In a culture that still glorifies hustle and resilience, what happens when the very grit that built your success starts quietly depleting you?
In this episode, Jenn sits down with Amanda Goetz—two-time founder, four-time CMO, mom of three, and author of Toxic Grit—for a conversation that feels like a deep exhale for ambitious women everywhere. Amanda has built brands, raised millions, navigated divorce, and reinvented herself more than once. And somewhere along the way, she realized that the same grit that fueled her rise was also quietly burning her out.
Her book, Toxic Grit: How to Have It All and Actually Love What You Have, is already resonating with thousands of women questioning hustle culture and craving something more sustainable. Today, we go there with her.
Together, we talk candidly about:
The difference between healthy ambition and "toxic grit"—and how to know when you've crossed the line
Why "alignment" can feel impossible when you're juggling multiple identities at once
Amanda's Character Theory and how naming the different parts of yourself can reduce guilt and increase presence
The concept of "spin cycles" and why intentional resets—both daily and seasonally—are essential for ambitious women
How to set an "enoughness line" so you can push in one season without losing yourself in the process
The seasonality of ambition—blooming, going back into the dirt, and trusting the cycle
We also dive into practical rituals for transitioning between roles (from CEO to caregiver to partner to solo human), and how even small boundaries—like a commute bath or a 20-minute phone-free walk—can radically shift how you show up.
This conversation is for the woman who's been praised for her grit. The steady one at home. The overachiever at work. The one who "just gets it done," even when she's running on fumes. It's for anyone who has quietly wondered why doing it all still doesn't feel like enough—and who is brave enough to imagine something different.
Amanda reminds us that ambition isn't the enemy. But unchecked ambition without reflection, rest, and recalibration? That's where it gets dangerous. Balance, she argues, isn't about every day feeling even. It's about zooming out and honoring the macro rhythms of your life.
If you've been living in hustle mode for longer than you'd like to admit, this episode might just be the permission slip you didn't know you needed.
Links & Resources
👉 Toxic Grit: How to Have It All and Actually Love What You Have by Amanda Goetz
👉 Amanda's newsletter, Life's a Game
👉 Toxic Grit Workbook
For more honest conversation at the intersection of motherhood, ambition, and identity, subscribe to Mighty as a Mother on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen—and follow along on Instagram @mightyasamotherpodcast
