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

CEO @ Modern Outbound | Generating $18M+ in pipeline every month for B2B companies

Cold email alone doesn’t build pipeline. Posting generic blogs on company pages isn’t demand generation.

Most growth teams still treat outbound and marketing as separate worlds. One chases leads. The other builds awareness. Then everyone wonders why neither is driving real pipeline.

At Modern Outbound, we connect those dots.

We help growth teams turn outbound into a demand engine where content, outbound messaging, and paid channels work together instead of operating in silos.

We believe growth happens when:
• Outbound amplifies your content instead of competing with it
• Social and email create consistent touchpoints that warm up prospects before sales ever reaches out
• Intent data and personalization make ABM outreach feel relevant, not random
• Attribution shows what’s driving conversations, not just impressions or clicks

The result: outbound stops feeling like spam, marketing stops feeling disconnected, and the entire growth function starts driving measurable revenue together.

We’re not another SDR agency. We’re an embedded growth partner that builds a cohesive outbound + demand system that scales, converts, and compounds.

Our specialists go deep in:
➡️ Outbound tech and deliverability
➡️ Campaign strategy, signals, and triggers
➡️ Copywriting and creative testing
➡️ Posting strategy and ad management
➡️ Attribution, reporting, and data infrastructure

What happens when outbound and demand gen finally align:
🔥 300+ companies supported, generating hundreds of millions in pipeline
🚀 30%+ of total pipeline sourced through Modern Outbound systems
💰 Bootstrapped to 7+ figures in 3 years by doing exactly what we preach

If you’re leading growth and want to turn outbound into a true demand engine that expands your reach, warms up buyers, and drives measurable pipeline, let’s connect.

Joel Graber

just saw a post where someone claimed they replaced a $500k/year marketing team with a $300/month “autonomous AI machine.”

that line alone should trigger skepticism.

because every time I see a post like that, it’s the same pattern: the person making the claim is also selling the “do-it-all” AI agent.

i’ve popped the hood on a lot of these systems and they're mediocre and grossly underdeliver. 

and in some cases, they’re actively dangerous to the brand.

i get it....there’s enormous pressure right now to cut costs.

but just because an AI agent claims it can do everything on automation: 
- build lists + messaging
- connect multi-channel systems together 
- set up mailboxes (+ magically manage deliverability)
- write & A/B test copy
- decide winners
- launch new campaigns
- post on LinkedIn
- apply even a basic level of sales/marketing strategy
- make calls
- log CRM activity
- respond to prospect replies
- book meetings

…all inside a $300–$500/month workflow....doesn’t mean it actually works.

i’m watching competitors sell these shiny “autonomous” systems every day and behind the scenes they quietly fall apart.

context gets lost, judgment disappears, brands get diluted, prospects get burned.

i’ve intentionally kept my pricing reasonable for years because I always want our services to be sustainable over the long haul for growing businesses/startups. 

what worries me isn’t AI...it’s the wave of fly-by-night agencies that launched 4 months ago and claim they’ve “figured it all out” with fancy/haphazard AI workflows.

please don’t get blinded by the light...it’s tempting to believe all your marketing problems can be solved for a few hundred dollars a month.

but this is your company, your department, your brand, your reputation.

vet harder than ever.

AI is a multiplier, not a replacement for thinking and real talent.

Founder @ Modern Outbound I Investor | ex-BlackRock / JPMorgan

Apparently we were top 1% of Clay users for 2025 (specifically the Claygent feature). 

Kinda funny because I’ve never had a call with Clay, never emailed them, no partner deal, no rev share, no “Claygency” badge.

And honestly I’m good with that. We just use the platform hard. Clients love the output. We're in it for results, not glory.

For the last 6 years running modern outbound, we’ve been a service-first agency.

 – We don’t push tools
 – We don’t sell platforms
 – We don’t care what’s trendy

We obsess over the best possible stack so our clients don’t have to. Then we become the quietest power users in the room.

No hype.
No affiliate links.
No side deals.

Just deep execution as long as it drives results.

If you’re choosing tools based on partnerships instead of performance…your clients feel it.

Results > relationships. Always.

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Joel Graber

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The Battle

Amanda Goetz

Joel Graber

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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

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