The Ambition Trap

How to Stop Chasing and Start Living

By: Amina AlTai, Rachel Rodgers - introduction

Narrated by: Amina AlTai, Maria Shriver

The anti-hustle guide to getting what you really want

AN OPEN FIELD PUBLICATION FROM MARIA SHRIVER

Most of us think ambition means doing everything in our power to get what we want. But this approach costs us our health and wellbeing, and ultimately upholds oppressive systems. In The Ambition Trap, leadership coach Amina AlTai shows you how to break the cycle of overwork once and for all—and finally create the greatest, most joy-filled work of your life.

The thing is, what most of us really want isn’t money or accolades, but acceptance, security, and belonging. When we use external metrics to fulfill these internal wounds and desires nothing ends up being enough, so we work harder and longer in a never-ending cycle—and therein lies the ambition trap. It turns out, we get to have more of what we want when we anchor our ambition to our purpose and not our pain.

Drawing on her work with Fortune 500 leaders, Olympic gold medalists, start-up founders, and former “girlbosses,” AlTai guides you through the process of reconciling your ambition, starting with healing the core wounds and insecurities currently driving you. Along the way, she introduces actionable strategies for aligning your work with your deepest “why,” leaning into your most natural gifts, nourishing yourself in the long-term pursuit of your goals, setting a sustainable pace, and allowing contentment to guide the way.

It turns out, ambition isn’t a dirty word but an invitation to design your life with even greater purpose, meaning, and joy.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of charts and graphs from the book.

Really inspiring!

I loved every second of this book! From the many expanding examples peppered throughout, including Amina's ones, to how it gives terminology to concepts I had never been able to grasp myself.

I've been lucky enough to be one of Amina's clients and can testify her undeniable brilliance shines bright here. I finish this book inspired & lit up. Thank you angel. 💛✨

Feeling so seen because of this book

This book shed an incredible light on the trap women get stuck in between feeling like they are never enough while also feeling a compulsion to always be achieving. I experienced ambition that was rooted in a dark place for many years, and although I have done a lot of personal work on addressing this tendency, The Ambition Trap explained the issue with such clarity and compassion. I’ve never seen the topic approached in this way, and I cannot wait to gift this book to many female friends who I know it will resonate with.

Purposeful, Powerful, and Exactly What I Needed

The Ambition Trap is the kind of book that doesn’t just inspire you—it realigns you. Amina AlTai has such a grounded, wise voice, and listening to her narrate her own words made the experience feel even more personal and powerful.

This book offers a refreshing perspective on success, ambition, and burnout—especially for high achievers who are craving something more sustainable and soul-nourishing. Amina helps you understand the difference between painful ambition (driven by pressure, performance, or proving) and purposeful ambition (anchored in truth and joy).

Whether you're a corporate leader, creative entrepreneur, or just someone rethinking your relationship to work, The Ambition Trap will make you feel seen—and give you real tools to make a change. I’ll be returning to this again and again. Highly recommend, especially on audio!