Explore every episode of the podcast Ambition Without Compromise
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Adhering To Your Dreams: The Secret to Doing What You Say You Want | 05 Nov 2025 | 00:47:55 | |
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the demands of life and struggling to prioritize your well-being? This struggle is not unique; countless high achieving women share similar experiences of knowing what they should do for their health and happiness, but finding it difficult to take action. In our latest episode, Monique offers insights that can help transform your approach to self-care and ambition. Join in to explore the systemic influences at play and discover four key pillars that can help you adhere to your personal goals. By understanding the systemic barriers we face and recognizing the importance of support systems, we can take meaningful steps toward a more fulfilling life. Tune in to learn more about how to align your actions with your highest goals and create the life you truly desire. GEMS DROPPED “Thinking about what keeps us from prioritizing our priorities, I'm gonna say number one is capitalism. As we think about what are the things that hamper us? A lot of them are systemic. Which is why I point to capitalism, which means they're all around us. The pressures on our time, our mental energy, our ability to access things like clarity or confidence. It's all driven by these systemic influences and it's by design.” “We have a whole culture around career building in this country in particular that despises space, rest, and restoration for our body, mind, or spirit. So we know, but day by day, the lived experience of it is like we know better and we have every reason to, and we have the urgency, but we still don't do it.• “Routines, they drive adherence. If you don't have somebody holding the routine for you, because I think that is the mistake we make. We just like, I just need to get more discipline. I just got to hunker down. Girl. If you ain't been hunkered down or grown this imaginary, you know, pool of discipline in these past five years, it's not, it's not coming. So make it happen. Invest in making sure that someone else is holding it alongside you, holding it for you. Holding it with you. At a bare minimum, we've got to find ways for the routines to be held because life is life in life be lifeing.” “If you don't have space to actually move through what is your true emotional state or states of being, it makes it hard for you to also align your actions with moving toward what it is that you want.Because your wanting becomes tainted or complicated. It just taints your willingness if you, if you're feeling a lot of suppressed emotions.” “If you are not doing the things to actually evolve yourself, that moment's not coming. It's not coming. The way it works is you invest ahead. You invest ahead so that you can fast track yourself to the things that you know you should be doing, but you're just not doing right now. And then you get the payout.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 71 | You Can’t Outsmart Overwhelm - Leading Differently in Tight Seasons | 22 Oct 2025 | 00:28:31 | |
👉🏾 Interested in learning more about Monique's group coaching experience CLAIMED? Click this link to join the interest list and we will email you the details ASAP. Are you feeling overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time? You're not alone! This paradox can be particularly pronounced for women and people of color, who often carry the weight of not just their own responsibilities, but also the expectations of their communities. In this timely episode, Monique addresses the struggle of feeling squeezed while trying to maintain personal and professional aspirations and inspires us to rethink our approach to leadership, collaboration, and self-care. Tune in to discover how to reclaim your time and energy while still pursuing your dreams without sacrificing your well-being. MENTIONED 70 | Inside Our Marriage: Navigating Ambition, Money, and Vision Together GEMS DROPPED “Don't wait. Just offer what you have to offer when you have to offer it, where you have to offer it from. And so that's what we're doing right now. Sometimes it's not perfect, and why does it need to be?” “We have a lot on our side right now and maybe still feel pressured. And I want us to realize how much we still have to create with. All is absolutely not lost, y'all.” “It's important to note that it's not about figuring out how to squeeze more out or how to become more productive yourself. It's really about how to skillfully become a producer who is not doing direct producing. Like, how can you be someone who's orchestrating while other people are producing on your behalf. I think that this is something that we really, really, really struggle with.” “If you are overwhelmed, the solution can't be to fill my brain with more stuff that cannot be the automatic solution, or it can't be the entire solution. Cognitive deficit is not the issue. We got to stop solving for the thing that is not the problem or where we are actually missing support is in who we are showing up as who we are being.” “We're attached to the identity of being the one who handles everything because that is how we are appreciated. That is how we are seen as valuable.That is how we have connected with a sense of being loved and belonging. That's how we have had a sense of ourselves for so long. It's really hard to detach from that.” “You can and actually have to begin to learn to do less in order to experience more. Period, point blank. Period.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 62 | Why We're Sabotaging Our Future Selves | 18 Jun 2025 | 00:31:31 | |
What if the key to unlocking your future self lies in how you treat her today? In this inspiring episode, Monique introduces the transformative concept of embodying your future self right now. Drawing from a powerful talk by Hal Hirschfeld, she explores the importance of developing a relationship with your future self and how this connection can guide your actions today. Monique challenges the common notion of 'winning tomorrow tonight' and instead encourages you to cultivate a mindset that prioritizes being held, healthy, and whole. Join Monique on this journey and learn how to make choices today that honor the vibrant, successful version of yourself you aspire to be. Tune in now! MENTIONED 55 | When You Do The Most But Expect The Least: Letting Go Of Shrinking Yourself GEMS DROPPED “Making tomorrow better today requires a commitment to certain rituals, certain behaviors and it's in service of an investment in the version of you that will exist tomorrow because you've set her up for success. And those things are important.” “We are struggling to occupy our future state of ourselves because we have no relationship with her. It’s like why would I sacrifice for you? I don't know you, girl. I don't know you.” “There's different levels to when we talk about feeling embodied. I think it's like past, present and future self embodiment. There's something here that is moving across the dimensions of our life, not just today, that's really important.” “Sacrifices are the hard-charging things that we do–the ways that we push ourselves harder to create a better future tomorrow. Sometimes the push, the really hard push is actually a deep releasing of an attachment that we have today, or a belief that is actually holding our future self back. Sometimes the sacrifice is a gift.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 61 | Unpacking Uncertainty And Taking Risks | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:38:02 | |
In this week's episode, Monique tackles the complex relationship between risk and ambition, especially for women of color. Through compelling stories she illustrates the emotional turmoil that can accompany the pursuit of dreams and the importance of acknowledging and processing those feelings. She also emphasizes the power of self-awareness and creativity in overcoming fear and finding clarity in uncertain times. Join in to discover how to redefine your understanding of risk and unlock your true potential. GEMS DROPPED “We will use the past to try to predict the future. Right. Because this is the thing with the women that I work with, they're not just saying, ‘well, I'm scared of taking risks, so I don't even consider it’. You keep approaching the idea of taking those risks, but it's kind of torturing you because you keep approaching it, and then you keep hitting a wall. Everything feels too scary and so you're like, well, let me kind of think through my past–right? So there's this formula, and it feels like an airtight formula, and that's where we kind of get trapped, because if one or two of those variables feel off, you’re like ‘ooh, the risk of failure is now high’. That automatically shuts us down.” “Where do you have space to actually stop and feel? You typically don't. And things are often happening fast. So you're trying to react, you're trying to think. You haven't gotten yourself any space, any room to feel what you're actually feeling. And that is what's keeping you trapped in that merry go round. There's no creativity available to you in that space because you're just trapped in cyclical, fear based thinking.” “I challenge you, if you're sitting with this kind of indecision, this fear around risk and this story, to take a moment and see if you can, which I know you can, embrace the belief that I am someone who takes incredible risk and finds success. I am the great I am. I am someone who takes incredible risks and finds great success. What would it be like to embrace that? What are your earliest memories where that is true?” “You cannot access creativity if the conditions that you have created for yourself to be creative have not been set.” “Sometimes the way that we protect our imaginations is with our creativity, right? That's where it all flows from by allowing what is arising in us that is keeping us stuck…allowing it to flow through us and to inform us about any limitations that we're placing on ourselves, any lies that we're telling ourselves, any old stories that are coming up and distorting how we believe, how we believe we can exist and what we believe that we can have. That's another way of protecting our imaginations.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 60 | Too Busy to Dream: When the Work That Made You Successful Starts Holding You Back | 21 May 2025 | 00:32:34 | |
What if the version of leadership that got you here is the very thing keeping you stuck? It’s time to grow and expand—not so you can carry more, but so you can finally live out your dream without the weight that’s been holding you back. Join Monique as she speaks directly to high-achieving women like you—navigating the tension between your professional obligations and your personal ambitions. This isn’t about finding another tactic or quick fix. It’s about shifting your identity, cultivating an abundant mindset, and setting boundaries that protect your time and energy. When you do that, you’ll start to reclaim your vision and attract the kind of opportunities that truly align with who you are becoming. Monique’s insights and strategies are here to help you break free from what’s no longer working and step boldly into the future you know is waiting for you. GEMS DROPPED “You've always known that where you're at right now is a stepping stone place. And it may have given you really specific important things, but it's not meant to be your forever place, and you know that.” “Because you're on this hamster wheel every day, it diminishes your vision, and it shrinks your capacity to exist as bigger.” “Growing your skills to the point where you can now possess the dream. That's not actually how it works. You have to grow, expand yourself so that you begin to live out the dream. You begin to attract the dream. It begins to build within you and around you because you're operating that way.” “I honestly don't care who it is that is listening to my voice right now. If you're my girl and you're considering becoming better and expanding in your leadership, delegation is going to be a thing for you. Because we, as women, are actually socialized against delegation. We are socialized to show up for everybody in every way, for everything and so becoming better at delegating is absolutely something that we need to do. But here's the problem, getting better at delegating or delegate more is not the advice you need. What you need is the space to occupy a more abundant boss mindset.” “This being too busy to connect with our dreams-the solving for the busyness, it does have to happen first. Like, you cannot, you're not going to connect with an authentic dream from a place that feels rushed and constrained and overwhelmed and tight. Like, that's not the place that you want to be dreaming from. So we do have to solve for this first. But what I'm trying to say is that the solve starts at the identity level. The solve does not start at the tactics and the tricks.” “This is not about becoming better at carrying all these things that are just too much. It's about showing up in a way that protects you from more and more of the nonsense, and shifts you into a being that attracts the dream.” EPISODES MENTIONED Ep 15: Learning To Dream First STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 59 | You Don’t Need More Time — You Need a New Identity | 07 May 2025 | 00:42:23 | |
👆🏾 TEXT ME for more on CLAIMED™ - Group Coaching Experience For Black Mothers in Leadership Join Monique as she dives into the struggles many ambitious women face as they juggle multiple responsibilities and aspirations. She explores the metaphor of spinning plates and overflowing buckets to illustrate the challenge of managing multiple identities—mother, partner, professional, and more—while yearning for growth. In our latest episode, Monique discusses how to transform your self-concept and embrace a 10x growth approach. Press play to learn more. GEMS DROPPED “You cannot do all the hard things. You don't need to do all the hard things. There is a human limit on your life, okay? There are human limitations, and we can push past many of those limitations. I understand the capacity of my woman. Like, a lot of y'all, you know you're built differently. I get that…But we also cannot disregard our very human, physical, spiritual, emotional existence, and try to step past it and think that there will be no consequences, because there will.” “Let's be clear, the capitalist society that we are enshrouded in that surrounds all of this, that drives a lot of the unnecessary pressures that we place on ourselves.and these patterns, rhythms and the pace that we are all pushed into. We can never, never erase that context from the conversation. But what I want to speak about today is where you still have some agency and power. You still have quite a bit of agency and power to shift, to make a 10x choice, to make a shift where you're not just doing a few things differently or trying to double your output in your doing, but that you get to become, that you shift the being of it all.” “The environment, the relationships, the structure, the guidance--those things allow for a new self concept to emerge. It is one of the most powerful things that we can create space for in our lives. Because again, the situation that you are thinking about with what's the next phase of my career and how am I going to hold all of these things and what's going to happen with this or that? Like, those aren't the questions. The topic is not the topic. You are the topic. Okay. Who you consider yourself to be, how you self conceptualize, that is the topic at hand. That is how we can shift from 2x possibility, that's going to keep us overrun in old identities to a 10x possibility because we've allowed ourselves to fundamentally change, to allow ourselves to fundamentally shift.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 58 | What Got Me Here: The Real ROI (And Real Costs) Of My Self-Investment Journey | 23 Apr 2025 | 00:46:40 | |
In this deeply personal episode, Monique shares the behind-the-scenes story of her biggest self-investments—from surprise trips and $15K coaching programs to community spaces that changed everything. She walks us through the fears, mindset shifts, and identity upgrades that come with choosing yourself. As busy ambitious women, we don't have time to piece together every self-help book and DIY our way to transformation. You don’t have to do this alone. Monique is spilling all the tea as she discusses the financial aspects of her investments, the importance of mentorship, and the invaluable lessons learned along the way. This conversation is your reminder that betting on yourself isn’t just bold—it’s necessary. GEMS DROPPED “I want to be a solution to isolation. Self-investment is one less thing that you need to figure out and DIY—to let someone else hold you. This is how I have been held and continue to find ways to make sure that I am held, and I'm making sure that I take my skills and offer it to y'all.” “I have a firm belief that if you are not willing to invest in the thing that you are offering to other people—then what are you doing in that profession?" “The networks we were building a decade ago may not serve the vision we’re trying to live out now. It's a lot more efficient and it's a lot more effective to be in community with, in council with someone or some group that gets it, that is trying to do the same or very similar things that you are trying to do.” “I know many of y'all listening are good students. You're like, ‘I can learn anything. You can put me in front of a stack of books, baby, and I will read the research papers. I will watch all the videos and the documentaries. I know how to learn things’. It is not the same thing as forming a whole new self -concept. That requires relationship, that requires a new environment, it requires challenging limiting beliefs and somebody that can help you see your blind spots. If you want to do that with speed and not isolated, it's available to you.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 57 | The Less I Do The More I Get Done: Finding Rest As We Work | 09 Apr 2025 | 00:54:38 | |
Are you feeling overwhelmed and overworked? In our latest episode, Monique explores the transformative power of rest and how it can revolutionize your productivity. Drawing inspiration from a recent gathering of high-achieving Black women, she addresses the overwhelming exhaustion that often accompanies leadership roles, motherhood, and societal pressures. Monique also introduces seven actionable steps to help us combat overwhelm and create meaningful space in our lives. From fostering community support to establishing clear priorities and making time visible, she provides a roadmap for reclaiming control over our schedules. Tune in now to discover how rest can be your greatest ally in achieving your goals! GEMS DROPPED "We point to time management just because it is a buzz phrase for when things start to feel out of whack, when your focus is too scattered and spread. You look back over a day or a month and think: I was busy and I know I got some things done, but what just happened? And why do I feel like nothing is getting done although I'm doing all of the things? What this actually ends up boiling down to is less about time management and more about the courage to actually stop everything. An aggressive stop can feel impossible. It can feel indulgent.” "With growth comes breaking. When something new is born, something else has to die. And taking account of that and anticipating it ahead of time, before you're too broken to pull yourself back together. That's a tough practice." “For my women of color and moms, the courage to stop everything feels like we're taking something away from someone else. To stop for ourselves feels like theft. To rest can feel spoiled, privileged, or entitled—but that belief is cultural conditioning. We’ve been trained to demonize the part of us that wants to rest, that needs a break. If you're not producing, then who are you? What are you worth? That lie holds us back. What I've discovered is the less I do, the more I get done. And I want to offer that to you today. The less you do, the more you can get done. ” “Stopping for yourself is not selfish—it’s strategy. Build a practice that includes rest, not as a reward, but as part of the process." “When we give ourselves away, we give our energy and our time away for other people to control, for other people to tell us what we can and should do with our time and our energy. There's a cost. And you're probably suffering that cost if this is the existence that you're in right now where you're not creating aggressive space for yourself.” “Whether you work for yourself or you work for someone else, it's incredibly important to create sacred space for yourself and to do so as aggressively as you possibly can and to hold it firm. Do not let others in. Not only can you not let other people onto your calendar, you can't let your little productivity self in either. Focus on what you need and what those priorities are and let it flow.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 56 | Creating Space For Motherhood As A Leader | 26 Mar 2025 | 00:37:31 | |
Motherhood is a transformative journey that ambitious women in leadership find themselves contemplating. For many, the thought of becoming a mother can evoke feelings of fear and uncertainty. How will this new role affect my professional impact? Will I lose my sense of self? These are common concerns, and in this episode, Monique addresses them head-on, offering insights and encouragement for those navigating this complex decision. Join in as she candidly shares her own experiences and the profound changes that come with stepping into this new identity. And the importance of defining what motherhood means to you, identifying the resources you need to thrive, and embracing the support of your community. 📢As a special note, Monique is opening her coaching waitlist for March 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. MENTIONED 53 | The Safety Shift: Trusting Yourself in Times of Transformation 52 | Making The Scary Identity Leap 26 | When Achievement Is No Longer The Goal 15 | Learning To Dream First (CEO Series) GEMS DROPPED "The version of yourself that exists today, obviously she has evolved, she has grown and learned things over time. You're not the same woman today that you were a decade ago. That's part of what living an expansive and ambitious life will bring. You have to constantly be open to change, but there's a deeper thing that happens when we become responsible for other human lives.. It's a starker shift. So being afraid of what's going to change for you makes a lot of sense.” “The version of you that you're about to get introduced to through motherhood, you can't really anticipate what she's gonna look like. You don't know who you're about to encounter and that is scary because you're like, can I count on her to still push forward my goals?” “Take a moment to ask yourself the why behind the concern for becoming a parent for you in particular. This is really, really important. It's actually pretty critical to understand what is driving that fear for you.” “As a leader, part of what I know my clients will get caught up in is hiding their motherhood identity or trying to minimize it. Trying to make themselves as low maintenance as possible. We need to release this low maintenance identity. This is the time, if there were ever a time, babes, for you to step into your high maintenance era. Becoming a mother, while leading big things is the time… I want you to give yourself full permission to embrace your want, to embrace your need, and to let the team know.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 55 | When You Do The Most But Expect The Least: Letting Go Of Shrinking Yourself | 12 Mar 2025 | 00:26:25 | |
This week's episode dives into self-love and transformation! Join Monique as she discusses the importance of recognizing your worth and embracing your true self. Inspired by a profound coaching conversation with a client, she explores the concept of being "low maintenance" and its detrimental effects on women, particularly women of color. Monique unpacks the societal pressures that lead us to minimize our needs and accomplishments, urging us to embrace our bigness and the unique contributions we bring to the world. This episode is a call to action for all women to acknowledge our worth, celebrate our achievements, and demand the support we deserve. Press play to start your journey to break free from the limitations of self-doubt and step into your full power. 📢As a special note, Monique is opening her coaching waitlist for February 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. GEMS DROPPED “An interesting gift of having a strong reflection practice is that the reflection teaches you a lot around what did and didn't work right. What did I learn? What do I need to let go of? What were some of the strengths and the weaknesses of that season? What were the lessons? And now I get to take stock of what in me has changed and what that means for my future. It's not like the analytical sort of assessing and processing, it's something that has the fundamental elements of who I am.” “The concept of being low maintenance, it's really a special designation that's reserved only for women. It was designed to keep women mentally busy with this impossible sort of dance and not having needs. And so what we're supposed to do is to be small.” “I think, hopefully, prayerfully, at some point, we have the opportunity to one day catch wind that something is off. Like, how am I supposed to be small and need nothing, yet bear all this fruit, create all of these things and be the vessel for such huge transformation in the world? There's a discrepancy.” “There are some baseline needs that we all have…ways that we can be more specific, to be more precise about how our bigness functions. When it comes to this level of acceptance and understanding about ourselves, about fundamentally who we are and what we have to offer baseline level, can't nobody take that. Nobody is going to shame you. And it just becomes an opportunity to exist more restfully, more peacefully. And is one of the greatest manifestations, I think, of self love.” "We are making outsized contributions in the places and spaces that we care about, and we are not treating ourselves in accordance with that contribution. We think others deserve more than we do because there's this distortion that exists in who we actually are." “We all deserve to have our distorted mirrors absolutely demolished and to see ourselves, in our true radiance and all of our unique nooks and crannies and ways of being as beautiful and worthy of support and love, especially from ourselves.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 54 | The Giver, The Grinder & The Pleaser: Rethinking Success | 26 Feb 2025 | 00:38:15 | |
Is the pursuit of success weighing you down? In this episode, Monique uncovers how ambition can sometimes come at the cost of our deepest dreams. Listen in as she shares compelling stories of women balancing leadership, motherhood, and personal fulfillment. Through the lens of the 'Giver,' the 'Grinder,' and the 'Pleaser,' she reveals how these identities shape our paths—both fueling and restricting us. Tune in to learn how to break free from outdated roles, redefine success on your terms, and step into a future of authentic fulfillment. 📢As a special note, Monique is opening her coaching waitlist for March 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. MENTIONED 53 | The Safety Shift: Trusting Yourself in Times of Transformation 52 | Making The Scary Identity Leap 26 | When Achievement Is No Longer The Goal 15 | Learning To Dream First (CEO Series) GEMS DROPPED "Everything that you are doing could be mission oriented. Everything that you are doing could be impact driven. And then the thing that is not getting done is the thing that you desire most deeply. So the thing that you wanted most is the thing that is also being put at risk." "When you're in a perpetual state of grind over years and years and years and years, your whole identity begins to form around that. And it's really, really challenging to see how it's possible to set that down and to still succeed. How to be any other way even when you know what is at stake." "We think that just because this is the version or form of winning that I've ever, always known that that is what winning is. That is what that looks like for me. That is what's possible for me. With the strengths that I have, with the weaknesses that I have, with the perspective that I have, the background that I have, that is how I must win. But, no, that is just how you happen to have won for this period of time. Winning can look different." “The ways that we need to be must evolve if we want our successes to evolve, if we want to elevate ourselves. We constantly talk about elevating our voices and elevating, expanding our impact, those things don't elevate and expand, not truly, unless we do.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 53 | The Safety Shift: Trusting Yourself in Times of Transformation | 12 Feb 2025 | 00:39:24 | |
In today's fast-paced world, the pressure to conform to a certain image of success can be overwhelming. Many of us are familiar with the archetype of the "4am CEO," a figure that embodies relentless ambition and productivity. But what happens when this pursuit of success starts to overshadow our true selves? In this week's episode, Monique dives into the journey of identity evolution and the fears that accompany significant life changes. Building on her previous discussions about identity leaps, she reflects on the critical moments when we find ourselves on the brink of transformation, yet held back by fears surrounding safety and acceptance. Join in as Monique guides us through the transformative process of letting go, embracing new identities, and ultimately finding peace in the pursuit of our authentic self. 📢As a special note, Monique is opening her coaching waitlist for February 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. MENTIONED 52 | Making The Scary Identity Leap GEMS DROPPED “We have identity needs. Safety at the identity level is very different than safety at the practical, tangible level. Safety, in terms of our heart’s needs, it operates very differently. And I think these are driving forces that are deeper and can be far stronger if we turn our attention to them and actually start to get real with what is trying to stretch and come from us.” “I'm tired of money being this primary driver. I'm beyond that. I know I'm in a system that requires money to sustain us, but I don't want that to be the thing that is driving all of my decisions anymore. I want to do the things that have been deemed frivolous. I want to spend more time in my garden. I want to spend more time cooking. I want to experience a season that lets that version of myself come to be. I want to get to know this version of myself where money is no longer the core driver. Like, what a privilege that would be. How incredible would that be? It's a shame that that's a privilege. It shouldn't be a privilege.” “If you change, the world around you changes which means the relationships around you have to change. They can embrace it, you can figure out how to move forward together, you might have a rough patch or a season, but there's also the risk that that relationship is now lost or some of the core fundamentals that kept you connected before, are null and void at this point.” “If I'm evolving into a whole new world, there’s a version of myself where I'm not going to be your savior anymore because I'm relaxing into my own needs. I'm leaning into my own creative expression and like minded, equally yoked community, partnership, friendship…the version of me that was required to uphold the nature of our past relationship, she's not going to be here. That undercurrent is a huge part of what will hold us back from evolving into the next version or the next stage of identity that is calling. I cannot overstate how deep that runs, how real that is for us.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love yo Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 70 | Inside Our Marriage: Navigating Ambition, Money, and Vision Together | 08 Oct 2025 | 00:53:25 | |
👉🏾 Interested in learning more about Monique's group coaching experience CLAIMED? Click this link to join the interest list and we will email you the details ASAP. How do you balance ambition with your partner? In our latest episode, Monique explores the delicate balance of managing personal and shared goals within a relationship. Drawing from her own experiences with her husband, she sheds light on the importance of mutual support, communication, and understanding in navigating shared and individual ambitions. Monique candidly discusses foundational elements that must be in place for a successful partnership, including respect, kindness, and the value of therapy. As the conversation unfolds, Monique introduces actionable tools and strategies, including the concept of "over owning" and the importance of articulating personal desires. She also shares her unique approach to regular "family off-sites," designed to foster alignment and communication about goals and aspirations. Plus, she’s sharing a FREE tool to help you get started. Tune in to learn more. MENTIONED Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less by Tiffany Dufu Grab my Family Offsite Workbook DM me the word OFFSITE on IG @moniquershields. GEMS DROPPED “To ambition as a couple, to ambition with a spouse, requires some foundational things that you just got to have in place such as love, respect, kindness, mutual willingness. If these are missing then there's nothing else to talk about.” “If you have a habit of feeling like you have to be on top of everything and own everything, it will bleed across multiple areas of your life and work, and it will get you into trouble in various ways.” “At some point you have to recognize like, okay, well, if I have a holistic view on all the things that I want to accomplish in life and this piece of me over owning is keeping me from the things that I want for myself. It's basically pushing me out of the equation. The solve is simply. You may be setting up your partners to be the intern. So step back and let your partner, your spouse, exercise and build their competence. Because your co-CEOs, your co-leaders, your one, your a unit.” “We'll convince ourselves that things are scarce when we haven't directed ourselves towards wanting what we want and asserting what we want. And then you move towards what you want and then you create what you want. Like that's kind of how it works. And we don't give ourselves space to do that. We don't take it seriously because we just need to respond to the demands. We need to be reactionary. And I'm telling y', all, if you don't give yourself this space, then no one can get into that space with you and help you build towards it.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 52 | Making The Scary Identity Leap | 29 Jan 2025 | 00:34:50 | |
Are you standing at the edge of a new chapter, feeling the pull of transformation, yet held back by invisible barriers? Join Monique as she uncovers the secrets to navigating identity shifts and breaking free from the self-doubt that keeps us stuck. Explore the thought-provoking questions that often paralyze progress, like 'Am I truly capable?' and 'Is this the right moment?' Through fresh insights and actionable strategies, Monique helps you reframe those doubts into empowering questions that inspire clarity, courage, and momentum on your journey of becoming. 📢As a special note, Monique is opening her coaching waitlist for February 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. GEMS DROPPED “Am I the right person? Any version of this question is an absolute trap, and we have to let the question go. It's not about how do I get to that answer. It's the question in and of itself that is not useful.” “If we can equip ourselves to move through this blockade phase or protective barriers phase, and we can slide that barrier to the left. Slide the ’am I’ person question barrier to the right and then get into, ‘well, what is the identity that I am sitting in today that is no longer serving me, that is keeping me stuck on the road, that is keeping me boxed in with these barriers?’ This is when we start getting into more useful questions.” “However you believe timing takes place, whatever right timing means for you, that's what it will be. No one else can tell you if it's the right time to pursue the thing that you need to pursue now. I think a better question is, ‘am I willing to make the sacrifices or to make the investments that are required right now in order for me to step into this new version of myself?’ ” “We've got to get more precise. We've got to get more practical. We've got to get more tangible and real. These questions have to be useful to actually help us arrive at what we're trying to arrive at. We need questions that force decision making.” “If it's yours, you can do it. You can set the timeline. You can set the look and the feel- the vibe and the pace. You get to set it. Just give yourself permission to stop asking questions that limit you, that keep you stuck and that keep you spinning around an old identity that's trying to hold on to you and keep you safe. And free yourself with questions that actually move you forward, that spark creativity, that spark your inner problem solver, that give you something to grab onto so that you can grab onto the next thing and the next thing and start that journey forward.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 51 | Monique's 2024 Reflections: Money, Motherhood & Mental Health + What's Next! | 15 Jan 2025 | 00:50:23 | |
In this episode, Monique shares her personal process for annual reflection, offering insights into how she evaluates the past year and sets intentions for the year ahead with clarity and purpose. Tune in to discover how embracing feminine energy and becoming more emotionally available can transform your approach to goal setting and personal growth. As you listen to this episode, you'll be inspired to reflect on your own journey and consider how you can set intentions that align with your values and aspirations. Happy New Year, and here's to a year of intentional living and personal growth! 📢As a special note, Monique is opening her coaching waitlist for February 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. MENTIONED GEMS DROPPED “I spent a lot of years in more of my masculine energy in building this business. And after having baby number two, we didn't have it in us to continue to keep that up in the same way. And so I had to trust that the seeds that have been planted in those previous seasons would allow me to gently reap what had been sown. So in 2024, I came into the year with a clear focus on depth and well being and how those two interact both for me personally and professionally. Embracing this was about embracing a more feminine, energetic approach which is a lot more about what you can attract. It's a creative energy that is not about purely execution or hunting. It's about believing that you can experience a holistic well being. Because I decided that, this is the highest grossing revenue year for my business, which is wild because I did the least.” “I'm really proud of my decision, my commitment to continuously coming back into a feminine posture of receiving and not over exerting myself. Resting in the magnetism, the attraction and the abundance, and just allowing for things to unfold in my favor. I mean down to like little things with grandparent help and things like that, where before I used to be like, no, I need to be the one, or no, I shouldn't stay on the trip this one extra day. It was just like, no, the help has been offered. Receive it, receive it fully.” “My goal into next year is to start being more emotionally available. I realized that I have been robbing some of my closest relationships of the fullness of who I am. My daughter deserves to see what it looks like for a grown Black woman, the leading grown Black woman in her life, to experience emotion so she knows it's okay for her to experience the full range of emotion.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 50 | Top 5 Episodes Since Launching AWC | 01 Jan 2025 | 00:40:52 | |
Welcome 2025 with us as we celebrate our 50th podcast episode! 🎉 Join Monique as she reflects on the top five episodes—ranked by downloads and impact—exploring themes like embracing change, prioritizing well-being, and balancing humanity with wealth. Monique also shares exciting news about her upcoming speaking engagement at Rachel Rogers' ROI Millionaire Summit, a conference aimed at empowering marginalized identities to achieve financial success. Whether you're a long-time listener or new to the podcast, this episode serves as both a guide to the most impactful episodes and a celebration of the journey so far. Thank you for being a crucial part of our community. Here's to another year of growth, reflection, and ambition. 📢As a special note, Monique is opening her coaching waitlist for February 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. TOP 5 EPISODES HONORABLE MENTIONS MENTIONED
GEMS DROPPED "The work that actually unlocks the success that we're deeply craving is the work that we're avoiding." "When you share from the vulnerable plac Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 49 | Whose Permission Are You Seeking? | 18 Dec 2024 | 00:29:24 | |
Have you ever felt the pull to close one chapter of your life and start a new one, only to be held back by an invisible ball and chain? This episode tackles the heart of that struggle, exploring how we can make meaningful shifts in how we work, live, and perceive ourselves. Join Monique on this live broadcast episode as she discusses how to break free from old identities, embrace personal evolution, and seek permission from within. Tune in for a transformative conversation that challenges you to rethink the rules you've lived by and invites you to create from a place of artistry and authenticity. 📢As a special note, Monique is opening her coaching waitlist for February 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. GEMS DROPPED “I think the top two reasons that I hear from people who are scared to pivot, who are scared to make the leap: number one, there's some scarcity thing going on around money. But I think that the bigger driver is something around this invisible audience that is judging our every move. The language that people use constantly is ’I get scared of what people will think or what people will say’. Like, what people? Who are you talking about? Who specifically are you referring to? ” “Usually there are specific relationships, there are specific groups of people that we have related to in a certain way, who have seen us occupy a certain identity, who have seen us in a certain light that we don't want to break our current image with them. We're terrified of becoming something unrecognizable to these people or a specific person. And the way these show up in our thoughts and in our minds that then influence our actions is what I've been calling an invisible audience.” “There's a physiological connection to the ways in which we are not allowing ourselves to show up in the fullness of who we are and we've created all of these rules around these old identities that are no longer going to serve us. We have created all of these limitations and rules and constraints based off of old spaces, places and identities that we've had to occupy or that we've chosen to occupy in the past and that stuff is sticking with us.” "Sacrifice is meant to be temporary. It is not meant to be the end all, be all, forever state of things." STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 48 | Learning How To Choose Instead Of Saying Yes To Everything | 04 Dec 2024 | 00:39:30 | |
In a world where success is often defined by external benchmarks and societal expectations, Monique invites us to pause and reflect on the art of intentional living. Tune in as Monique shares her personal framework, "Nature, Nurture, Navigate," guiding us to understand our inherent strengths and make choices that resonate with our true self. Press play now to learn how aligning your actions with your core values can lead to a more fulfilling and abundant life. This is the first step into a life of intentional living. Listen now! 📝As a special note, Monique announces the opening of her coaching waitlist for February 2025. You can sign up through her website to receive updates and secure a spot for transformative one-on-one coaching. MENTIONED GEMS DROPPED “You're oftentimes fighting to create more equity in the world. You're pushing so hard and overextending yourself for the people that you are making a way for. Your employees, your team, your mentees, whoever it is that you are trying to blaze the trail for or with. A big part of the mission oftentimes is to create more equity for them, for them to have experiences where there is more given to them than was given to you. Where they get to experience a reciprocal relationship within these crazy systems that they have to operate in and navigate and build, within and yet we won't expect that for ourselves. It's like you're trying to give the thing that you are not willing to give to yourself. And I want you to know that that comes at a cost, not just to you, but for those who are watching. Because you're not setting the example you think that you are. When you are living a life that is feeling lopsided, other folks can see that. We have to give ourselves permission to exist in what it is that we're trying to create for others to not leave ourselves out of our own vision.” “You need to know what your values are. I think a lot of us have loosely articulated vague values that are really just a set of feelings that we've never actually taken the time to do the work on, to truly be precise about, to be specific about.” “My values coupled with my mind, body, connection, and my gut feeling help me decide what I choose to say yes to versus what I don't. And we all need these. And I will also say that getting intentional practice around connecting the two, using them in real life situations, it deepens our conviction. It makes it much easier to step into whatever season of life or work that is ahead of us with a lot more confidence and speed, honestly.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 47 | When Ambition Meets Stillness: Finding Strength in Slowing Down | 20 Nov 2024 | 00:36:50 | |
Are you feeling ungrounded or disconnected from your true self? Our latest episode takes you on a transformative journey of self-discovery through therapy, journaling, and meditation. Join Monique as she takes us on an unscripted journey, sharing raw and real insights fresh from a therapy session, where the realization dawned that the key to feeling grounded lies in embracing our past and present selves. Through insightful reflections and a powerful grounding exercise experienced at a recent retreat, Monique challenges the notion of productivity-driven meditation and journaling, advocating instead for a return to the simple, joyful practices of being in nature and embracing the present moment. This episode is a heartfelt call to action for those feeling detached from their inner selves, offering a fresh perspective on finding balance between our adult responsibilities and the wisdom of our inner child. Tune in now to explore your own relationship with stillness, play, and the simple pleasures of life. MENTIONED GEMS DROPPED “The thing is never the thing y'all. There's something that's running beneath it that is keeping you from doing whatever activity or habit or ritual or behavior it is that you want to exhibit or want to stop exhibiting. It's not about the behavior itself. It is about something else that is running beneath it.” “I always had my diary. It was a companion and it was a way that, I not only just consolidated my thoughts or processed my emotions, but it was a way that I connected with myself. It was like a part of a relationship that I had with myself. It was a trusted anchor, and an expression of my own rootedness.” “The aspects of how journaling used to show up for me when I was younger and what was so grounding and beautiful about it was that there was no adult pressure. There was no pressure period on it.” “For those of you who are craving stillness, who feel like the relationship that you once had with yourself, where there was space for no strings attached, no pressure, no expectations, where you can just be and let your feelings flow. It's like you get to experience the fullness of yourself. To experience that again, make space for this other part of yourself, your inner child.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 46 | Balancing Success and Personal Legacy with Former Blavity.org ED Tamyra Gordon | 06 Nov 2024 | 01:08:45 | |
Join Monique for an enlightening conversation with Tamyra Gordon as she shares her journey of intentional living, homeschooling and legacy building. Tamyra, also known as Tammy, is a public historian whose work serves as a powerful reclamation of Black history, identity, and legacy. With over 18 years of experience in education, historic preservation, workforce development, and public programming, she is more than just an executive; she is a steward of ancestral stories. Tune in as we explore Tamyra's path and learn how she continues to build and nurture her legacy with courage and heart. Her wisdom and experiences offer valuable guidance for anyone looking to live a life of purpose and impact. GUEST INFO MENTIONED “Legacy is less about generational wealth and what's the hand down, and what are the things that we sort of get as part of being tied to someone else's legacy. Really, it's just like, are we leaving this place any better than we found it and can the people who are left to tell our story actually articulate that? Did we live a life that our values, that our beliefs, that our actions are aligned to all those things that we said that we cared about? Did people feel better after being in my presence and being around me than they did not being around? Did I honor people who would otherwise be forgotten and not let to work and other things sort of distract from those moments where you can pull in people into the fabric of how we live today. In my mind, that's the legacy. That's how I'm thinking about it today. I'm also open to the idea of what that looks like continuing to mature and evolve with me and how I sort of see the babies keeping and thinking about legacy, because that will also matter. But for right now, it's keeping things alive that I think matter at the end.” - Tamyra Gordon STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 45 | How To Actually Prioritize Rest: What I've Learned To Do | 23 Oct 2024 | 00:57:12 | |
This episode is a delightful reflection on Monique's recent family trip to Australia and the valuable lessons she learned about balancing ambition with rest. Monique takes us through her journey of stepping away from her solopreneur business to embrace a much-needed break, all while maintaining the essence of her work and personal life. She shares insights on how to create space in your life for rest and recovery, even when you're running a business that thrives on personal connections. Monique also dives into the practices that have enabled her to take extended breaks without compromising her business. She discusses the importance of viewing rest as an asset, studying your own rhythms, setting a vision and plan, and getting the right support. For anyone contemplating a sabbatical, a big trip, or simply more spaciousness in their daily life, this episode is packed with actionable advice and inspiration. Press play now to discover how to integrate rest into your entrepreneurial journey and emerge with renewed energy and clarity. MENTIONED
“We have to acknowledge that something is not congruent and that we actually have to step into a true valuing of rest, of space, not with the deep undercurrent of guilt that comes along with not constantly being productive. We have to see the relationship, like, truly feel the relationship between rest and productivity as one that is harmonious.” “Conceptually, it's easy to understand that rest is good for you, but my behaviors over time are not necessarily lining up with that understanding. So I want to shift us from understanding to belief.” “We are wrapped up in so many systems that tell us that if we ever stop moving, that we will be overtaken and destitute and just out of the game, that we will be fighting for our lives to feed ourselves and to be relevant. No matter how much money you have that track can be running in the background still pushing you to do more than what you need to be doing. And so I don't mean to in any way make light of this, but we have to kind of get real with how ridiculous it actually is and that it is not a narrative of our making. It is a narrative driven purely out of capitalism.” “I'd given myself over to this season of rest, and it gave me the proof after going through that, that abundance can be possible for you when you treat yourself abundantly.When you treat yourself with scarcity, you cannot be surprised when your results are scarce.“ “We cannot always be sowing seeds. Sometimes we need time for the stuff to grow. Sometimes we need time for the stuff to wilt and die so that it has the energy to regrow in a new season. You cannot always be on, you cannot always be doing, you cannot always be giving because you're going to reap really weak crops or it'll be the wrong crop.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 44 | Submitting To Hard Changes In A New Season | 09 Oct 2024 | 00:53:10 | |
Are you navigating a season of change? This episode is here to provide inspiration and guidance. Join in as Monique revisits a transformative period in her life, reflecting on a throwback episode from her earlier audio newsletter series, "Letters from Monique." She shares insights from her journey of allowing herself to be changed, especially during significant life transitions like the birth of her second child and the early seeds of this very podcast. She also emphasizes the importance of allowing oneself to be changed, the power of community, and the necessity of support and presence. Monique dives deep into the messy and beautiful process of change, offering a raw and honest account of her experiences. Whether you're in a season of transition or just seeking inspiration to embrace change, this episode is dropping gems. So, grab your tea, journal, and a cozy spot as Monique takes you on a journey through personal evolution, resilience, and the beauty of embracing change. Enjoy, and may this episode meet you exactly where you need to be met. GEMS DROPPED “You can't want change without permitting yourself to be changed.” “Our thoughts are anchored upon the changes that we get to experience externally, but what has to happen internally we undersell, we undershoot, and oftentimes, we don't fully anticipate because it's something that's new. So you're not really able to preemptively anticipate what those internal changers are. So to be changed is something that is easy to struggle with.” “We want the external product of change, we want the external experiences of change, but it's not all upside to get there. It can't be. There has to be some pain. And I'm not gonna say, full on suffering, necessarily, but pain, loss, absolutely. And this comes with any kind of change.” “When we ask for change be ready for everything that comes with that, but also recognize the beauty in it.” “Permitting ourselves to be changed is to permit ourselves to have permission to change, to have permission to create in the midst of change, to have permission to reenvision, to pivot, to shift, to reimagine, to want differently. And it requires support. I think for most of us, particularly so for women, we are so practiced at not permitting ourselves to want, to create,to build freely, unapologetically, and inviting in the support to do that. And not even the support to do that, but also just making sure that we are part of communities where that was heralded and encouraged and modeled. It means everything.” “It is very easy to scale back on our self investments when we think we can't produce as much, or we think that, like, oh, I'm stepping into a season of less. So then we start giving ourselves less. Girl, you're doing the opposite of what needs to happen. This is a season where we give ourselves more,much, much more.” “If you want change, you have to permit myself to be changed. So ask yourself, what needs to be true in this next season in order for you to get prepared for that season? There's a new version of you that is waiting.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 43 | Rebooting Social Media Boundaries As A Business Owner: What I Had To Do | 25 Sep 2024 | 00:43:39 | |
In this episode, Monique takes us on a journey through her relationship with social media. She dives into an ongoing experiment that is reshaping her life, work, and well-being. Instead of waiting until the end of this process, Monique brings you into the messy middle, sharing her live experiences, feelings, and the steps she’s taking to reclaim her time and attention. Join Monique as she unpacks the psychological and emotional layers of her social media detox, offering valuable insights that might just inspire you to rethink your own digital habits. Grab your tea, take some notes, and let’s dive in together. GEMS DROPPED “We are going to reclaim our time. We are going to reclaim our attention. That is of high, high value to me, especially in this transitional season where I am really focusing down and redirecting my path with some new intention. And this (social media) cannot be a thing that stands in the way.“ “I was actually really surprised by the release that I felt (with unfollowing every account on IG). It felt like a real releasing, a relinquishing of something… something relieving and easeful.” “Baby, I got goals and [social media] cannot be a thing that stands in the way. This cannot be a thing that feels like it's clogging up my brain. A top line goal for all of this was to build the belief that I could feel in control of technology that I claim to use for my business and engage in for entertainment and connection. But its primary use is to be a tool to amplify the messaging of my business, to make sure I'm reaching people with my message.“ “Social media can serve as this passive proxy for connection that does not exist and it keeps you in a state of inaction of actually creating the thing you want, which is real connection.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 69 | Optimizing Your Life For Confidence | 24 Sep 2025 | 00:40:25 | |
👉🏾 Interested in learning more about Monique's group coaching experience CLAIMED? Click this link to join the interest list and we will email you the details ASAP. This week's episode is all about confidence! After months of reflection, Monique shares her insights on why we must prioritize optimizing for confidence in a world that often undermines it. Through relatable scenarios from her coaching practice, Monique illustrates how fear and uncertainty can hold us back from pursuing our true potential. She emphasizes the importance of community and support in building confidence, highlighting how being witnessed in our struggles can lead to breakthroughs. From transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship to navigating family dynamics, Monique provides actionable insights for reclaiming our confidence and taking bold steps forward. If you’re looking to explore the intricacies of confidence and how to cultivate it in your life, this episode is a must-listen. GEMS DROPPED “Confidence is that feeling you have when you feel on. When you feel maybe not ready, but ready enough. When you feel like, I'm gonna take this first step regardless of how I feel. That's what I like to think of as confidence. And I think sometimes we confuse confidence for certainty. They're not the same thing. And I think we're often waiting on certainty before we can tell ourselves that we are confident and it's really the illusion of certainty.” “I've just recognized that the world the world is coming for me in a really specific way, especially as a woman of color. And I have got to do everything in my power to optimize for my confidence. Not just because feeling confident feels good, but because it costs me to not feel confident. There's a massive cost to us feeling stuck, because what do we do when we're not confident? We stay where we are. Stagnation thrives off of our lack of confidence.” “We've lived life long enough to look back and see sometimes we have this negativity bias where we only see the mistakes or the missteps that we feel like we've had or the lost opportunities. But when we're really honest with ourselves, we've done so many things well. We've done so many things with integrity and with courage and with creativity. So much creativity. And so to give ourselves that moment, to have it reflected back to us, again, a confident confidence booster.“ “What it means to have the support, the vetted, skilled, appropriate support for where you are in life, where you are in work, to have that support to bring you back into yourself, it's priceless. It's actually priceless.” “We cannot afford to get stuck. Especially now, the world is really showing us, we cannot afford to get stuck. And I tell you, the fastest way to get stuck is to get isolated.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 42 | Committing To Success That Heals You with Transformational Healer & Coach Marla Teyolia | 11 Sep 2024 | 00:51:36 | |
Welcome back, good people! This episode is a special treat as we welcome the inspiring Marla Teyolia, a seasoned transformational coach with over two decades of experience. Marla’s expertise lies in executive presence development, enhancing communication skills, career growth, and team expansion, all while preserving core values and personal authenticity. Her holistic approach integrates mindfulness, meditation, and yoga practices, making her coaching a transformative experience. In this episode, we dive deep into Marla’s journey, from her early work in the field of domestic violence to her current role in empowering leaders. We explore how she balances her deeply spiritual practices with her work in high-powered corporate spaces, and how she navigates the dance between personal freedom and family commitments. Marla shares profound insights on the importance of reconnecting with our humanity, the power of breathwork, and the necessity of decolonizing our vision of success. This conversation is a powerful reminder that our true power lies within, and that by tending to our spirit, we can navigate any space with grace and strength. Join us for this enlightening conversation and discover how you can embrace your inner power and live a life aligned with your deepest values. GEMS DROPPED “We have a western way of thinking where it's like, medicine is an external thing that you take into your body to help you to solve a problem. But your relationship to your inner spiritual awareness and connectedness is at your core and is your medicine. The medicine is inside. Making your medicine your lifeline has to start from there and everything else flows from that.” - Monique R. Shields “The strength that comes from knowing. First of all, what you value most-family, freedom, etc- there's no perfect static place that you arrive to that just stays that way. There's always this constant dancing trade off. When you think about doing that dance, we will cannibalize the things that matter most. And it's not like your family always gets the best of you or your work always gets, you know, 100% of the time, all the time. But there are other things outside of what matters most. And it's like focus on cannibalizing that.” - Monique R. Shields GUEST LINKS STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 41 | What to Do When Your Vision Is Changing | 28 Aug 2024 | 00:48:45 | |
Have you ever found yourself feeling stuck, even though you've accomplished everything you set out to do? Life is full of subtle shifts and changes that can catch us off guard, leaving us feeling lost or in limbo. As high achievers, we can sometimes be so focused on our goals that we miss the subtle shifts happening around us. In this episode, we’ll explore how to recognize and adapt to these seasonal transitions, ensuring that our dreams expand and contract with grace. Whether you're a CEO, entrepreneur, or someone in the midst of a personal transition, this episode offers valuable guidance to help you align with your next season. Join in as we explore the importance of acknowledging shifts, seeking trusted perspectives, and giving yourself the grace to grow. MENTIONED GEMS DROPPED “It's hard to detect that something is off because the really tricky thing about it is that things aren't actually broken.” “Dreams move. They pivot and change course but our dreams also expand and contract through different seasons. When something contracts, usually everything comes closer together and you become more compact. There's no more or less material there. It's just that we are more focused, and only going to do a certain number of things. And when we have a little more heat–think of that as energy or capacity …then that same dream gets to expand.” “Sometimes we will wake up in the middle of a season that is basically trying to end. I had to wake up to the fact that my season had shifted. Now I'm in a season where all these doors are open, and I get to choose which door I want to walk through. Initially, the prospect of that felt kind of exciting. But then, immediately, it turned to overwhelm because I had not given myself space to actually unpack the season that I'd come through because I did not realize that that season had come to a close.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 40 | Are You Asking Too Much Of Your Team? | 14 Aug 2024 | 00:35:52 | |
One of the most challenging aspects of this journey of entrepreneurship is people management. As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves grappling with delegation and feedback, two crucial elements that can make or break our team dynamics and overall business success. In this episode, I’m diving deep into these very topics by exploring the common pitfalls entrepreneurs face when trying to delegate tasks and provide feedback, and offering practical solutions to overcome these challenges. Join me as I share personal experiences and the lessons I've learned from coaching clients through the intricate dance of delegation. From setting clear expectations to creating effective checkpoints, I walk you through my thought process and provide actionable advice to help you delegate tasks more effectively and give constructive feedback. If you've ever struggled with feeling like your standards are too high or questioned your ability to trust your team, this episode is for you. MENTIONED GEMS DROPPED “I think the other part of defining ownership, is also explaining the stakes in the context because when we start handing over decision making authority - even if it's very low stakes or small decisions - they still have an impact. We equip our team members with what they need to increase their chances of success when we explain to them the context, that is necessary for the task at hand or for the whatever it is that you're trying to hand over ownership for. This is a key missing piece.” “Before we set any expectations, we have to recognize how little we actually know about what our expectations are. Especially as women leaders, we know what we want, but we don't know how to express what we want. We're not practiced at it. We're not practiced at both, what it is that we want, and expressing it freely because we are often in spaces where it is not safe to do that. And so, number one … is to drop into and find support for expressing your needs. This flows outside the walls of your business or your organization. This is about how you are also showing up in life, how you relate to what it is that you need… How you express that. Period.“ STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 39 | On People Pleasing | 31 Jul 2024 | 00:34:20 | |
In this live-recorded episode, we explore the pervasive issue of people-pleasing, its roots, impacts, and the paths to overcoming it. This behavior, often rooted in a desire to be liked and accepted, can have profound impacts on both our personal and professional lives. Join me for personal stories, client experiences, and actionable steps to help you reclaim your voice and set healthier boundaries. Learning to love and accept ourselves, flaws and all, is a vital part of the journey towards breaking free from this behavior. If you're ready to reclaim your voice, tune in to this enlightening episode. It's time to prioritize your own well-being and create a life that truly reflects who you are. GEMS DROPPED “People pleasing is symptomatic of feeling unseen, going for long periods of your life, probably in your youth, probably having to deal with some of our traumas, where we've been unseen. “ “I want to be really clear that people pleasing is not the same thing as being ”weak”, or, not having a perspective or being passive. Some of the most hard hitting, ambitious, aggressive, in all the best ways, women that I know also identify as being people pleasers. Two things can be true at the same time, y'all. People pleasing is not the same thing as playing second fiddle and always taking a backseat.” “You are in the driver's seat of the choices you make, no matter what choices you make. This podcast, Ambition Without Compromise, is about you designing what ambition looks like. And I think oftentimes when you really think about it, one of the most ambitious things, if I'm honest, that a black woman in this world could do is to decide against all odds that she is prioritizing just her basic well-being over anything else. Over career, over accolades, over anything. And that could look a lot of different ways.” “Our bodies are our bodies. We are still real flesh and blood human beings. We are not supernatural. We are not meant to take on all the burdens of the world. We have got to stop convincing ourselves that, like, I can hold it. They're not built like me, so I guess I better handle it. Like, at some point, it will catch up with you. 1000% guaranteed and on that day, you won't be able to always just walk it back.” “I think all of this boils down to a very fundamental need that all of us have as humans, which is unconditional love. It's like the ooey gooey center of it all. I'm talking about leadership. I'm talking about, you know, showing up in spaces and holding things and pleasing folks. And you gotta please your investors, you gotta please your team, you gotta please your clients, you gotta please your parents, you gotta please your extended family, you gotta please your spouse, you gotta please your kids. Right? But when we operate like this, I think a big part of it is that we move into circumstances, in general, in life, where we just don't expect unconditional love. We don't know what that looks like. We have not been taught that and not in a blanketed way. And it's what we crave most, where it's just like, I can be me and I'll still be accepted. I can want what I need too, and still be loved. I’m deserving of it all.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 38 | Scared To Hire | 17 Jul 2024 | 00:45:42 | |
In this special behind-the-scenes episode, I pull back the covers on my personal journey as a CEO and entrepreneur sharing my fears, challenges, and breakthroughs. From hiring hurdles to business growth, I get real and raw about the ups and downs of my five-year journey of building my business and the challenges of making my first full-time hire. If you've ever hesitated to invest in yourself or your business, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in now and discover how you can move past your fears and build the business of your dreams. MENTIONED
“I had begun to buy into this sort of vague, emotional reaction, and told myself a story that was irresponsible to hire someone until I have this feeling that I can support them. And that's not what hiring is like. The actual exchange of expectations and the resources and the energy that flows between you and your team members or those who are working for your company, you're not paying to take care of them. And so that doesn't have anything to do with my values around being a thoughtful and kind and compassionate person and leader, right. How I will treat people, how I actually care about whoever works with me, their humanity, like I'm still me and I don't have to place this additional weight on the relationship that doesn't need to exist. It just really has no place.” “We all need this. We need other people to help us catch those blind spots and shift our perspective. Otherwise, we're trapped in our own way of thinking, and we overcomplicate stuff. We make things harder than they need to be and it's just because certain things are hidden or there’re certain angles that we're just not exploring.” “I think it's important to get yourself into conversation not only with your coach, because I would not have made the connections to the undercurrents right around the belonging, around the messiness if I had not already laid the groundwork, which with the deeper level work that I do with my coach and that I have done with my therapists. But these kind of [questions], ‘What's the next step? Where are we going to take it next?’ Not sitting in that alone. It makes all the difference.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 37 | The Power Of Prioritizing Friendship And Connection | 03 Jul 2024 | 00:38:31 | |
As a coach, facilitator, and speaker, I have come to realize that our dreams don't always welcome us with open arms. The journey towards our aligned future can often feel lonely and unwelcoming, especially when we are made to feel isolated. Join me as I share personal stories and revelations about overcoming isolation and finding support in our journeys. From a significant encounter in 2018 that solidified my commitment to working with women of color, to the transformative power of finding and fostering authentic connections during the pandemic, this episode is a heartfelt testimony to the necessity of community for thriving. Tune in to discover how prioritizing connection can unlock your potential and lead to greater success in both your personal and professional life. MENTIONED GEMS DROPPED “Your primary concern must be about connection. It must be about community. It must be meeting the needs.” “As a black woman, we're used to counting on ourselves. And so the help that we really deep, deep, deep, deep down, that desire, the vulnerability, the sadness, the emotions, the joy that we wish we could not only express, but to be witnessed and to be held in and celebrated in or whatever needs to be amplified or just held, we don't know how to do that. Nobody has taught us how to do that. And so it is the medicine for so many things. “ “There's a whole different experience of human interaction in the world. And I think we think about this just for our kids. We are greatly impacted by this, • and I think it is costing us dearly. And I think for those of us who have layer upon layer of subjugated and or marginalized identities, however you hold that language in your mind, it's even more so. So we are under attack, like, our humanity. And what becomes possible for us is under attack because of what kinds of patterns and practices have become normalized in our societies.” “When belonging is blocked, or you're not getting enough of that, it has far reaching impacts over the rest of your life. It has everything to do with how much money you believe you can make as well. Make it happen like you're fighting for your life, because you are.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 36 | Learning How To Do Nothing | 19 Jun 2024 | 00:41:31 | |
In today's fast-paced world, the concept of truly resting and enjoying success often feels elusive. Many of us are caught in a cycle of hyper productivity and achievement, constantly striving for the next milestone without pausing to reflect or recharge. Inspired by a friend's sabbatical and a compelling story from Will Smith's autobiography, I’m examining the internal struggle and unexpected discomfort that comes with stepping away from the grind. If you're seeking ways to incorporate rest into your life, or simply curious about the journey of self-discovery and enjoyment, this episode offers valuable reflections and practical advice to help you embrace stillness and find balance. Tune in as I dive into the art of stillness and explore what it means to remove yourself from the relentless pace of life to reconnect with your true self.
“Some of us have been working full time employees since we were very small children. Whether we were going elsewhere, outside of our household to work or whether we were energetically, emotionally laboring, we've been like many of us have been laboring for a very long time. And so when that threshold arises where it's time for my sabbatical, it's gonna vary.” “Without the expressed belief that I am working towards a sabbatical, some sort of extended break to pull yourself away and to reconnect with yourself and life…whatever. I think that that's what we're quietly playing for, but I don't think that many of us have actually taken ourselves to the place.” “The question is what do we actually think we want and what we truly will find on the other side of this freedom to rest, the stillness, the pause that we all keep saying that we want?” “I think we focus a lot on, like, I need to have a hobby, I need to have fun. And I think a lot of that just comes back down to like sit down either with yourself or someone else, however you process out your thoughts. If you can't think of like what am I into? What am I interested in besides making money, besides doing, you know, achieving things and you know, like working, what am I into? Go back to your younger self and think about what brought you delight and joy and surprise and what really intrigued you as a kid. What was something that you used to spend hours on. It may not be that exact thing today in its exact form, but some continuity of that still exists within you.” “Build yourself a bridge back to yourself first.” “Until he had had that kind of stillness experience where it's like, I have nowhere to go but to be here with me and to actually feel what it is that is trying to be felt. That is the thing that I think we are avoiding most.”
Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 35 | The Courage To Pursue Peace With Hillarie Maddox of BlackGirlCountryLiving | 05 Jun 2024 | 00:58:02 | |
Are you yearning for a change in your life, especially one that brings you closer to your true self? This episode might just be the nudge you need. In this episode, we unfold the essence of rewilding – a term that transcends its ecological roots to embody a spiritual awakening and connection with the natural world. Hillarie Maddox, a mother, aspiring farmer, community builder and the visionary behind Black Girl Country Living, shares her profound shift from the corporate grind to a life steeped in nature, healing, and community on Whidbey Island. Join in as Hillarie recounts her journey– from her aspirations for big-city success to her courageous leap into a life that truly resonates with her soul. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of transitioning multiple times, the power of visibility in attracting life-altering opportunities, and the importance of aligning one's work with deeply held values. Her story is a powerful reminder that it's never too late to seek a more fulfilling path, and that transitions are not just about the physical move from one place to another but also about the spiritual passage from one state of being to another. GEMS DROPPED “When I first started getting into gardening, and homesteading and thinking about, like, you know, this is something that I have to do all on my own. And then realizing, like, homesteaders, farmers, they don't do this on their own, they work in connection to all of these other people, and you can't possibly grow everything on your own. And so it's been like this sort of expansive rethinking of what this lifestyle actually means. And that understanding has trickled into all parts of my life, including my career.”- Hillarie Maddox “Many of us are still building our careers off of that very old dream. There's nothing wrong with having that dream, like, whatever age you have it at, and you pursue it and then decide, actually, this is not what I thought it was going to be and then making a new decision. But sometimes we never hit that point or allow ourselves to hit the point of reckoning where it's just like, this ain't it. It may be “it”, but sometimes it's not it, many times it's not it.” - Monique R. Shields “If you don't know what your values are, then you're making decisions from all of these different inputs from who knows where in your life and then it creates this really out of touch, out of alignment way of living.“ - Hillarie Maddox GUEST LINKS STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 34 | Perfectionism & The Settled Place We're Seeking | 22 May 2024 | 00:46:34 | |
Have you ever felt like you're constantly chasing a moment of peace, where everything on your to-do list is checked off, and you can finally relax? This pursuit of the 'settled place' might be more ingrained in your daily life than you realize. There's a way to shift from this endless cycle of striving for perfection to embracing an abundant boss mindset. A mindset that allows you to assume possibility, to believe that space and resources you need will be available to you, and to prioritize your own well-being alongside your ambitions. Join me as we unpack the layers of societal expectation that have taught us to stifle our emotions, to maintain composure at the cost of our authentic selves. I also share personal anecdotes and insights into how modeling emotional honesty can shape our environments, encourage others, and foster a culture of genuine well-being. Tune in to learn more.
“Some of the most important mental resource tools I've honestly ever picked up were between therapy and the fact that I worked for four years at a mental health startup where I learned cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in and out.” “One of the greatest lessons that I learned in my coaching training is how emotions move. Emotions are emotions. There are no good emotions, there are no bad emotions… emotions are just energy. They are energy that needs to flow through us. Our body is engaging with the world and energetically reacting to the experiences that we have, the relationships that we keep and when our emotions come up, as adults, we have been trained to work them on down, to make them feasible, to make them workable, or to shut them off, to shut ourselves off, and to go into numb mode just to survive the moment because we're not socially given the space to do much more than that on a da -to -day basis.” “This craving of arriving at the settled place, this desire to get ahead of this, to get to the point where you feel peace and confident and on top of things. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but I think that what we are not recognizing in that process or in that craving is that it's not just so much as a desire to get to a place as it is I think a desire to get away from. Because what's happening is we're just scared to be present to what is so we need to get somewhere else where there aren't the complicated, hard feelings there. Sadness is not there. Rage, anger and frustration are not there. It's just pure satisfaction and rest and peace, which we all deserve. And I want to argue today that we also deserve to have regular space to feel all of the other emotions as well.“ STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 33 | Unpacking Trauma And Achievement with Psychologist Andrea Michel | 08 May 2024 | 01:01:11 | |
In this episode, we explore the intricate web of trauma, perfectionism and high achievement with Andrea Michel. As a developmental psychologist, trauma-sensitive leadership coach, and former corporate badass, Andrea peels back the layers of what it means to be a high achiever, how our childhood traumas shape our professional lives, and the subtle yet significant distinction between burnout and trauma responses in the workplace. She offers a compassionate lens through which to view our inner perfectionist – not as something to be vanquished, but as a part of ourselves that requires understanding and, if we choose, healing. Whether you're a leader seeking to create a trauma-sensitive environment or an individual ready to confront the roots of your perfectionism, Andrea's expertise will guide you toward a path of self-awareness and empowerment. Press play to join the conversation. Some key points discussed in this episode include:
GEMS DROPPED “What I come into contact with, even with some clients in session, sometime we're asking, like, where does that come from? Why is that showing up? Why is that happening? What was that about? But we can't take it much further. And I just feel like sometimes it's just another reminder that you can't really do this alone. You can, many times only get yourself so far, because we can't see outside. We can't see outside of how we see.” - Monique R. Shields “We have to unburden ourselves of things that we ultimately cannot control and we're not supposed to anyway.” - Monique R. Shields
EP. 14 Spiritual Knowing and Self-Integrity with Josie Rosario
STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 68 | Becoming the Kind of Leader These Times Require | 10 Sep 2025 | 00:32:57 | |
In this deeply personal episode, Monique opens up about her recent struggles with visibility, purpose, and the weight of societal turmoil. After a series of engaging guest interviews, she reflects on her own journey, feeling speechless and overwhelmed by the state of the world. Monique shares her experiences of grappling with inner turmoil while maintaining her coaching practice and supporting her family. As she confronts feelings of anxiety and the pressures of capitalism, Monique explores what it means to embrace change and vulnerability. She discusses the importance of community, the necessity of being honest about one’s struggles, and the transformative power of pain. Through her candid storytelling, Monique invites us to reflect on our own journeys and consider how we can show up authentically in times of uncertainty. Join in for an honest conversation about vulnerability, resilience, and the journey of self-discovery. Don't miss this opportunity to connect and find strength in our shared experiences. Tune in now! GEMS DROPPED “I am loved. I am love. No matter what… No matter what.” “I feel like, especially as someone from a marginalized community, we keep talking about the unknown, the unknown. And I think what we're actually scared of is not the unknown, I think that we're scared of what we know is to come and how we're gonna cope with it.” “Pain is a part of life, and you can handle pain. It's just pain. It comes and it goes, and you're still here… you're fine. And for the things that are worth it… the pain required to get to the other side is not only okay, but can be really worth it.” “I hope that this offers somebody who is listening and trying to keep it together, and also recognizing that this season, or the seasons to come are asking you to submit to changes, to submit to inevitabilities that feel like they're going to invite some painful things, some scary things that it doesn't serve us to focus on how fearful we are of the pain, that there is possibility in releasing that tension as best you can.” “You can show up honestly in the midst of the mess, fully admitting that you don't have the answers.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 32 | The Right Time Is Not Coming | 24 Apr 2024 | 00:30:06 | |
Are you waiting for the perfect moment to make a change? In this episode, I am shattering the illusion of the "magical right time" that so many of us are waiting for. The truth is, that moment when you feel entirely ready, when everything is in place, and when you've done enough—it's a myth. It's never coming. The right time is now. Join me as I dive into the language of limitation and how phrases like "I just need to..." can trap us in a cycle of perpetual preparation, holding us back from stepping boldly into the life we're meant to live, without compromise. I also challenge the narrative that familiarity equals safety and explore the power of tapping into the unbridled strength of our younger selves to fuel our courage for change. Press play and let's explore what it means to live freely and authentically, and how to back it into a plan that propels us forward. GEMS DROPPED “This magical right time, the time when you feel ready, when things are in place, when you have done enough, when you have prepared enough, and you know that this is up for you, that this is a challenge for you right now… The whole thing is a trick.” “When you keep saying stuff like, well, I just have to think about, or I just have to decide, or I've got to give some more thought to … I need to do some preparation… I just. I just. I just. I just. y'all. This is all danger language. Danger, danger, danger, danger, language. We start backing ourselves into deep limitation because we are fearful of giving ourselves permission to be specific about what it is that we truly want.” “I recognize that in order for this next part of me, this next phase to come to fruition, for that to happen, I'm gonna have to relinquish the reins. I'm gonna have to let this other part of me, this free and creative and open, this vulnerable part of me, come up to the driver's seat and I might have to get in the back, I might have to get in the trunk at some point. That feels so risky. It feels so, so risky internally.” “We disconnect from that part of ourselves. We leave those, air quote, ‘childish things’ behind and we get serious about life and we put on new coping skills and different things toughen us up and rough us up, and we forget that that wild and free little version of us, has so much power.” “I hope that if you are sitting in stagnation and not realizing, I hope that if you are sitting in, ‘I need to wait for the right time’, or ‘I just need to think through. I just need to figure out,’ or ‘I just need to, you know, shore up x, y and z,’ that you bust down those walls and get real with the truth of what's going on here, which is knowing that you don't have to cling to what's familiar and that you're not going to find your freedom. Your salvation will not come from this place. You have everything you need to make the move if you give yourself permission to let that part of you actually dream it up and connect you to the urgency of it all.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 31 | When Will It Ever Be Enough? | 10 Apr 2024 | 00:33:25 | |
In this episode, I'm tackling a question that is rattling around the corridors of the minds of us highest achievers: "When will it ever be enough?" It's a relentless echo that reverberates in the silence left by our latest triumphs, a whisper that lingers even as we scale the peaks of what I’m calling “Money Mountain” with the weight of the world on our shoulders. For those who've pushed themselves to the brink, who've crafted empires with their bare hands and sheer will, this episode is a soul-stirring examination of the unsustainable pace of success and the personal toll it exacts. We're pulling back the veil on the harsh truths behind burnout, the undercurrents of systemic pressures, and the personalization of collective dysfunctions that lead us to question our worth, our work, and our way forward. Join me as we explore the deeper questions that should be guiding our pursuit of fulfillment. We'll navigate through the false narratives of entrepreneurship, the courage to be beginners in the public eye, and the vulnerability required to ask for what we truly want. Tune in and transform the way you approach your goals and your life. MENTIONED 03 | What Are You Playing For? (CEO Series) GEMS DROPPED “In this quest to say, ’Am I doing enough? Is it enough? Have I ascertained enough? Have I done enough? Have I created enough?’ We're really searching for, ’Will I ever be enough?’ That's the real question that runs beneath all of this, is, will I ever be enough?” “We're asking ourselves at the end of the day, why am I not enough? Why am I not rising to the occasion? Why is this wearing me out? Why am I having these emotional reactions and responses? Why am I being a fucking human being? We're punishing ourselves for our basic needs, and it's wrong. It is wrong. It is misguided. It is misdirected. So I want you to turn that energy into some better questions. I think a better question is ’Am I fulfilled, well, and whole?’“ “That moment where the decision is available to you, it can feel like you don't have a choice. And we always have a choice. We always have a choice.” “At a certain point, money no longer delivers. There's no return on that investment emotionally. Once you get past a certain level it caps out and you're not going to get any more enjoyment, fulfillment, happiness, even delight. All of that just falls flat. And so, well, what are you even playing for? “ “There really is no enoughness that's going to truly satisfy you…the feeling that you're actually seeking to meet, which is fulfillment. If fulfillment is what's lacking, none of this other stuff even matters. And I think that that's what we end up getting ourselves to when we first start asking this question. What's enough? You're enough. What do you want? Who do you want to be? Who you desire to be? Start there.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 30 | How I Became A Podcaster - 1 Year Anniversary Episode! | 27 Mar 2024 | 00:44:36 | |
In today's episode, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Ambition Without Compromise, a testament to the power of persistence and the beauty of evolution. Join me as I take a reflective journey down memory lane, recounting the origins of this podcast, born from a desire to connect authentically and serve a community of visionary women. From the humble beginnings of voice memos sent out to a small circle of friends and family, to the robust, twice-monthly musings that reach an ever-growing audience, this journey has been one of learning, growth, and unwavering commitment to my vision. I delve into five key lessons learned along the way, from embracing imperfection to tuning into the data, and the importance of meeting ourselves where we are. As we step into the next year of the show, I invite you to celebrate the milestones we've reached together and the space we've created for daring questions and honest answers. Whether you've been with me from the start or have recently joined our community, I hope you find inspiration in the realization that ambition does not have to be compromised when we listen, adapt, and serve with heart. In honor of our anniversary, I ask for the gift of your feedback. Leave a review and share how this podcast has impacted your journey. Your words not only help others find this podcast but also guide the future of our conversations. Send me a DM or an email to let me know your thoughts, and together, let's step into another year of uncompromised ambition. REQUEST Share your anniversary well-wishes by leaving a rating and review for Ambition Without Compromise on Apple Podcast. Your engagement fuels this journey, and I can't wait to hear from you. MENTIONED GEMS DROPPED “Perfection is not required to do the next thing that you're trying to do. I just want to remind you, if you don't already know, or if you know, that you're placing this undue pressure on yourself, that perfection is not required.” “Sometimes it's not about you having said the perfect thing, crafted the perfect positioning, and language, and put all of this thought and science and art just melding together into this gorgeous piece of work. Sometimes it's just the way you naturally say things. Someone else out in the world needed to hear it in that way. Someone's looking for YOU.” “Sometimes we think we need to over prepare when it's like you are enough as you are, that your rawness is actually the best gift you can give people, for people to get a real taste of the essence of you.” “You have everything you need to start, you just need to be creative. Just allow yourself to have the freedom to have like, a quick and easeful creative exploration. If you give yourself permission to be where you are and to listen to what exactly it is that you want.” “Listen to the data to block out distraction. Most of the time, I think the distractions are like our insecurities, fears or doubts.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 29 | Betting On My Wellbeing: Sharing My Practices | 13 Mar 2024 | 00:50:15 | |
In this heart-to-heart episode, I'm peeling back the curtain on my personal journey of self-investment and well-being. As I navigate the ebbs and flows of life, I've come to realize that to manifest the life I aspire to, I must over-invest in my well-being. Join me as I share the strategies and practices that are guiding me through 2024, from embracing the power of coaching to the subtle magic of herbal remedies and the transformative impact of environment organization. I'll dive into the profound clarity that comes from addressing health and healing holistically, the importance of community and nurturing relationships, and the spiritual nourishment found in nature and the innocent play of children. This episode is an intimate exploration of how prioritizing ourselves can lead to attracting higher quality opportunities and achieving professional abundance with seemingly effortless grace. Whether you need a nudge to take that first step towards self-care or you're seeking affirmation that your path of personal investment is valid, this episode is a gentle yet powerful reminder that when we take care of ourselves, the universe conspires to take care of everything else. Tune in to be inspired, to find permission, and perhaps, to make that life-changing decision for yourself. MENTIONED GEMS DROPPED "We'll sabotage what could be big for us. We'll sabotage what could be incredible and exciting for us because we know that we don't have it within us, energetically, emotionally, spiritually, physically, that we don't have it to rise to that occasion”. “If you take care of yourself, the things you want get taken care of, too. So how can we aggressively take care of ourselves?” “Listen to your body and respond”. “Every time you walk past something in your house and you're like, I got to figure out where to put these things, or I've got to figure out how to make that work better. But you don't have the tools to do it, or you don't have the time to do it. You leak energy … It's a cognitive drain, and it's small. But we're walking through our spaces…the environments that we're existing in, that we're working in, that we're living in, and we're having these little moments of energy, of attention that are being drained away from us because we don't have a space that fully supports the humans living in it and the belongings that we have.” “Stop tolerating discomfort with setting up these systems, adhering to systems that actually support your financial well being, because that has everything to do with how you feel energetically, emotionally in your day to day life.” “When we don't feel alone in the paths that we're walking, the journeys that we're on, because we know someone else is holding space for us, someone else is thinking about us. Or we can reflect back on the inside joke that came out of the last time we spoke, or the vulnerable share, and we can hold space for that person outside of it. It's just so important.” “Once you leave the college and the grad school of it all, there are very few spaces that will forge that kind of bonding and connection because we don't have the same level of interconnected … intensity of a shared experience. Right? We have to create them”. STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 28 | Beneath The Struggle To Ask For Help | 28 Feb 2024 | 00:32:42 | |
Often, we tell ourselves that the key to expanding our leadership is merely becoming better at asking for help or refining our delegation skills. But what I've unearthed in my work as a coach to CEOs and leaders is that the challenge goes deeper than tactics and tips. It's not just about optimizing to-do lists or honing delegation strategies; there's a profound internal barrier between us and the help we seek. Join me on this exploration of the struggle of asking for help and the complexities surrounding delegation. I’ll dig into the fears of appearing incompetent, needy, or even abusive when asking for help (especially as women and POC) . I’m also dissecting the misconception that unlimited capacity equates to competence and pull back the covers on how shifting our perspective can transform our leadership dynamics.
GEMS DROPPED "What I am constantly finding is that it's not about the tactics, it's not about the tips, it's not about the tricks, it's not about optimizing your to-do list, not at least at first. That's not the first step. There's something that runs much deeper within us around what feels like a barrier between us and the help that we want to better leverage”. “Building this skill, building confidence and comfort, around asking for help, employing help, receiving help, it's gonna be make or break for whatever it is that you're trying to build. It creates a ceiling immediately if you can't move through this and expand and grow this part of yourself.” “I think women and people of color, we can carry a great deal of undue pressure on our leadership design… that maybe makes us account for too many variables. Trying to hold too many things, and maybe not always the things that matter the most.” “There is a level of thoughtfulness that we try to bring to our own leadership, to not repeat and not recreate a culture around reckless and uncaring delegation, and I think that there's a weight to that intent that we carry around …being better, trying to be more thoughtful… that just adds another layer of pressure to what it means to ask for help, what it means to delegate or to set expectations for someone else… what it means to be responsible when you are occupying a position of a great deal more power within a power dynamic, trying to be respectful and responsive to that.” “You're wanting to make sure that basically, the team knows that you can handle hard shit, that the team knows that you have horsepower, that they can believe in your work ethic, and your ability to handle things… but what's happening, because you have such a focus on this, on proving to this team, appearing to this team that you have what it takes, and essentially, that you are strong, is that you are conflating capacity with competence. Meaning, you’re trying as hard as you can to always appear competent through how infinite your capacity is, which it's not.” “When we're focused on, I just need to be the strong one that's getting all the things done, we don't create space for relationships and for what really needs to be invested in here.” STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 27 | Scaling Your Humanity With Your Wealth | 14 Feb 2024 | 00:36:19 | |
I've been reflecting on my self-discovery journey, facing challenges and pondering profound questions this season. Recent conversations, especially those delving into my middle school experiences, have revealed personal truths and beliefs related to my sense of belonging. Sharing these experiences isn't just about my journey but aligns with a broader theme observed among powerful women. As we navigate success, visibility, and seniority, we often compromise spaces where we can be authentic. This episode delves into the significance of investing in spaces that foster thriving, full expression, and true belonging.
GEMS DROPPED "In the absence of belonging, my basement was that people would respect me …if looking for and embracing and trusting that belonging wasn’t available to me, that at the very least, I didn't go seeking anything beneath basic respect.” “A big important part of our core and important part of this work for you, is to allow yourself to feel that you want to belong… to feel the wanting, to feel the desire, allow yourself to feel that. It's okay …you deserve to want that as opposed to just saying, well, I'm not going to assume that I belong, but I will assume respect and how do you know when one of the ways that we can think of respect is like a proxy for it, that can be sort of symbolic.” “Especially in this day and age, we have got to cling to the things that bring us back into our humanity. We have got to. And when you're operating as the powerful woman, the woman who knows when you're operating at this level, and you have big dreams, big aspirations, and you've got the track record, you can look back and you can say look, check my receipts. I do the things, I operate in a big way, and I have every intent of doing what feels expansive. We're discounting this key aspect of what it looks like to grow and belong and make things happen as a fertile, loving collective.“ “As you become more and more successful, the more wealth you have, the more seniority you occupy, the more visibility that you have, there are fewer and fewer spaces where you can be your own human self, your real true blue, honest, quirky, full self because cameras are on, people are watching, your team is looking to you, everybody needs something from you. And so people don't always see you as human. Even those who are cheering for you.” “Our humanity carries with it a tapestry of really critical energies– our true personalities, our preferences, our quirks, who we actually are. It’s an energy that is meant to be expressed. It is meant to flow. And when it is caged in and bottled up, because you are on a pedestal, you are on a platform, everybody is looking to you and you have to button the shit up, and you need to look a certain way, you need to say a certain thing, you need to…” “Not everybody has the capacity to negotiate their own identities in the distance between your reality and theirs with personal security. People sometimes can't maintain their own self- esteem in your presence.” “The privilege of just being able to be who you are out loud in front of people, bear and real and raw you, that has immeasurable value.” STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 26 | When Achievement Is No Longer The Goal | 31 Jan 2024 | 00:25:31 | |
Today's episode focuses on a crucial perspective shift for high achievers who have hit all the targets and are now facing brand new questions and a career crossroads. Listen in as we explore the significance of introspection, identifying our true passions, and the value of taking small steps towards aligning with our inner artist on our journey of self-discovery and transformation as we redefine success beyond mere achievement.
"Achievement has a cut-off point; it's time to shift from being the achiever to embracing the artist within." "In a world of achievement, there's a scarcity hierarchy baked in because not everyone can reach the top. It's time to redefine success beyond achievement." "Transitioning from achievement to artistry requires letting go of the need to constantly prove oneself and embracing the unknown of creating your own path." "Being a high achiever is like playing by a fixed menu; stepping into artistry means creating your own secret menu, even if the page is blank." "As an artist, you need to be in touch with your sensory being, understanding what activates you, where you shine, and what uniquely belongs to you." "The shift from achiever to artist involves doing a whole lot less, embracing stillness, reflection, and the less tangible, yet powerful, work of creation." "You're no longer qualified for roles you excelled in decades ago; your value now lies in the invisible, visionary work that sets the stage for impactful change." "Transitioning to artistry requires taking small steps, aligning with an executive coach, therapy, or activities that nourish your inner creative being." "Your job is to prioritize activities that resonate with your inner artist, even if they seem unrelated to traditional notions of success." "Embrace the discomfort and grieving process of letting go of old identities; prioritize wisdom, vision, and time freedom to enact the influence you desire."
Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 25 | Avoiding The Real Work | 17 Jan 2024 | 00:46:53 | |
Reflection season is here, and I'm delving into the experiences of the past year, contemplating what truly matters. In today's episode, we uncover the layers of self-discovery and transformation, emphasizing the importance of doing the real work we often avoid. Join me on this deep dive as we concentrate on the four pivotal buckets of meaningful connections and personal growth and why when we nurture them, everything else falls seamlessly into place. GEMS DROPPED "The real work is more murky, not always gratifying, but important for the experiences we desire in the coming years." "The real work starts with healing, childhood stuff, therapy – the core that yields new outcomes within yourself." "Your body has to be set up for success; it informs your thoughts, creativity, and innovation. You've never seen your peak performance until your body is right." "Investing in community and relationships can skyrocket your dreams with half the effort because you're no longer doing it alone." "Sometimes it's just the fact that there is someone else holding space for your dream alongside you that makes the difference." "Time and energy constraints often hinder building friendships and community, but it's about the quality, not the quantity, of time spent together." "It's not about the superficial tasks and planning; the real work is diving into the emotional and healing aspects, the work we often avoid." "Most of your relationships are lopsided; you're constantly the giver, fixing others' problems. Meaningful connections require a thoughtful design space." "Connection and vulnerability can lead to love in a moment with a stranger, but we're not taught to have trust in open-ended spaces with friends." "Put yourself into spaces designed with intention and care to achieve the depth you crave in relationships." "It's important to have both - the little Kiki moments and the depth that anchors into something real." "Connectedness requires thoughtfulness, especially in the pace of life as a business leader." "Don't avoid the real work in the depth of friendships and community; it's crucial for success and feeling good about your success." "Spirituality is personal; it's what makes you feel connected, hopeful, and alive. It goes beyond religious beliefs." "Arriving at success without spiritual investment feels empty; integrate spirituality into the journey for a fulfilling destination." "Focus on healing, health, friendship, and spirituality; when you nurture these buckets, everything else falls seamlessly into place." STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 24 | 7 Gifts Of Coaching For High Powered Women | 03 Jan 2024 | 00:35:55 | |
I'm buzzing with excitement after leading an incredible retreat with a group of amazing black woman CEOs. Now, I'm ready to dive into a topic that's been on my mind for a year: coaching. It's a tricky thing to explain because there are a million different types of coaches out there and the term has come to mean a lot of different things. So, in this episode, I'm breaking down what coaching means to me, shedding light on its benefits, and helping you conceptualize it in your own way. I've jotted down seven key areas that I believe capture the essence of my coaching philosophy. Join me as I share my thoughts on coaching, drawing from what's reflected back to me from my clients, and highlighting what I excel at as a coach. Let's get into it!
“The type of person for whom coaching is a little more urgent, is the person who self identifies as the giver and structurally exists this way in their community, network, family, etc. …there is a mental and emotional labor that comes with playing this role in any group or community. When you're always the provider, it makes it easy for you to also feel really alone. …To be the person that most people look to for something. The role of coaching for this person is that you can finally be in a space with someone who is entirely committed to your thriving and has no personal attachments or agenda for you outside of you getting exactly what it is that you want.” “The benefit of not feeling alone is something that is terribly hard to quantify. But I think we all know just how life changing it can feel to go from being in a state of loneliness to a state of “Oh, somebody's in my corner… somebody is dedicated to me… has no separate agenda… is not attached to my decisions, and the bounds of the relationship are formalized and set up so I can trust that I can fall back into that structure and not feel alone in my own head and on my own journey.” “Coaching helps us get behind ourselves, examine why we're moving the way we move, giving us explicit permission to pause, asking us the right questions to help us get intentional, to examine our pace and to reset it to feel like we are actually self directed and that we are not being led by some false pace that has been set out in the ether by whoever, whatever, out in the world, all these pressures that make us feel like we need to be doing stuff that we maybe don't need to be doing.” “Coaching provides you the space and the freedom and the safety for that inner little you to still show up, be seen, noticed and taken care of. There is something really, really, invaluable to be in space with someone who can create room for all aspects of you, all dimensions of you, all little ages and grown ages of you to be seen, to be heard and to be held so that we're not always pretending to be the grownup that we want to be… that we want everybody else to see.” “This is one of the greatest gifts that I know I bring to coaching for sure is that I'm not intimidated by people's accomplishments. I love that about myself. I can be in awe of you, I can be celebratory, I can be inspired and at the same time, just because you do really impressive, superhuman-like things doesn't mean that you are less human yourself. And I think that that can be such a critical experience for someone to have… that space to be human and be regular, that gives you that break from the fandom. To trust that this person is not going to bypass my humanity for the sake of trying to be around for proximity.”
Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 23 | Fighting Against Living Your Own Dream | 20 Dec 2023 | 00:35:56 | |
Over the past few weeks, I've been actively exploring a concept that's been alive in me, sparked by conversations with others and introspection. I've reached a point where I need to share it publicly and grapple with it out loud. So today we are going to do some wayfinding. Listen in as I explore the fear of success, and the challenge of creating a life that aligns with our deepest desires. It's a journey of building and receiving, of embracing the vision while navigating the uncertainties and the discomfort of living the dream. So, buckle up and come along with me as we navigate the intricacies of wanting, building, and trusting the process of experiencing Ambition Without Compromise.
“Step into a realization or an ownership over the fact that you can actually do this. You can command your time. You can exist in spaciousness. You can feel like you're not at the behest of everybody's unspoken needs.” “When you're an overachiever or a high-achiever when you think about it, it's like my bar is so astronomical, it's like I never should be able to reach anything or close to it. And so when you do it, immediately you're like, ‘well, this bar must be too low or something must be wrong with this, like something is off.’ We can be quick to question these things and to feel discomfort.” “This is part of what can feel really uncomfortable for us with charting a course towards the life we really, really want is that there is this kind of white space, stuff I can't account for, that feels unreal, kind of unimaginable and we feel uncomfortable with that. There's a big leap that takes place in terms of what we have to learn to value and who we have to be to become comfortable with being in that in-between space. Like who am I if I'm not doing everything? “ “When we think about I want to feel more connected to this place I want to go that scares the shit out of me. Because I'm like, ‘Who am I going to be if I'm there and I'm not doing all the things I'm doing today?’ Right? But you have to be able to see it. Because you have to give yourself a reason to want to set down some of those fears, or to at least open up like okay, maybe I still have these fears, but I'm open to some exploration are all around them. So there's that. We start there.”
Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 67 | More Than Getting By: How I Resourced Myself and Reclaimed My Career | 27 Aug 2025 | 01:12:51 | |
In this week's episode, join Monique as she shares her inspiring journey from side hustler to executive coach. Monique takes us on a journey through her recent conversation with Nicaila Matthews Okome on the Side Hustle Pro podcast. Together, they dive into Monique's career trajectory, from her time at Spelman College to her evolution as an executive coach, and the lessons learned along the way. Tune in to gain insights into the significance of resourcing oneself, the power of community, and the necessity of setting high standards for personal and professional growth. GUEST INFO Nicaila Matthews Okome, host of Side Hustle Pro Podcast | Website | Instagram | YouTube MENTIONED 59 | You Don’t Need More Time — You Need a New Identity GEMS DROPPED “ When we feel connected with the truth of who we are and how we actually feel, and then we get to know what we actually think and what our imaginations can bring us to, we get to dream forward.” - Monique R. Shields “Corporate spaces are not designed for anybody to be their full authentic selves. You have to decide what pieces of you are safe here, what pieces of you are advantageous to share here. You have to kind of design yourself a certain way. It's just what it is.” - Monique R. Shields “Instead of shaming ourselves for decisions we have made or are about to make, remember a lot of these decisions are rooted in survival. And you need to do what you need to do in that moment or in this moment to put your survival first. Right. However, when you do have space and time to be able to think beyond surviving to thriving, this is the conversation…”- Nicaila Matthews Okome “If you're still feeling on the fence about things, I think it's good to listen to that survival instinct in you, that gut check and remember that just because something's high ticket doesn't mean it's going to be valuable. You must vet the business and make sure it's what's really going to help you to move the needle in your business. Emphasis on your.”- Nicaila Matthews Okome “A lot of us actually need to start to dismantle some of the identities we've taken on unknowingly.” - Nicaila Matthews Okome “We’re walking around with a lot of invisible I ams and I'm nots and it's about doing the work to make those things a lot more visible to you so that you can see the one's holding you back or the one's keeping you stuck.” -Monique R. Shields “Whatever it is that you're facing down next, whatever challenge it is that you're trying to take on or figure out, you don't need more. You're not deficient in anything. There's no deficit within you. You don't need to take on anything new. Tack on anything new. Build yourself up more. Usually you need to release, so focus on what you need to let go and let that be your energy. Let yourself be released.” -Monique R. Shields STAY IN TOUCH Come and follow me on Instag Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 22 | Wanting Change vs. Being Changed | 06 Dec 2023 | 00:51:45 | |
In this episode, I explore the concept of desiring change and the realization that to truly experience change, we must be willing to be changed ourselves. I share insights from coaching conversations and my personal experiences, emphasizing the importance of creating rituals and safe spaces for courageous conversations.
Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 21 | You Need A New Story | 22 Nov 2023 | 00:28:54 | |
Picture yourself playing at a new professional level; the stakes are higher, your scope of responsibility is broader, and the pressure is palpable. It's a unique blend of excitement and nerves, especially for people of color, who are navigating spaces that might not always feel welcoming. This is fear and it can be paralyzing. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 20 | Experiencing Peace While Building Big Scary Things | 08 Nov 2023 | 00:26:12 | |
In this episode, I explore a powerful and often overlooked aspect of achieving success and finding peace while working hard. Drawing on my own experiences and insights, I highlight the complex dynamics that women, particularly women of color, face in their professional journeys. I challenge the conventional wisdom that peace is primarily linked to self-esteem or confidence and propose a different perspective: peace equals presence. Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||
| 19 | Liberated Business Building with Sabia Wade (aka The Black Doula) | 25 Oct 2023 | 01:10:21 | |
In this episode, we dive deep into the experiences and wisdom of Sabia Wade, a remarkable Black Queer CEO, Investor, Educator, and Author who's been making waves in the world of birthing and beyond. We reminisce about her childhood and her early concept of "Black luxury." From there, we journey through Sabia's path, from a small business owner to an audacious visionary, embracing her creativity and her resolute belief in the power of asking, "Why not me?"
GEMS DROPPED STAY IN TOUCH Apply for the CLAIMED June 2026 Group Coaching Accelerator cohort HERE | |||