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In this episode, Monique shares a client story about an exciting opportunity that almost became real, then slipped away.

Her client had already begun rearranging her life around the possibility. She was making plans, preparing her family, and feeling a kind of joy she had not felt in a long time. When the opportunity went to someone else, the disappointment was heavier than expected.

Monique uses this story to explore what happens when a dream opens something in you, even if the door itself closes. Through the image of digging tunnels and a reflection on Harriet Tubman, she points listeners toward a deeper truth about freedom, possibility, and who we become when we dare to move toward something new.

The outcome is not the whole story. Tune in to Tune in to hear what the pursuit may have revealed, and why what you found along the way may matter more than the opportunity itself.

GEMS DROPPED

“It's a reward ​that ​we're ​chasing ​at ​the ​end ​of ​this, ​of ​these ​tunnels ​that ​we're ​digging, ​the ​work ​that ​we're ​putting ​in. But ​consider ​​that ​maybe ​the ​opportunity ​was ​not ​the ​gift, ​but ​that ​rather ​the ​tunnels ​were.”

“You ​have ​to ​imagine ​yourself, ​believe in yourself, ​know ​yourself ​to ​be ​free ​in ​order ​to ​create, ​to ​seek ​to ​be ​free, ​to ​become ​free. Because ​you ​become ​a ​beacon ​of ​freedom ​when ​you ​behave ​as ​if ​you ​are ​free.”

“Opportunities ​don't ​present ​themselves ​as ​gifts ​to ​us. ​They are co-created. It's ​​who ​you ​get ​to ​see that ​you're ​capable ​of ​being ​that ​becomes ​the ​gift.”

“Who ​you're ​capable ​of ​being,​ ​is ​likely ​far ​beyond ​any ​of ​the ​fear, ​the ​doubt, ​the ​constraints, ​the ​things ​that ​feel ​biggest ​to ​you ​right ​now. ​You ​do ​have ​the ​opportunity ​to ​set ​them ​down ​and ​to ​remember ​who ​the ​f&*% ​you ​are.”

MENTIONED

Harriet Tubman

Brené Brown

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

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Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

⚡️Click Here To Text Monique!

In this episode, Monique thinks through what it means to live, work, and lead in a time when the middle feels like it is disappearing.

After reading an email titled “The Death of the Middle,” Monique reflects on her own questions around class, wealth, ambition, success, and what it means to want enough without chasing fame or extreme fortune. She talks honestly about the pressure many people are feeling as the economy shifts, AI changes the labor market, and the old promise of a stable middle-class life becomes harder to trust.

Monique also names the instinct many ambitious women have in uncertain seasons: to go inward, get more tactical, and become even more self-reliant. But she challenges that instinct by reminding listeners that the real preparation is relational.

Using the mycorrhizal networks of trees as a metaphor, Monique explains why deep connection, shared resources, and intentional community matter when the storm is here. This episode is a reminder that you do not have to hunker down alone. Depth, community, and the networks you build may be a key part of your way forward.

GEMS DROPPED

“The instinct is often to go inward and become more self-reliant, but the real preparation is always relational.”

“Deep community is the actual asset that’s going to hold us when the ground moves.”

“You don’t have to hunker down alone. Depth is likely a part of your way forward. And ​how ​you ​create, ​how ​you ​insist ​upon ​time ​and ​space ​to ​make ​that ​happen, is ​going ​to ​mean ​everything ​for ​the ​future.”

“Time ​together forges ​bonds ​in ​space ​for ​real ​talk.”

“The bar on comfort has gone up with inflation.”

“The whole point is to be able to affect one another, to keep each other going alive, through stillness and depth.”

MENTIONED

Article: The Death of the Middle

Creator post mentioned: Forming a Brain Trust

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Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.

⚡️Click Here To Text Monique!

This week, Monique walks us through how she designed her July slowdown and worked at 30% capacity on purpose.

She shares why the pause was not about burnout, vacation, or checking out. It was about making room to think, create, rest, play, and reset before life and work became too full again.

Monique also talks about the fears that can come up around rest, including the fear of losing money, momentum, reputation, or progress. She explains why pausing does not have to mean losing something and how planning ahead can make rest feel safer and more supported.

As she breaks down how she planned the month, Monique shares the role of vision, clear expectations, blackout dates, boundaries, and choosing what truly belongs on the calendar. She also offers practical ways to decide what stays, what moves, and what can wait.

This episode is a clear reminder that you do not need a perfect setup to design a pause. You can start by deciding what the space is for, protecting it with intention, and allowing yourself to make room for what your mind, body, and life are asking for.

GEMS DROPPED

“​We ​talk ​about ​giving ​ourselves ​permission ​to ​do ​things. ​And ​I ​think ​that ​the ​permission ​comes ​once ​we ​believe ​that ​we ​deserve ​it ​or ​that ​something ​is ​actually ​a ​necessity ​to ​us, ​and ​that ​we ​can ​have ​it.”

“Pausing for me is not about just doing nothing. It’s just making room for what matters.”

“You do need to start with a vision. Your vision, the vision you set for yourself is really the anchor, and it's what allows you to say no, without flinching. It's ​what ​allows ​you ​to move ​with ​a ​lot ​more ​confidence”

“You ​can ​design ​whatever ​you ​want ​and ​need ​for ​yourself. You ​don't ​need ​a ​perfect ​setup. It's ​a ​generative ​exercise. ​It's ​about ​cultivating ​something ​important ​within ​yourself ​and ​in ​your ​life, ​and ​you ​can ​give ​yourself ​over ​to ​it ​and ​then ​decide ​what ​it's ​for ​for ​you ​and ​protect ​it.“​

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Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com.