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

No alternative text description for this image

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

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

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

make your personal story a profitable brand | i help high-potential women understand & share their stories to effortlessly sell themselves & their work | +15 years building brands for NBA All-Stars, founders, VCs | ADHD

i was broke for 8 years. had my card declined buying medicine for my toddler. lost $80K when my tech startup failed. now...


i help overthinking high-achievers turn their "mess" into money.

because after 11 jobs in 8 industries, i discovered something nobody talks about

your weird career path? 
your brain that won't shut off?
that thing everyone says makes you "too much"?

that's not your weakness. that's your f*cking edge.

listen, most "personal brand experts" want you to pick a lane. follow a formula. sound like everyone else.

meanwhile... 


you can't explain what you do in one sentence.
"just be authentic" makes you think, "but how??"
and you've got 47 drafts in your notes app that you'll never publish.

i get it. because that was me. 

which is my i turned the way i think and work into a methodology that could help more people than just me. 

through StoryEQ™, i help you:
• turn your overthinking into strategic advantage
• build a brand that actually feels like you AND makes money
• stop "performing professionalism" and start being profitable
• decode your story to find what actually makes you different (hint: it's in the mess)

my clients? NBA All-Stars. Olympians. VCs. Artists.

Founders who've raised $30 million.
Artists who sold $300K of art in 72 hours. 
Creators who went from "I can't monetize" to 
"it's hard to express how much opportunity is crossing my desk these days"

they don't hire me because they need confidence.
they hire me because they're sick of being overlooked despite knowing deep down that they have more to offer. 

fair warning(s): 

i swear. a lot.
i'll call out your bullsh*t (lovingly).
i don't do "mindset work" without strategy.
and if you're afraid of Queer people? we're not a fit.

—

don't believe me, believe them:

"I built a multi-million dollar company in 18 months. If i'd had StoryEQ™ early on, we could have done it in 9. It's so powerful I license the methodology." 
— Amanda Northcutt, Founder + CEO @ Level Up Creators

"StoryEQ™ is better than DISC or StrengthsFinder. What kristina's doing is so impactful — it's a gift, and it's going to save lives." 
— Jon Giganti, USA Today Bestselling Author

—

follow me for how to 

- turn your weird into wealth
- finally put words to why your valuable + different

kristina flynn

last year someone said to me, "oh, you're a teacher!" my response: ummm, not even f*cking close. 


here’s why:


in my first week of high school i was overwhelmed by students coming up to me saying:

"YOU'RE Mrs. Flynn's daughter?!" 
"omg, your Mom was my favourite teacher" 
"i don't think you get it…your Mom changed my life"

she taught kindie for over 20 years. her second career. and she was "THAT TEACHER" for so many of my friends and peers.

you know that teacher. 

the one who saw you like no one else could 
the one who knew exactly what you needed 
the one that made you a better student AND person
(mine were Ms. Martin and Ms. Vanderkoy)

teaching wasn't  job, it was her calling.

those kids were HER kids. and she treated all of them the same she treated us 3 girls at home.

she doted over kiddos having tough times 
she cried for the ones not getting what they needed at home 
she agonized over her classroom - every step, every turn, was intentional

as a kid i had sleeping problems

no matter what time i woke, i knew i would find my Mom up - in between loads of laundry - prepping her lessons for the next day

THAT is a teacher in my mind

—

so when that person used "teacher", i had a visceral reaction

but you educate people? 
you teach people what you know? 
you run workshops for f*cks sake?!

it's true. so why was i so anti?

i reflected, 
then realized something...

these titles. the associations we have with them. are holding us back.

Artist.
Writer.
Coach.
Creator.
Teacher.

i've fought claiming these titles.

because to me they are EARNED, not given.

the artist grinding for 20 years 
the writer with books on shelves 
the coach with accreditations on every wall 

and the teacher painstakingly creating lesson plans at 1 am

but my obsession with needing to have the education, credentials, and years of commitment to embrace these titles?

it’s hurting me. and it’s hurting you.

times have changed. 
what was, isn't what is.

we're making money on the internet, damnit

so, if you're doing work to help people

own the thing that helps those people find you - the thing that helps them understand what you do. 

here, i'll go first:

i'm an artist who never went to art school 
i'm a writer owning #overthinkinginpublic
i'm a coach helping overthinking high-achievers
i'm a creator building a business AND becoming someone

and i'm a TEACHER hosting my first workshop of 2026 next Tuesday, January 13th at 10 am et.

(it’s for Ask A Chief Of Staff - a paid community run by the unreal Clara Ma…but  25 of you can attend for free using KRISTINA100. link to in the comments!)


real talk 💬 do you struggle to claim titles without credentials?

—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their wild careers and stories into personal brands (that feel like them and make sh*ttons of money).

if you dig this (and aren't afraid of Queer people):

follow me here: kristina flynn

you can’t see your value. i fix that | 18 yrs w/ NBA All-Stars, Olympians + VCs | founder, StoryEQ™ - helping overthinkers turn wild careers + stories into brands that feel like you + make sh*t-tons of money | ADHD

my therapist says i need "consistency." so here are my 12,000 thoughts from this morning (pt.10)

(welcome to #overthinkinginpublic your weekly dose of sh*t few care about and literally no one asked for)


• is it time to forgive Ellen yet?

• “keep the change…ya filthy animal”

• moms be like…i can’t stand filth. then use a 7 year old mascara

• how is there no dishwasher option between “express” and 7 hours

• having children means never taking for granted a roll of paper towel 

• pretty proud of myself for never saying “patience is a virtue” to my kids 

• i’m not sure if this trend toward “fancy” laundry rooms is something we need to embrace

• 20 yo me: my back hurts | 42 yo me: i’m experiencing chronic pain in the mid-thoracic. around C5-C-7

• sure, you can call “Kris” instead of kristina…as long as you’re cool with me never speaking to you again

• if i stopped any TedX speaker randomly and asked them to recite their talk - could they do it word for word?


real talk 💬 well...IS IT TIME TO FORGIVE ELLEN??

—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their wild careers and stories into personal brands (that feel like them and make sh*ttons of money).

if you dig this (and aren't afraid of Queer people):

follow me here: kristina flynn

your content doesn't "feel" like you because you don't know who the f*ck "you" are.


why is that?

because you've been "performing professionalism" for so long, you forgot who you were (before corporate told you who to be).

the talk. the dress. the acronyms.

all of it is calculated, 
and on purpose.

because business runs best in a culture of sameness. 

so they strip you of your individuality
to make sure you stay in line. 

and after doing that for decades, 
of course you don't know who you are anymore. 

the good news? it's not your fault.

but it is your choice on what step you wanna take next. 

—

last week i met with a badass woman.

her resume was 1000x more impressive than mine.
decades at some of the world's biggest tech companies.

she explained what she did in her previous roles and when i asked, "what makes you great at that work?"

i got a typical corporate response.

politely, i interrupted: "can you try that again but this time just talk to me simply... no corporate talk."

her response stopped being robotic.
and became human.

THAT person - the one underneath the professional performance - is who her audience needs to meet.

—

and you're no different. 

you're on LinkedIn
trying to "build a brand" like they said
(silently dying inside from the ick of it all)

and no matter what you do, writing content feels impossible. 

because you've seen too much to 
buy into that corporate bullsh*t anymore.

but you don't know how to be anyone other than that person they trained you to be. 

the "professional" you.
the palatable you.
the polished you.

the one who fit.

—

i spent decades in this trap.

NBA. tech startups. $100M projects.
always performing the "professional" version of me.

how i finally figured out who tf i was?

i stopped looking for the right framework.
and started looking for the person i'd buried.

the weird one.
the "too much" one.
the one they tried to fix.

that's who my audience needed. 
and that's who your audience needs too. 

okay?


real talk 💬 what's your most hated corporate word? mine is ASAP. if you tell me to do something ASAP, i immediately want to do it never. 

—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their wild careers and stories into a personal brand (that feels like them and makes sh*ittons of money).

if you liked this (and don't hate Queer people):

follow me here: kristina flynn

undefined undefined

my business coach asked me what i actually wanted. i couldn't answer.



she's not the first one to ask either.

9 years as an entrepreneur. tons of coaches and mentors along the way.

inevitably, this question always comes up.

and until the end of 2025?
i never had an answer.

because i wasn't choosing anything. i was just reacting.

react to the kids.
react to the news.
react to the clients.

i called it "busy,"“grinding", “livin the dream”

but it all meant the same sh*t

i was letting old stories run my life.

the ones that said i wasn't enough.
the ones that said i needed to prove something.
the ones that said if i just worked harder, i'd finally feel okay.

when you’re in that space you’re not thinking about what you want. 

you’re surviving. 

reacting to everything.
controlling nothing that actually mattered.
wondering why i felt so fucking exhausted all the time.

hot tip: control is a lie we tell ourselves.

you can't control outcomes, other people, what happens next.

but you CAN choose.

choose how you respond instead of react.
choose whether old stories keep running your life - or you start writing new ones.
choose what you actually f*cking want, 
and build the life and business that supports it.

my word for 2026? CHOOSE.

not control. choose.

because i have that right and it’s about time i owned it. actually. 

real talk 💬 you got a 2026 word? 

(I know some people find it cheese but for an ADHD brain I think it’s the easiest 2026 planning you could do!)


—


hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their personal stories into personal brands (that feel like them and make shittons of money).

if you dig this (and aren't afraid of Queer people)

follow me here: kristina flynn

my therapist says i need "consistency." so here are my 12,000 thoughts from this morning (pt.11)


(welcome to #overthinkinginpublic - your weekly dose of sh*t few people care about and literally no one asked for)

• how is high-noon different than noon?
• i miss simpler times…when i didn’t worry about my carbon footprint
• i’m 42 and sometimes still drink a redbull…without vodka. come at me
• the ballet movie, Center Stage is theatrical genius…i will die on this hill
• 🎵 iiiiiiiiiii / want to sing from the chande-lier / from the chande-lier-ier🎵
• i spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about the Age of Adeline movie
• i’m consistently in awe of people who wake immediately to the sound of their alarm
• whatever happened to Neighbourhood Watch? did the Karen’s orchestrate a formal coup?
• why don’t more creators do brand deals for everyday shit? like toilet paper or electrical companies
• you’re not asking “what do you do?” because you’re interested. we both know it’s a veiled attempt to status check me

real talk 💬 what’s a bevie you still consume with quiet shame?

—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their wild careers and stories into personal brands (that feel like them and make sh*ttons of money).

if you dig this (and aren't afraid of Queer people):
follow me here: kristina flynn

disappeared.



i'd built what i thought was "the dream":

+16K followers
big name clients
a respected agency
event + speaking invites
daily growth, impressions, engagement tracking

i finally did what i'd tried to do so many times before.

i assumed, "it's only up from here."

and then, what felt literally overnight, it all went away.

• Elon buys Twitter - none of those followers are seeing my posts
• Web3 market crashes (personal and professional assets worthless)
• client budgets dry up, one even stiffs me $20K

one of the biggest f*ck ups?

i hadn't built an email list.

this "personal brand" was zero bit personal.

i'd built on a platform i didn't control, around a market i didn't control.

hell, i barely even showed my face. rocked a "PFP" (avatar) instead.

—

when i stopped being fetal position, fulling clothed in the shower, i reflected on how i'd do it differently.

for one, i'd stop tracking vanity metrics and start tracking value metrics:

instead of impressions → real comments (are they engaging?)
instead of follower count → DM connections (any direct conversations?)
instead of engagement rate → cross-platform follows (do they follow you elsewhere?)
instead of reach → newsletter subscribers (did they opt in?)
instead of likes → purchases + feedback (are they buying? what do they say?)

—

since making that shift:

started my first solo company
had my first 6-figure year
gave my first keynote to 100 people
started licensing my StoryEQ process
quieted my horrendously mean inner voice

and began to create a new character trait: self-trust.

—

the signals that matter won't show up in your analytics tab. i promise. 

they show up in the comments that say "i feel seen."
the DMs thanking you for sharing what others won't.
the connection requests from people who want to learn from you.

so what if, this year, you think about this thing a little differently. 

you're not just building something. 
you're becoming someone.

and that someone is who the world desperately needs right now. 


real talk 💬 did you ever buy an NFT? if so, what was your first?


—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their wild careers and stories into personal brands that feel like them and make sh*ttons of money.

if you liked this (and don't hate Queer people):

follow me here: kristina flynn

taplio

The Battle

Amanda Goetz

kristina flynn

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAmanda Goetz's LinkedIn Performance

Performance Scorekristina flynn's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Amanda Goetz

kristina flynn

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Amanda Goetz's LinkedIn Performance

Performance Scorekristina flynn's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAmanda Goetz's LinkedIn Performance