .

This episode gets into both the emotional and physical considerations of fertility treatment, and we think it's a worthwhile listen, regardless of what stage of life you might find yourself in—and even if you're undecided on the whole kids thing.

Key Takeaways:


Fertility doesn't fall off a cliff at 35. It's a gradual continuum, and many women conceive naturally into their 30s and 40s.


AMH measures egg count, not fertility, and a low number shouldn't cause panic.


Most pop-in or at-home "fertility checks" are marketing. No single test can predict whether you'll struggle to conceive.


Start paying attention in your 20s by understanding your cycle and spotting red flags like PCOS or endometriosis. And pay attention to your family history.


Freezing eggs and freezing embryos are different—eggs offer more flexibility and stay solely yours, while embryos give clearer answers but need both partners' sign-off.


When choosing a clinic, ask about its actual thaw and IVF success rates, not just whether you like the doctor.


Male-factor infertility is something we need to talk more about.


Every day stress doesn't cause infertility, but insulin resistance is an under-recognized and treatable driver worth checking.

(01:20) Intro

(03:30) Dr. Lucky's personal journey

(08:49) The misinformation problem and why absolutes are a red flag

(10:22) The "cliff at 35" myth and the continuum of fertility

(11:03) When to start paying attention (hint: your 20s) + birth control myths

(15:28) Amanda's PCOS diagnosis

(18:31) Family timing, privilege, and perfectionism

(21:46) Feeling "behind," the knowledge gap, and giving yourself grace

(24:56) Egg freezing: when it should enter the conversation

(27:14) All about eggs vs. embryos 

(32:12) Men and male-factor infertility

(36:00) Rapid fire

(44:00) Inside The Lucky Egg

GUEST LINKS

Read The Lucky Egg

https://www.instagram.com/lucky.sekhon/ 

https://theluckyegg.com/ 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST

IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss 

Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/ 

https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast 

SIGN UP 

Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/ 

For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/

ABOUT AMBITION 2.0 

Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most leadership advice was written by and for a generation that thought "work-life balance" meant leaving the office before 9 p.m. and checking emails on weekends.

Amanda Litman is here to set the record straight.

As co-founder of Run for Something—the organization that's helped elect over 1,600 young leaders across the U.S.—and author of When We're In Charge, Amanda has spent years studying what actually makes the next generation of leaders different.

She sat down with Amanda Goetz to get into the stuff no one says out loud, like why "bring your full self to work" is actually setting you up to fail, why return-to-office mandates disproportionately push moms out of the workforce, and what it really means to lead with authenticity without accidentally trauma-dumping on your team. 🙃

Plus: the surprisingly effective thing she did every Saturday in 2025 to fight loneliness; the case for the four-day workweek; and a rapid-fire round of who’s most likely to: workplace edition (Gen Z, millennials, or Gen X).

If you've ever wondered whether you can lead a team, build a career, and have a full life—without becoming the kind of boss you swore you'd never be—this one's for you.

01:17 Intro

02:37 The biggest lie in leadership

07:43 "Bring your full self to work" is setting you up to fail

10:15 The three-question framework for showing up authentically without oversharing

13:43 Personal branding for leaders who grew up online

17:11 How to use your platform without blowing up your career

19:32 Return to office, paid family leave, and why flexible work isn't a perk

25:40 The loneliness of leadership, and two solutions

32:28 The one thing first-time leaders need to let go of (hint: it's being liked)

33:18 Rapid fire who’s most likely to: Gen Z vs. millennial vs. Gen X

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Responsible authenticity is about bringing the best version of yourself to serve your team, not your unfiltered 3 a.m. thoughts.


Your employees are not your friends. Friendship is a relationship between equals, and a boss-employee dynamic is not that.


If you can't manage a remote team, that's a “you” problem.


The four-day workweek forces better prioritization, and the research backs it up.


The sooner you let go of needing to be liked, the sooner you can actually lead—trying to please everyone is a fast track to pleasing no one and resenting yourself.

GUEST LINKS

IG: https://www.instagram.com/amandalitm/

Read When We're in Charge

Learn more about Run for Something

https://www.amandalitman.com/

FOLLOW THE PODCAST

IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss

Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/

https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast

SIGN UP

Subscribe to the Girlboss Daily newsletter: https://newsletter.girlboss.com/

For all other Girlboss links: https://linkin.bio/girlboss/

ABOUT AMBITION 2.0

Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices