How to Reignite Your Ambition Today (Even if You are Feeling Stuck)

Feeling stuck, burned out, or like your ambition has fizzled?
In this episode of Default to Yes, we explore how to reignite your drive by aligning with the Four Foundations of Wholeness: Vitality, Connection, Purpose, and Growth—rooted in neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and faith.

You'll discover:

• Why ambition fades and how to restore it with intention
• The brain-based link between purpose and motivation
• A powerful Ambition Reset Ritual (with or without essential oils)
• Simple steps to get unstuck and start moving forward with clarity

Want to go deeper?
Join us in the Yes Society, where high-achieving women build sustainable strategies for wholeness, clarity, and breakthrough living.
👉 coachingwithjuli.com/yescoaching

Transcript

1:00

Hi, and welcome to another extraordinary week. Welcome to The Default to Yes Podcast, where we're can explore how to live with clarity and courage and conviction, guided by faith and grounded in neuroscience. I'm so glad that you're here, honored to be on this journey with you it's Monday morning and I'm publishing this to, and I'm just recording this today. really a little off my normal schedule, which might be good because we just in, um, the Yes. Society last night in the coaching group we're talking about ambition and I brought that up and asked some good questions and been reflecting on that. This all week actually because of another coaching group. discussion, and I'm learning a lot about how ambition shows up in our lives and how important it is. And so we started having a conversation with that and I was sharing a. The four things that I think are foundational, and I noticed that this was something that, I know it might be just my verbiage, but I think we all have these things. So if you've been feeling the tension between outer success and inner disconnection, you're not alone. We're having these discussions, and I've been there. Many of my coaching clients have been there too, and it often starts with a pause. It's a moment of healing a Space, a season of transition, and maybe you've had a time to reflect a little bit. Maybe you've been on vacation or you've had some time for healing, or there's just that. F, whatever that situation arises, when the question comes up again, what do I really want? Now, sometimes it's when we get full into our goals or you get onto the the road pursuing something and you realize that maybe something's just a little bit off. That can be years down the road, months down the road. It hits different for all of us. But regardless. Think that it's common. I think it's something that is built in to make, to keep us on the right track Now this is, and this is not about what all the things that you should want, but what feels true and aligned and whole after, again, after years of personal reflection, coaching, and study, I've really found that there are four recurring themes that point the way to that deeper sense of wholeness and science backs that up. They're not luxuries, they're human essentials. And today we're gonna explore and explore each one today, not as abstract ideals, but. As actionable practices, practices your brain and body and spirit crave. So let's get started. Go through each one of those. First of all is vitality. Vitality is the life in your living. It's more than physical, this is where we bring in that mind body connection because it is about physical health. It is about mental health, and it's more than physical energy. It's that mental clarity, emotional stability, spiritual resilience. It's that felt sense of being awake and alive in your own body, in your own life. From a neuroscience standpoint, vitality is the result of a well-regulated nervous system And consistent internal cues of safety. So when you nourish your body with rest and movement and breath and nourishment, your brain stops scanning for danger and starts releasing energy towards creativity and joy. Now, this isn't about grinding harder, it's about caring deeper for your body, your brain. And your spaces that restore you. So for some of you, this might be a mindset shift on how you take care of your body and why you take care of your body. It took years for me to get into the space that helped me really care deeper for my physical body. I always had that, that the brain, the mind and spirit part were not complicated for me and I felt that. And honestly, when I was younger, I didn't have to think so hard about how to care for my body as I do right now. In the time of reinvention, right? That's what I'm calling midlife. So this, again, We are caring for those spaces that restore a little reflection for you today. What gives you life? What's one small ritual that could help you recharge physically, mentally, and spiritually today? All right, two connection. This is the glue of wellbeing. We are biologically designed to bond to connect with others. We are wired for community and not just community, and not just connection with others, but connection to ourselves. that connection and that ability to be present is essential for emotional regulation, longevity, and for meaning. Now oxytocin, that's the hormone released through healthy connection, has been shown to lower cortisol levels, enhance the mood and improve the immune response, and it doesn't require grand gestures, really just requires getting present. Just presence now, connection also means showing up for yourself and being present in your own skin, attuned to your own needs and curious about your inner world. So here's a reflection for you. Where do you feel most connected? Where are you craving deeper presence? This is that sense of belonging that we all want, and to really be able to get that sense of belonging. from birth, we are conditioned by the way we are interact and that sense of belonging and safety and the. The ability to connect with other people, to be able to connect with ourselves, to be able to be present. So really, it's hardwired and so worth it to give this some intention. Number three, purpose. This is your inner compass Purpose brings that sense. that need for contribution to life Purpose doesn't have to be a big, bold mission, and it can start with that spark of curiosity, a meaningful task that aligns with your values. When you pursue something that you, that feels personally significant, the brain rewards you with dopamine. Focus and energy, and that purpose becomes your internal compass. It helps you navigate hard seasons to stay motivated when the path isn't clear. So you can imagine that when you start to, when things start to get fuzzy and when that purpose isn't as clear, everything else becomes fuzzy. and it's hard to be intentional about things that we aren't clear about. So. You can see how the, how important this is to really give that per sense of purpose. Some intention. We are designed for to be contributors, contributors to society, contributors to our family. We are designed to make a community contribution, and those are the things that we're all doing. and sometimes those are the things that we work hardest on because they're more accessible and. They are almost expected of us. And then there's that underlying desire to make a unique contribution. What are you uniquely designed to do? What purpose do you have that. Nobody else has. We all wanna discover that, but that can be really challenging. So first of all, understanding purpose as your internal compass. That is where we can start. So here's a real reflection for you today. Think about what lights you up lately, not what you focused on in high school, not what you set out to do in college, not what. 10 years ago, you decided you would do what is lighting you up today? What's one action that moves you closer to what really matters? I see high achievers get stuck all of the time in their professional role or their family role or their, their role in the community as a volunteer or a leader there. When it no longer is lighting you up, you have to ask some good questions. It might be in the way that you're doing it, it might be one of the other three foundations needs some attention. So there's a lot of different ways that this can that, that this plays into burnout and that sense of lacking purpose. that might just mean that you need more sleep, but take some time. What lights you up? What are you really caring about and what, what action that can move you closer to what really matters now. Fourth growth. That's evidence that you're becoming growth isn't optional. It's essential when we grow our brain literally rewires. this is where progress, no matter how small creates that feedback loop of motivation, confidence, and momentum. Science calls this neuroplasticity. That's your brain's ability to change based on experience. We are learning more and more as time goes on that this neuroplasticity is for everyone. It doesn't stop at a certain age. So We can still access this tool with some intention. Every new habit, brave decision or mindset shift becomes that neural vote for the future that you want. Now here's the your reflection for today. Where are you being stretched right now? and what's the next step forward? Okay. Now there's one more piece that we need to name and that's ambition. I told you we, the discussion that sparked this whole conversation was about ambition. What keeps you going when life gets hard? And this is where I think a lot of people approaching midlife or going through midlife get stuck because we have to be able, or you get mid goal and then just stop. And sometimes we don't even know we're doing it. We just kind of let it go, let it slip away from us and we never get all the way to the goal because. We need ambition to keep us going when life gets hard, when the process gets hard, when we start facing some of those barriers to actually getting to the goal. so that's why this was coming up. It's'cause we're in that place now. This is not the, the hustle culture version of ambition. It's not the overextended overachieving over overcompensating version. I hear when I say ambition or when I say coaching, when I say habits, when I, when I talk like this, a lot of people will, I, I know that a lot of people as. That haven't opted in for coaching or aren't listening to this, maybe, maybe, maybe that you've been there too, but start to say, why would I work that hard? Life shouldn't be that hard. Well, I would propose that it's gonna be hard either way. It can be hard getting the things that you want and living into your purpose and living the life that you love, or it can be hard. Not doing any of those things. It can be hard wishing or wondering or regretting. So life is gonna be hard. Either way, you're still gonna have a lot of work to do. You're gonna spend a lot of energy. and you've all worked with someone who spends way more energy trying to get out of work than the energy it took just to do it right. So that's kind of a good analogy for where we are with this. what seems like the path of least resistance. Maybe it really isn't, So we're talking about a sacred kind of ambition. This is the kind that's rooted in meaning and forward motion. It's the kind that is connected to who you are uniquely and to your calling. Ambition is your brain's way of saying, I'm not done, I'm becoming. When ambition fades and when you stop dreaming, stop setting goals, stop feeling lit up. It's not laziness, it's disconnection. Studies show that diminished ambition is linked to decreased dopamine, lower motivation, and even symptoms of depression. So your nervous system goes into conservation mode and you start surviving instead of creating. But when ambition is aligned with your core values, it becomes fuel. Not frantic energy, but focused direction. It helps you finish well, not by pushing harder, but by staying tethered to your why. So I wanna ask you today, where has your ambition turned into exhaustion for you, and where might it become energy Again, So take some time to think about that. Now I wanna offer you a little bit of a quick win. This is a ritual for wholeness and ambition. Kind of a reset. we're gonna anchor today's conversation with a simple aroma cognition practice. Now don't leave me if you don't have essential oils, because you could do this without them too. This practice integrates all that we have explored, and it helps reset your ambition with intention, not intensity. Okay, so first of all, the wholeness blend. You can diffuse this or apply it with a carrier oil. First of all, peppermint Awakens vitality and clarity. Lavender supports nervous system regulation and emotional connection, and then frankin sense grounds purpose and deepens reflection and wild orange. One of the most popular oils inspires joy and creativity and momentum. Now, this ambition, reset ritual with or without oils, you can do any combination of those, those oils that I just shared, or use them or just use one of them. You're gonna breathe in. Take slow, three slow deep breaths and inhale presence. Let's do that together. Inhale presence and exhale pressure. Now you can apply the oil to your temples or to your wrists over your heart, or simply place them in your hand. And breathe them in or simply just place your hand on your chest, over your heart, and ask yourself what matters most to me right now? Where do I feel that flicker or desire of hope? What's one aligned action that I can take and then repeat aloud or silently? I am safe to dream. I am ready to move. I say yes to aligned ambition. you can use this ritual to reconnect with your vision anytime that you feel scattered or stuck, or simply tired. Now, if this episode spoke to your soul, if you're craving clarity and energy and momentum that lasts, I'd like to invite you to something deeper. I don't usually do this on this podcast, but I feel like I just need to put this invitation out there and tell you more, a little more about the Yes society. It's a space for high achievers who are. Uh, ready to live whole without burning out, checking out or giving up. What matters? I started the Yes Society in the beginning of 2025. It's the Year of Jubilee, and I wanted a coaching group that a group of high achievers who said yes to themselves for once and for all. Taking that. Big goal that was, was kind of alluding them and saying, I, this is really what I wanna make happen in 2025 and it's a not, and making that a non-negotiable and doing the thing so that we didn't end up celebrating New Year's 2026 with the same goal in mind, having not made progress. And so I started the Yes society and it's become this really powerful group of. High achievers, who are getting their goals and aligning them with their core values. Inside this group, we turn these foundations that we talked about today into sustainable strategies, so we don't just talk and reflect. We actually put it into action. We build Neurosystem safe momentum. We explore tools rooted in neuroscience and behavioral change and sacred identity, and we do it together. It doesn't all look the same for everyone. It looks very different, but everyone has that support and the structure and the soul to make things happen, and this is where real breakthroughs happen. I am amazed at the breakthroughs that are happening inside this group.'cause wholeness isn't something that you wait for. It's really something that you build. So if you're interested, and this is sparking some curiosity, join us. You can go to coaching with julie.com/yes. Coaching or, and then if you're, it is so, and if you're driving or you're on the go, I put the link below. Come back to that and take your next brave step Until next time, breathe deep, live whole, and remember that you don't have to do more to be worthy. And you just have to say yes to who you're becoming. Yes to you. Yes to your vitality and your connection, your purpose, and your growth as you go out every day and default to yes, your extraordinary self.