🎙️ Episode 4 — How to Redefine Ambition After Motherhood

What if ambition doesn’t mean climbing a ladder — but finding your own way across a web?

In this episode of Where Did I Go?, I talk to Dr. Anne Welsh — coach, consultant, writer, clinical psychologist, and mum of four — about how motherhood reshapes our relationship with ambition, identity, and success.

We explore what happens when the career ladder stops working for you, and why it’s okay — even powerful — to move sideways, pause, or choose a completely different path. Anne shares her brilliant metaphor of ambition as a web instead of a ladder, and how that small shift in perspective can bring massive relief, clarity, and energy.

We talk about why caregiving is inherently ambitious. How to redefine ambition as drive, not status. The mental health realities that often surface after returning to work. And how to let go of old expectations and start telling a new story about who you are and what you want.

Anne also shares a simple metaphor-based exercise to help unpack your identity after motherhood — one that might just change how you see yourself.

Whether you’re feeling stuck, questioning your career, or quietly wondering where did my ambition go?, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, supported, and more hopeful about what’s next.

Where Did I Go? is a podcast for women in the messy middle of modern motherhood — the part no one warned you about, where your identity starts to shift, your ambition gets complicated, and the old stories just don’t fit anymore. Connect with Dr Anne Welsh: Linkedin / Instagram / Website

motherhood, mental health, ambition, postpartum, career, working moms, identity, coaching, personal growth, motherhood journey, work-life balance, women empowerment, career development, self-discovery, matrescence, caregiving, perinatal mental health, modern motherhood, redefining success

In this episode of Where Did I Go?, I sit down with Jess Ringgenberg, founder of ELIXR and creator of the groundbreaking Five Phases of Matrescence, a practical framework to guide women and businesses through the constant evolution that is caregiving while working.

Together we unpack:

• What matrescence really is, and how it's a lifelong journey

• How understanding matrescence helps make sense of career and identity shifts at work

• The practical steps workplaces can take to support mothers through every phase of this lifelong journey

• Why the mental load mothers carry isn't a weakness but an untapped strength in leadership

If you've ever felt confused by the constant shifts in your identity or wondered how to better navigate motherhood and work, this episode will offer the clarity, compassion, and validation you've been searching for.

Key Moments:

• [03:15] Defining matrescence and the "invisible changes"

• [11:40] Why returning to work is a reinvention, not a return

• [19:30] Breaking down the Five Phases of Matrescence

• [27:05] Why maternal mental load is actually leadership in disguise

• [33:50] Tangible ways workplaces can evolve to support mothers

About Jess Ringgenberg, PCC

Founder & CEO, ELIXR

Jess Ringgenberg is an organizational advisor, researcher, and former Fortune 500 leader with deep expertise in workforce strategy, matrescence, and leadership development. As the founder of ELIXR, a workforce advisory firm, she partners with companies to support working mothers and caregivers—driving retention, engagement, and advancement across the employee lifecycle.

Jess is the creator of The Science of Modern Motherhood, a groundbreaking research initiative that explores the five phases of matrescence and the evolving role of workplace support. She is trusted by global companies, communities, and conferences to deliver actionable insights that shape culture, elevate well-being, and spark organizational change.

She lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and two boys, building a life centered on presence, challenging traditional norms, and creating lasting impact.

Connect with Jess & her work here:

LinkedIn, full research report, and the guide we they launched this month.

Code for 50% off the guide for all WDIG listeners: Mom2Mom ------

motherhood, matressence, self-discovery, work-life balance, women empowerment, modern motherhood, emotional intelligence, workplace support, career development, parenting challenges, care conscious cultures, workplace support, working mothers, self-advocacy, matressence, employee engagement, leadership development, caregiver support, workplace culture, women empowerment

In this episode, I sit down with Belinda Jane Batt, founder of The Flourishing Mother and an expert in maternal guilt. We dive into why guilt is such a common feature of modern motherhood, how it affects our confidence, and most importantly, how we can break free from the guilt spiral.

Belinda shares her expertise in positive psychology and coaching, offering practical and compassionate strategies to help mothers balance their personal and professional lives without being overwhelmed by guilt.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly falling short as a mom, this conversation will help you understand why...and how to reclaim your sense of self and well-being.

Spoiler: You’re doing so much better than you think. --------------

Tune in to understand:

• Where guilt and shame in motherhood come from, how they show up, and why they negatively impact our well-being
• How to identify helpful vs. unhelpful guilt, and why the latter is problematic
• What we can do to flip the script and socially un-condition ourselves from unhelpful guilt
• Practical, evidence-based tools to move past guilt and flourish

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Want to find out more about Belinda?

Check out The Flourishing Mother or download her new book 'Challenge Your Guilt: How To Flourish In Motherhood, Work And Life' here

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maternal guilt, motherhood, self-care, societal pressures, emotional well-being, positive psychology, invisible labor, self-compassion, identity crisis, matrescence

The phrase having it all used to sound like freedom. Now, for many women, it feels like pressure to do everything perfectly, all at once: raise the kids, run the meetings, look good doing it, and never drop the ball.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Giselle Goodwin, author of Can Women Really Have It All?, to unpack how that idea shifted from empowerment to exhaustion.

We talk about what having it all really means in 2025, why women are statistically less happy than they were 50 years ago, and how we can start letting go of the myths that keep us stuck. We also explore what needs to change - not just in our mindset, but in the systems around us - so that women can build full, joyful lives without burning out trying to prove themselves.

What You’ll Hear:

• The real story behind Giselle’s leap from entrepreneur to full-time writer and researcher on women, wellbeing and work

• The hidden cost of perfectionism and performance in modern womanhood

• Why our idea of success needs a serious rethink

• How to start building a life that feels good, not just one that sounds good

More from Giselle: You can get your own copy of Can Women Really Have It All? on Amazon and Audible 🌐 gisellegoodwin.com – download her free Personal Happiness Manifesto 📬 Sign up to her newsletter 📷 Instagram: @gisellegoodwinwrites 🔗 LinkedIn | Facebook

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review ✨

You can also connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniella-bell/ or on instagram @wdig.podcast