Order my USA TODAY Bestselling book: toxicgrit.com TOXIC GRIT: How to have it all and (actually) love what you have. It will help you create a new approach to ambition and find space for all the diverse parts of yourself. Join 75K+ others who read my newsletter 🧩 Life's a Game at amandagoetz.com. It’s full of free tips to play the game of life at a whole new level. In 2018 I found myself at the height of my marketing career with 3 kids under the age of 4 and filing for divorce. In a world telling me to find alignment......I realized that was impossible. The work version of me didn't want to leave early to go be with the kiddos. The mom version of me didn't want to miss a moment with them. I wanted to be fiercely independent and yet also wanted to find love again. Other versions of me didn't want to feel responsible for anything or anyone. This diversity within me led to the creation of my Character Theory Framework. This framework helped me to create space for the 10 characters that make up the movie of your life:  The CEO → wants to pursue big goalsThe Partner → desires companionship  The Soloist → cares about personal growth and development The Caregiver → deep desire to take care of others and show up for themThe Goddess → wants to be desired and pursue pleasure  The Lazy One → loves to couch rot, no goals whatsoever The Socialite → values connection The Creative → desires creation and creativity The Doctor → your inner health &amp; wellness character The Explorer → craves novelty And it helped me. I was able to let go of the idea of balance and give permission for hierarchy, boundaries and the transition sequences necessary to embody these diverse characters. So I put it all in a book and it was an instant best seller!! I'm so excited for you to create space for all parts of you and to see ambition as multi-dimensional. Follow me here for advice as I build a multi-hyphenate life as a CMO, Author, Mom of 3 and getting married again. 

Amanda Goetz

I took a month from posting to really sit with myself and think about what I wanted for 2026. Here’s why….

I spent a lot of the last year in survival mode. 
After a divorce with 3 small kids I was always proving. Pushing. Needing to provide for my family. 

But now I’m on stable ground and yet my nervous system hasn’t caught up. I still feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

That I need to prove I’m worthy. 
That I need to prove I’m smart. 
That I need to prove why I’m here. 

So this year my word is ENOUGH. 

And I’m going to spend the year learning what enough looks like. 

To be enough. 
To earn enough. 
To do enough. 

I love my new CMO role. 
I have a new exciting writing project this year. 
I’m hosting season 2 of the Girlboss podcast. 
And my weekly newsletter is a constant creative outlet. 

That’s enough. 

More isn’t always better. 

So if you are also planning to drive the speed limit in 2026 - follow along here as I’ll be sharing what I’m doing and learning along th way.

USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Toxic Grit | 2x Founder (acquired) 5x CMO | Mom x3 | Keynote Speaker | Subscribe ➡️ 🧩 Life’s a Game Newsletter

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I’ve been struggling with 2 things lately:

1) it’s clear that when I spend less time on social media, my mind is clearer and I can write from a place of curiosity and purpose. 

But then when I contribute to social media I feel like I’m feeding the beast that is stealing our curiousity and clarity. 

2) The loss of social from the media. 

The closer I got to big creators, the more I found out about the “teams” behind their posts and replies. I can also clearly tell when someone is using AI to reply to posts. 

So what are we actually doing here? 

The point is to connect and inspire. To evoke thoughts and inject nuance into conversations. To drive awareness to things that people may not see from their seat in this world. 

Anyway….if I’ve been a little MIA on here it’s because of these thoughts. 

I deeply crave meaningful conversations and I am trying to find the right medium to having them.

Another great episode of Ambition 2.0 with @girlboss and Malissa Clark 

Check it out anywhere you get your podcasts!

🗣️ Repeat after us: You can love your job and still be a workaholic.

In this episode of Ambition 2.0, Amanda Goetz sits down with Malissa Clark, a professor at the University of Georgia, Director of the Healthy Work Lab, and author of Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It, to break down what workaholism can look like in real life (spoiler: it’s not just about working long hours). 

They get into the sneaky “working light” tasks that we tell ourselves don’t count as work (like sending emails while watching TV or checking Slack between errands), how leaders accidentally create always-on teams, and so much more. 

🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eKd9rtCv 

💻 Or watch the episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eRqNjSN6

Continuing on my journey of “enough” - it’s important you plan your work around your life. Not the other way around. 

I approach my yearly planning the same way I approach building a marketing calendar as a CMO. 

I slice the calendar in 4 ways:

- Annual tentpoles & events
- Quarterly launches
- Monthly beats
- Weekly non-negotiables

Reminder: Use this link to get your 🧩 Life's a Game Planning calendar. ⬇️⬇️

Open article: 🧩 Life's a Game: Your 2026 Game Plan by amandagoetz.kit.com

Today’s newsletter has already gotten more replies than I normally get. I think this topic resonates…

Check it out and let me know. ⬇️

https://lnkd.in/eHCRCS4b

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Loved this convo with Alexa von Tobel - check it out and let me know what you think!

In this episode of Ambition 2.0, host Amanda Goetz sits down with Alexa von Tobel—the founder of LearnVest (where she raised $75M and successfully sold it to Northwestern Mutual) and current founder and managing partner of Inspired Capital—to unpack the resilient mindset that has shaped her successful career, from founder to venture-capital veteran.

Alexa dropped out of Harvard Business School and poured her life savings into LearnVest, a multimillion-dollar business idea—despite warnings from nearly everyone around her that she was making a big mistake. She did it in the middle of the 2008 economic recession, no less.

🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode, now live on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts! 

https://lnkd.in/eq-wEGjd

Open video: From Harvard Dropout to VC Powerhouse: How to Bet on Yourself with Alexa von Tobel | Ambition 2.0 on youtu.be

From Harvard Dropout to VC Powerhouse: How to Bet on Yourself with Alexa von Tobel | Ambition 2.0

I help mid-career professionals stop overthinking and decide on their next career move with clarity & confidence 🤸🏼‍♀️ | Combining strategic actions with mind & body awareness for lasting change | Ready to get unstuck?

Hi there :) I’m Cristina and I'm not your typical "career coach". 

I work with leaders (founders, creators, senior professionals) who look successful on the outside but internally feel disconnected and stuck in survival mode: overthinking, self-criticism and constant pressure.

People usually come to me when:

-- their role no longer fits but clarity feels out of reach

-- they want to play bigger but don’t feel ready or settled enough to go for it

-- they’re tired of living on autopilot and quietly delaying their potential


The work happens on two levels, in parallel.

First: how you relate to yourself.

We work with the internal patterns that drive urgency, overthinking, self-doubt or shutdown so you can stay grounded and clear even when uncertainty is present. This often means shifting out of your head and reconnecting with the wisdom of your body.

Second: how you move in the world.

From that steadier place, we shape direction, language and next steps that actually match who you are, not who you’ve learnt to be to fit in, belong or stay safe.

The goal isn’t to “fix” you or push you into a decision.

It’s to restore enough internal space and trust that the right moves become obvious and that you’re able to operate from a more connected, regulated, grounded state going forward.


How I got into this work 

I spent a decade in consulting (Accenture Song) and startups building what looked like the “right” career.

On the outside: driven, responsible, successful.
On the inside: self-doubt, disconnection and a quiet sense I was overriding myself.

What changed things wasn’t a perfect plan or strategy.

It was doing the inner work (identity, emotional & nervous system) that helped me feel settled in myself so decisions came from clarity, not fear.

That’s now the heart of my work.

Helping people hold the paradox of being enough as they are while still wanting more.

I’ve worked with over 50+ 1:1 clients from founders & creators to leaders in places like Stripe, Skyscanner, Sky, Accenture, Salesforce and Clifford Chance.


If you’re in a “WTF is my career?” season or you’re succeeding but exhausted from operating in constant defence mode.

You don’t need more tabs open or another generic framework.

You need:

-- a steadier, kinder relationship with yourself

-- the courage & capacity to sit with uncertainty without collapsing or forcing

-- a space where your own truth can actually be heard

If that’s what you’re craving, DM me to have a chat :)

Cristina Espinal 🤸‍♀️

One of my goals this year is to show more parts of myself here. And honestly, as a Venezuelan, it’s been a really hard week.

I find my body is physically here but my heart feels pulled back home.

I’ve felt so many emotions:

optimism and hope 
but also fear, anger and confusion 
and underneath it all: caution and anxiety

I’m not here to defend any position. 

And I'm grateful to everyone who has reached out, checked in and asked about my loved ones. Thankfully, they’re safe 🙏

It’s easy for Venezuela to become a talking point in political debates right now. 

But while many of us argue about ideals that can feel abstract, millions of Venezuelans have endured years of systemic repression, arbitrary detentions and severe restrictions on basic freedoms under the Nicolás Maduro regime with 90% of the population living in poverty (despite having some of the world’s largest oil and natural resource reserves).

I have too many horrific stories to share, including my own personal experience of being held at gunpoint, moments that make it so clear how complex life really is, and how hard it is for humans to hold more than one truth at the same time.

I want to remind you that you can:

1. Be in favour of an authoritarian, narco-influenced leader being held accountable AND feel uncomfortable with the way it was done.

2. Not like Trump AND still recognise the real pain and suffering people endure in Venezuela.

The people I most respect are able to hold firm values while engaging with real-world complexity. And it requires a more regulated nervous system that can hold both/and thinking.

That's a skill and practice that I believe we have to build if we want to meaningfully engage with the world as it actually is, not as we wish it were.

If nothing else, I hope we can meet moments like these with a little more care for the people living inside the stories we're debating.

Coach for driven leaders navigating career change & expansion | My Daily Return method helps you build internal capacity to sustain growth without sacrificing wellbeing | Host of Board Walks London & Play Big Space

Anyone else not fired up and ready to "crush the year" yet? If that’s you too, here’s what I’m doing instead:

I’m still reflecting and integrating 2025, and rather than sprinting into 2026, I’m focusing on laying foundations that invite more joy, play and aliveness.

There’s a very simple framework I’m returning to from Jesse Itzler. I first heard it a couple of years ago and love how grounded it feels. 

It’s built around 3 things:

1. A Misogi

One defining challenge for the year, this is something that stretches you and requires a new level of commitment.

Last year mine was running my first marathon in Barcelona.

2. “Kevin’s Rule”

A mini-adventure every other month (six a year). Nothing extravagant, just enough novelty to keep life feeling lived.

For me last year, this looked like meaningful time with family and friends: Big Bear in May, my brother’s 40th in July, my dad’s retirement in August, island hopping in the Philippines, a half-marathon in Rome in October and skiing post-Christmas in Sierra Nevada.

3. Winning habits

Introducing one new habit per quarter or my tweak is also choosing something to let go of. Not just addition, but subtraction.

Some of my anchors have been practices that help me stay centred, clear and regulated: getting 7–8 hours of sleep, strength training 4x a week, daily meditation (94 day streak), practice pods with other coaches and facilitating more workshops.

What I love about this structure is how it balances:

- challenge (growth)
- novelty (expanded capacity)
- steadiness (integration)

No pressure to be “on.” Just a way to stay in relationship with the year as it unfolds.

Had you heard of this framework?

P.S. Happy New Year, wishing you a year of light and abundance! I’m glad to be back 🎉

If you want an abundant, grounded, expansive 2026... starting from goals alone will only take you so far 😬 

What I've realised is that most visioning and planning processes stay at the level of the mind.

They focus on ideas, outcomes and “what to do next.”

But what actually determines what we can sustain (and receive) isn’t just clarity.  

→ It’s the state of the nervous system and body we’re living from.

Last month, I guided a client through a somatically grounded visualisation and when we finished, he paused and said: 

“That felt like a psychedelic experience.”

What he was naming was the state he accessed: calm, expanded, deeply connected.

His system shifted, and with it, his sense of what felt possible. 

There’s a reason for this.

→ The body communicates to the brain first.
→ The mind then makes meaning from what it’s receiving.

When visioning starts with the body, not just the head, the future that emerges is more grounded, more honest and far easier to act from. Not because you’re forcing yourself forward but because you’re moving from connection.

From there, the real work begins: creating the conditions to stay in contact with play, aliveness, presence and abundance in daily life.

Not through rigid routines or endless to-do lists but through a simple, embodied practice I call "Daily Return".

→  Noticing when you’ve left yourself and coming back with awareness & compassion rather than pressure & criticism.

📆 If you want to make space to envision 2026 in this grounded, expansive, embodied way, I’m hosting a live, virtual workshop on January 19th:

“How good can 2026 get?”

In two hours, I’ll guide you through: 

- an embodied visioning process
- translating that vision into daily conditions that can actually sustain it
- practices you can return to throughout the year to keep you anchored into your Highest, Expansive Self

It’s £10 and you can bring a friend/loved one with you.

You can secure your spot here: https://luma.com/4fhbva8z 

→ Have you already made space to envision how good 2026 can get?

The hardest part about starting a new year?
Not knowing which part of you to listen to.

1. One part of you wants to take the leap: pitch the bigger idea, go for the role, build the thing.

2. Another part wants to protect what you have: the steady paycheck, the reputation, the known path.

I see this tension constantly in driven, capable people who come to me because they’re tired of fighting internal battles that never seem to end.

Because when two parts of you want different things, your system stays in resistance.

It feels like being pulled in two (or more) directions.

You’re trying to grow from a braced nervous system, building your future from a state of strain.

You keep moving but from pressure: productive on paper, tight in the body, doing the work while quietly wondering if you're wasting your life. There's this low hum of anxiety and overwhelm that never quite goes away, and endless spirals of "maybe later" and "not yet."

→ This is why I created the Daily Return method.

Not to help you decide faster but to reduce the internal fragmentation that keeps you stuck in constant tension and self-doubt.

Daily Return is the practice of coming back, again and again, to your body, your breath, your truth, what I call your Expansive Self: grounded, calm, creative, courageous.

So one hard meeting, one unexpected email, one off day… doesn’t erase your orientation.

When you lead from this state:

→ wanting more doesn’t mean abandoning yourself
→ safety and growth stop feeling like opposites
→ movement happens without force

The shift isn’t tactical, it’s internal.

And from that internal steadiness, action becomes cleaner and less conflicted.

When your internal capacity grows, the path forward gets simpler. Not easier but steadier.

So here’s my question for you:

→ Are you trying to think your way out of feeling stuck?

→ Or are you building the capacity to move with the tension still there?

Because one keeps you spinning, while the other lets you move forward.

P.S. If you’re ready to stop waiting for the tension to resolve and start moving from a steadier place, I’m hosting a live workshop on January 19th called “How good can 2026 get?”

It’s a space to envision the year ahead from presence, not pressure, and to experience what it feels like to lead from the Expansive Self, even before the external conditions change.

📆 Join us here: https://luma.com/4fhbva8z ✨

Your ticket includes a +1, an invitation to share this space of expansion and groundedness with a close friend or partner.

If you’ve been wanting to change or expand your career for months (or years) and haven’t…there’s a good reason.

And it’s probably not a lack of discipline, confidence or motivation.

(Yes, despite what hustle culture would have you believe)

Here’s what I see over and over again in my coaching work:

What looks like procrastination, avoidance or “self-sabotage” is often intelligence.

It’s your nervous system doing what it learnt to do to keep you safe. That protection can look like:

staying in a job you’ve outgrown
not speaking up or being visible
delaying decisions until you “feel ready”
overthinking instead of moving

These aren’t random habits, 
they’re protective strategies.

And change doesn’t happen by forcing yourself to override them.

→ It starts by listening differently.

When we slow down enough to include the body, not just the mind, a different story emerges.

Here's an example from a recent client:

“Cristina's presence made it possible for me to soften into my own truths. She works with what’s actually coming up rather than defaulting to templates or ‘tips and tricks.’”

→ Every nervous system protects differently.

And until you understand how YOUR system learnt to protect you, no strategy will stick for long.

That’s why my way of coaching isn’t about fixing yourself.

It’s about:

- understanding the pattern
- respecting its intelligence
- and experimenting with new ways of relating to uncertainty that your nervous system can actually tolerate

When that shifts, behaviour changes without force.

Not because you’re trying harder but because safety and aliveness are finally aligned.

What about you?

→ Are you trying to fix a pattern before truly understanding it? 

🔔 Follow me Cristina Espinal 🤸‍♀️ where I share tools & practices so you can build the internal foundation that's required to sustain the changes you want in your career.

P.S. I’m hosting a live workshop on January 19th: “How good can 2026 get?”

It’s for people who want to start the year integrating both the wisdom of the mind and the body when envisioning what’s next. Link in the comments if it resonates with you.

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