210. Shamelessly Making Life Harder

Your full client roster might be the thing keeping you broke… Yes, I said it! I have a lot of opinions about staying busy to avoid looking at the numbers, and my client, Hamilton, gave us a front row seat to what happens when you finally look. In this episode we'll explore the numbers, the Looms, and the nerve it takes to start over when your gut tells you there’s something bigger & better on the horizon. TOPICS WE EXPLOREThe math that wasn't mathing Saying "goodbye" to nine clientsThe Loom that keeps a door crackedThe leadership shortcut we all take when we're in a hurryWhy her hours were never the real problemShooting your shot in publicThe beginner energy you should be chasing foreverTHE POINTYou can burn down the business you built and build the one that fits your life, with your integrity fully intact.ABOUT HAMILTONHamilton Schmid is the founder of Virtual Cornerstone, a strategic marketing micro-agency for corporate trainers and keynote speakers. She started the business in 2020 as a virtual assistant company, grew it to seven employees and eleven clients, and relaunched it in June as a marketing agency. She is also a new mom to Elowyn, who just turned one.Find Hamilton on Instagram at Virtual Cornerstone and on LinkedIn as Hamilton Schmid (Schmid with a D, no T).MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEVirtual Cornerstone on Instagram (the Shooting My Shot series)Hamilton Schmid on LinkedInEncoreEpisode 211: Shamelessly Manipulating the People I LoveWork with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

We forgot how to fucking hustle, bestie.Somewhere between the sabbaticals, the sourdough starters, && the endless scroll through everyone else's million-dollar launches, a lot of seasoned women lost the tunnel vision that built our businesses to begin with. WE think it's time to get it back, on your terms.In this episode we'll explore ambition fatigue, the wobble between wow && ugh, and the invitation Delia and I have been dying to give you.TOPICS WE EXPLOREThe wobble between wow && ugh we all feel while scrollingAmbition fatigue + the woman you miss beingMagpie syndrome && the one question that cuts through itWhy seasoned women forgot how to hustle What brave action does that journaling never willThe investments that burned us bothTwo coaches, 11 spots, one amazing comebackTHE POINTYou can pick up the pieces of who you once were && go after whatever you want in every arena, including your business… ALSO, you do not have to do it alone.ABOUT DELIADelia Monk is a messaging and positioning strategist who has written conversion copy for seven-figure entrepreneurs. She now helps people pivot into what comes next and talk about it with total clarity. She is British, lives in Barcelona, && coined the phrase "the entrepreneur's therapist" for me. Find her on Instagram @delia.monk && at deliamonk.com.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEEncore, an 11-month mastermind with Ash && Delia (early bird bonuses through 11/11, 11 spots)Episode 214: Shamelessly Expanding My CapacityEpisode 197: The Grief of Reinvention with Delia MonkDelia MonkWork with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

No time management hack is going to fix how you feel right now. I've watched brilliant, high-achieving women (myself included) get unbelievably efficient at running a life that drains the shit out of them. Time && capacity are two different animals, && most of us are only managing one of them.In this episode we'll explore what actually expands your capacity, the small shift that took a client from resentment to ideas, + the announcement I've been bursting at the seams to share… so stay till the end.TOPICS WE EXPLOREThe question that sits underneath "remove before you add"What your calendar is lying to you aboutThe danger of getting really good at a draining lifeWhat your four walls are doing to your capacityThe emotional capacity that nobody is talking aboutThe small shift that turned a client's resentment into ideasThe announcement I'm bursting at the seams to shareTHE POINTHaving the capacity to hold more does not mean doing more. Decide what you want more room for, then make it. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEEncore, an 11-month mastermind with Ash && Delia - doors open 11/1 and early bird bonuses go away 11/11 (11 spots only)Delia MonkEpisode 213: Shamelessly Getting Out of My Own WayWork with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

You're all in… you know exactly what you want… you've got the energy, the ideas, the vision but it feels impossible to actually move!? This is not a motivation problem, it's actually a friction problem and there are four specific places it tends to show up with most of my clients.TOPICS WE EXPLOREVague ideas become paralyzing before you even begin the workThe capacity trap that no amount of time management can fixThe emotional cost you're not naming that's keeping you stuckHow to create the immediacy your brain needs without creating a crisisWhy discomfort is informationThe pressure-powered system ambitious women accidentally buildWhat it means to remove before you addTHE POINTYou don't need to feel perfectly focused, motivated, regulated, or ready before you begin. You only need to understand what friction is making it impossible to move, so that you can name the thing holding you back from taking action && MOVE.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEWork with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

There's a version of you that only shows up when nobody needs anything from you. This episode is about her… what she knows, what she wants, what she's a little jealous of, && what she has absolutely no shame saying out loud. This is a go for it pep talk, my friend.This episode is a reminder to get to know yourself a little bit more as I share a completely unedited version of me, (recorded naked in a bed in Rome… obviously).TOPICS WE EXPLOREThe magnetizing portal of living unedited What I am wanting more of right nowThe jealousy mirror we all need to look into Triggers that can derail or inspire you as an entrepreneur What I want people saying about me when I'm not in the roomHow to witness your brilliance and weakness with love Why the magic we give most is usually what we need mostTHE POINTStop editing yourself into someone easier to digest. The unedited version of you is not a liability… she's the whole fucking point.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEWork with AshShamelessly Ambitious Soundcheck (free curated episode playlists)Are you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

There’s a strategy I’ve been using in my marriage, my parenting, my friendships, and even with myself that gets me more of what I want without requiring anyone else to lose. And somewhere between two days of nonstop conversation in a tiny village outside Barcelona, I realized… technically, it might be manipulation. So let’s talk about it.TOPICS WE EXPLOREThe wildly underrated art of letting yourself be taken care ofWhat hyper-independence cost me in my marriageWhy being needed might matter more than we realizeThe rise of purposelessness in menThe friendship piece we don’t talk about enough as ambitious womenThe two things I bring into almost every hard conversationWhy disarming someone changes what becomes possible nextThe parenting strategy that gets my kids to actually talk to meHow I “manipulate” the people I loveTHE POINTMaybe getting more of what you want from the people you love isn’t about asking harder, explaining better, or controlling the outcome. Maybe it’s about understanding people well enough to create the conditions where you both get more of what you need.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEWork with AshP.S I’m back on socials so you can follow along on IGAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

I recorded this from my car on the way to a networking event because I couldn't wait. It started as a rough morning with my middle son && turned into the most important realization I've had in a while. The habit that’s making my life harder these days is a perspective problem. && I caught myself teaching my son something I clearly needed to hear myself.TOPICS WE EXPLOREA rough school morning && what my son was really scared ofThe seed metaphor I used with him && how it landedVulnerability begets vulnerability: how to actually get to the root with your kidWhat we focus on grows, for better && for worseI have to vs I get to && why the difference is everythingWhere I caught myself watering the wrong weedsHow victim mentality shows up without looking like victim mentalityWhat this has to do with the reclamation I'm in the middle ofTHE POINTWhat you focus on grows. && if you've accidentally been living in “I have to” instead of “I get to,” everything starts to feel like a weight you're dragging instead of a life you're building. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEEpisode 208: Shamelessly Reclaiming My EdgeEpisode 209: Shamelessly Practicing Ambition AgainMIXTAPE waitlist (MIXTAPE is open now through September 30th. Waitlist only.)Work with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

This is a follow-up to my last (Episode 208), so make sure you listen to that first if you haven't already. Last week I announced the 90-day challenge to reclaim my edge && this week I'm getting specific: here are the actual rules, the micro-commitments, && what you're going to see from me starting October 1st. TOPICS WE EXPLOREWhy I can't decide if I'm done with entrepreneurship while only half participating in itThe difference between a vague intention && an observable behaviorShowing up on social media every single day for 90 days && whyPracticing discomfort as a deliberate strategyProtecting my attention && what that looks like in practicePrioritizing income-producing activities for the first time in a long timeWhy I'm collecting data, not trying to be perfectThe thing I wish someone had grabbed me by the shoulders && told me years agoThis isn't about finding the old version of me. It's about reigniting a new one.THE POINTI can't accurately decide whether I'm done with entrepreneurship while I'm only half participating in it. So I'm going all in for 90 days to find out. The answer lives in the evidence, not the thinking.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEEpisode 208: Shamelessly Reclaiming My EdgeMIXTAPE waitlist (opens September 21st, waitlist only)Work with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

I'm giving myself 90 days to find out what happens when I genuinely start going for it again. This is the formal announcement, the whole messy truth, && the reason I'm coming back to social media for a little bit.Also… MIXTAPE opens September 21st to waitlisters only. ;)TOPICS WE EXPLOREThe slow unraveling nobody notices until it's already happenedWhy slowing down && soft living literally stole my fireThe moment I realized I'd been laying down for a few yearsWhat I do know even when I don't know what I wantThe intolerance for risk I developed without realizing itWhy comfort is not found in avoiding discomfortThe 90-day challenge: locking in for Q4Why I'm coming back to social media even though I stand by leavingWhat MIXTAPE is actually built for && why I've been living inside itWhat I'm terrified of && going anywayTHE POINTI've been thinking my way to answers for years, but honestly… thinking doesn't give you answers, action does. So I'm taking 90 days to find out: do I still want this? && I'm going all in to find out.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEEpisode 206: Shamelessly Not Having It Figured OutEpisode 207: Shamelessly Unaligned: Doing Shit I Don't Want to DoMIXTAPE waitlist (opens September 21st, waitlist only)Work with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com

Last episode I got raw about uncertainty && not having it figured out. This one is the follow-up… because once you admit you've been standing still, the next question is: what does moving actually require? && the honest answer is sometimes it requires doing the shit you don't want to do, whether it feels aligned or not.TOPICS WE EXPLOREWhy "does this feel aligned?" can become a very sophisticated excuseThe difference between discomfort as a message && discomfort as an invitationWhy discomfort isn't the same as wrongDoes your behavior match what you say you want?The hard && fast rule that keeps our family saneFeeling fully alive requires willingly experiencing shit that doesn't feel goodLove && grief. Ambition && disappointment. Business && selling. You don't get one without the other.What I think this next season is actually going to require of meTHE POINTSomewhere along the way we started treating discomfort as evidence that something is wrong… it isn't. The version of you that goes all in is still in there, and now it's time to resurrect her.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEEpisode 206: Shamelessly Not Having It Figured OutMIXTAPE waitlist (opens September 21st)Work with AshAre you loving it? Send Ash a text! MORE ABOUT ASHI'm Ash McDonald — the Entrepreneur's Therapist. Trained therapist, seasoned entrepreneur, mom of 3, && the person you call when your business coach doesn't get your brain && your therapist doesn't get your business.I built the thing I couldn't find anywhere else: whole-picture support that holds your strategy && your humanity in the same conversation at the same time. LINKS:Work with me 1:1 → Deep CutsFast-track your results → The Green RoomSolve one thing right now → Studio SessionsBurnout-proof your life && business → MixtapeGet your free podcast playlists → The SoundcheckWeekly emails that tell you what your business coach won't && your therapist can't → Subscribe to The BeatWebsite: ashmcdonaldmentoring.com