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Working moms don’t lack motivation in January. They lack permission.
In this episode, I’m introducing the word I’m speaking over 2026 for myself and this community: unapologetic. We’re talking about why so many working moms burn out even when they’re capable and committed, how shrinking and self-justifying quietly drains your energy, and what it looks like to finally name what you want without guilt. This is about moving from good intentions to real commitment and letting this year feel different.
In this episode, we unpack:
Why working moms burn out even when they “do everything right”
What living unapologetically actually means in real life
How settling and self-justifying fuel exhaustion
Why wanting more isn’t selfish or irresponsible
The first step to declaring what you want in 2026
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Ambitious & Balanced: www.rebeccaolsoncoaching.com/ambitiousandbalanced
Book a work-life balance strategy call: www.rebeccaolsoncoaching.com/ambitiousandbalanced-call
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Transcript
Intro
A lot of working moms don't lack motivation in January. They lack permission. Permission to want more, permission to want something different. Permission to stop apologizing for what they want.
Because what I'm seeing everywhere right now is working moms aren't just burning out because they're doing everything for their families and in their careers. They're burning out because they keep shrinking away from what they want to make everything else work for everyone else.
In this episode, I want to talk about what it would look like this year to live more unapologetically. And I'll walk you through what that actually means, why it matters so much right now for working moms, and how to start naming what it is you want without guilt or self-justification.
This isn't about doing more or trying harder. It's about being honest with yourself so your year can feel—feel different.
Are you ready to live unapologetically? Let's get to it.
Welcome to the Ambitious and Balanced Working Moms podcast, your go to resource for integrating your career ambitions with life as a mom, I'm distilling down thousands of coaching conversations I've had with working moms just like you, along with my own personal experience as a mom of two and sharing the most effective tools and strategies to help you quickly feel calm, confident, and in control of your ambitious working mom life. You ready? Let's get to it.
Happy New Year.
Hello. Hello, working moms. Happy New Year. The holidays are behind us, and we are full steam ahead in thinking about 2026.
Now, I know for a lot of people at this time of year, it brings natural reflection, natural motivation towards goals. But I think for a lot of women, it also brings a bit of confusion as well. Because what I see, and it certainly has been true for me in parts of my life, what I see is for a lot of women, they have good intentions for the new year and what they want to see happen in the new year and their goals, but they lack commitment.
There's a big difference between setting an intention and setting a goal, right? An intention sort of sounds like, “Oh, you know, I really want to lose 20 pounds this year,” or, “I'm hoping not to bring my work home with me as much so I could be more present with my family,” right?
A lot of women, and really just a lot of humans generally, think about their new year from an angle of hope or good intention, but not actual commitment, right? No actual declaration of what it is you want and a feverish desire to go after it.
Why This Community Is About Living Unapologetically in 2026
And that's not what we're about here in this ambitious and balanced working mom community.
I'm so excited for this new year and what we're going to be doing on this podcast, and in my group coaching program, Ambitious and Balanced, and in my one-on-one work with my clients. Because this year, I am pushing this community and my clients to live unapologetically.
In fact, that's the word I am speaking over you this year: unapologetic.
And we're going to start this episode by really digging deep into what I mean when I use that word and why I think it matters, specifically for 2026. But I also want to personally help you connect to that word.
Because 2025, for me at least, was a year where I played it small, where I held myself back. And I'm going to get into that in a little bit and open my heart a little bit to that.
But this declaration of being unapologetic is not just for you. It's for me personally as well.
Living Unapologetically Means Choosing Self-Trust Over Self-Justification
So let's get on the same page and talk about what this word means.
So living unapologetically means choosing self-trust instead of self-justification. What I mean by that is it's no longer saying, it's okay, and asking for permission, or wondering if it would be too much, or if you are too much.
It's not about measuring your worth by what you produce or how other people feel, but instead it's about getting in touch with what you desire, believing and trusting that you deserve it, and then going after it no matter what.
Unapologetic Living Is About Not Shrinking to Make Others Comfortable
Living unapologetically is about not shrinking to make other people feel comfortable.
If you want a promotion this year, you go after it. If you're tired of working for your boss and your company, and you have some sort of crazy idea that you've been wanting to follow, you go work for yourself and figure it out.
If you don't want to be the default household manager anymore, and you do it out of convenience, not out of joy, this is your year to stop.
Unapologetic living is declaring what it is you want and believing, trusting that you can have it and that you deserve to have it, and then taking strides to make it happen, right?
Unapologetic Living Is About Not Settling and Having No Regrets
This is about not settling. And it's like, core living unapologetically is about not settling. It's about having no regrets.
By the end of 2026, I don't want you to get to the end of the year and wish or hope that you had done something different, that you had spent more time with your kids, that you had gone after that promotion, that you had lost the weight, that you had felt less overwhelmed, right?
I want you to feel like the time you spent this year is exactly the way you wanted to live it. Exactly the time that you wanted to spend. Right?
I want you to feel like you are making a serious impact in your work, if that's what you want to do, and you still feel grounded and spacious and ready for more.
Far too much do I see women shrink, right? They let their husbands go after their careers and their goals and their ambitions, and they play the role of default parent or household manager to support and accommodate them.
And look, I'm not suggesting that that's wrong or bad. I myself went through a season where I supported my husband while he went back to school. I mean, that's what partners do, right? They support each other in their ambition. I'm all for it.
But far too often, women don't fight for what they actually want when the time comes for their turn, right? They don't take the big step in their career when it's presented to them. They don't take the stretch project, or join the board, or say yes to that speaking opportunity that would be a stretch for them.
Heck, they wouldn't move their family for a new job to follow some sort of secret dream, right? They don't do it even when the opportunity is there for them. Even when it's their turn. They shrink away.
Real Women Choosing Themselves and Going After What They Want
My client, JJ, spent almost a decade supporting her husband through medical school. But this year, she's choosing herself, and she's starting her own practice. She's going after it unapologetically.
My client, Shay, felt too scared to take speaking engagements and networking opportunities that would pull her away from her family. But this year, she's choosing her ambitious goals and going after some strategic opportunities that would position her and her company as industry leaders.
My client, Patty, has played it safe for years in a job that has been stable and responsible, but life sucking. But not this year. This year, she's finally putting herself out there. And not just changing jobs, she's changing industry so she can wake up every day and enjoy what she does.
Working Moms Are Burned Out, And the System Makes It Harder, Not Impossible
Statistics show that working moms are more burned out than ever before. And it's happening at an earlier age, sometimes before the age of 45. And women predominantly carry the household tasks of the family, while also juggling responsibility at work and getting buried under the weight of it all.
Yes, there are some systemic challenges. Of course there are. Yes, our culture believes that women are better at taking care of the kids and managing the household than men. And yes, the motherhood penalty is real. And the expectations that we have as a culture is that women are less valuable and committed to their job after having kids. Yes, yes, yes.
And for me, more than ever, I am joining the conversation of change and fighting for universal child care and parental leave laws that support working moms and parents in spending more time with their kids at a young age and not feeling the push and pull as much on a systemic level.
But in the meantime, my job as your coach, and in this podcast, and in the ambitious and balanced working mom community, is to remind you that you are capable of having exactly what you want despite the system. The system makes it harder and more challenging, but not insurmountable.
Even When It’s Their Turn, Many Women Still Say No
Because as I said before, even when given the opportunity, a lot of women still shy away from going after their own goals. Even when it's their turn, even when they have a partner that's willing to support them, even when an opportunity presents itself, they say no out of fear. Out of fear of the impact it's going to have on their family, out of fear of financial risk, or feeling irresponsible.
Living unapologetically isn't throwing responsibility out the window. It's not selfish. It's just declaring what you want and believing it's possible even when you don't see a way, and then making it happen.
No matter what, you are allowed to want more. Let me say that again, if you needed to hear that today. You are allowed to want more. To desire a big career and time with your family. You are allowed to want a life where you wake up every morning and you can't wait to live in it. A job that you look forward to going to on a Monday morning.
Living unapologetically is not opposite to your family rhythms, and to presence and time with your kids. It's inclusive of it.
Burnout Isn’t Just About Doing Too Much, It’s About Settling
And I don't think working moms are just burning out and feeling exhausted because they're caring so much and that they're doing so much for their families and their workplaces. I think they're burning out because they're self-justifying a life where they're settling.
Now, I might. I know that's going to turn some of you off, right? And look, I'm not trying to blame you for your own exhaustion. I'm not even sure it's useful to blame anyone or anything. I simply want you to take ownership over the things that you can.
And I guarantee if you are feeling burned out, worn out, exhausted, and like you're living a rinse-and-repeat life as you head into 2026, one of the reasons is because you are self-justifying not going after the life and goals that you want, and it feels like you're settling. That is sucking some of the life out of you.
You're excusing your goals away as not being the right season, as your kids not being old enough, as the impact to your family being too great, or the financial risk being too much, or even not knowing how. Yep, that is an excuse too.
When You Can’t Celebrate Your Own Success, It’s Hard to Live Unapologetically
And to be honest, this is where I struggled all year. I felt very present with my family this year, but I didn't meet any of my goals that I set for myself in my work life, in my business. And it had a tremendous impact on me and my mental health this year.
I should be further ahead. I shouldn't be struggling like this. I don't know what to do. It almost felt like a mantra to me all year, these types of thoughts. And sometimes it was super conscious to me, too. A lot of times it just felt like it was running in the background as a loop in my mind.
And because I was judging myself for not hitting my goals and not being further ahead at this level in my business, I was missing out on the joy and the success of what I had been creating all year long and the impact that I was having on my clients’ lives.
I remember getting an email from a client sometime in the year just showing her gratitude, her appreciation for our work. I mean, it was truly heartfelt, and it meant the world to me as she told me how impactful my work had been on her and how I'd literally changed her life.
But as I read it, my immediate response was, well, that's great. But it wasn't enough.
I couldn't celebrate the 19 amazing women that I worked with in my Ambitious and Balanced program this past year. Because I wanted 40, right?
It's hard to live unapologetically when you can't celebrate and see your own successes or wins or a path forward.
But no more excuses for me this year.
I am done apologizing for the success that I've made and the progress that I've made. I'm done apologizing for the growth that I know is still unfolding inside of me, and in my life, and in my business, and the impact I'm making.
I am done apologizing and measuring my worth by timelines and numbers. I am done shrinking my ambition to make it feel accessible and attainable to me.
And I'm done carrying the guilt for wanting more. More income, more impact, more meaning, a bigger business.
Introducing the Unapologetic Working Mom’s Circle
I’ve actually started a group this year, 2026. It's starting right now, and it's called the Unapologetic Working Mom’s Circle.
And this group is exclusive to those that have gone through my Ambitious and Balanced program, because I want a space for my clients that have really taken big steps towards their sustainable work-life balance in their life. And I want them to be able to take it to the next level.
I want to give them a container, a coaching container, where they can go after their bigger goals and have space for accountability, and coaching, and to be amongst other amazing and ambitious women that are going after it too.
And this group, it's for them, but it's for me as well, to live unapologetically, to get out of the excuses that have kept me small this past year.
Step One of Living Unapologetically: A Declaration of Desire
And so for yourself, as you think about living your own unapologetic life, you might be asking, well, where? Where do I start? How do I do that?
What do you want?
I know it's such a simple question, and yet I know so many of you have the hardest time answering it. You have been out of touch with your own desire and what you think is possible for you for far too long.
And that's why this year is a year of living unapologetically. Because it's not acceptable for you to play it small. You are too needed.
This Is Your Year to Stop Playing Small
And this world needs you at full capacity, where your desire and your life are in alignment with one another.
I 1000% believe that that is what God wants for us in this world. And if you don't believe in God, well, then that's what the universe wants for us. Or that's what life is meant to be for us. We're not meant to play it small.
As women and as moms, you have the best ideas, and your company needs to hear them. You have an immense capacity to hold vision, and your teams need you to lead them with it.
You have been uniquely equipped to hold on to possibility on behalf of your kids and to fill their love tank in unimaginable ways. And your family needs that vision and that presence.
The world needs you. Working moms, your company needs you, your community needs you, your family needs you. But not playing it small. They need you living into the greatest capacity that you have, to be operating from a place of joy and possibility and vision and presence and spaciousness.
They need you at your best.
But I don't want you to just do it for them. I want you to do it for you.
You only get one life. There's only one 2026. Your kids are only at this age once.
And now is your time to live an unapologetic life. To not wait till tomorrow. To not wait until this season passes or until your kids get a little bit older, until it gets a little bit easier.
No. This is your unapologetic year.
Questions to Help You Declare and Commit Unapologetically in 2026
So here are a few questions to help spark vision within you, to declare and commit unapologetically in 2026 instead of just sort of hope and wonder.
So instead of asking yourself, what do I need to fix, or where am I behind, or what should I be doing more of, I want to invite you to ask, what do I want to stop apologizing for? What do I want more of that I may have been minimizing or believing isn't possible? What kind of life do I actually want to build and to represent to my children?
Let these questions guide you in step one of casting vision and getting connected to your own desire and want. Let this be your unapologetic year, my friend.
And this is really just the beginning here in this community. We are just getting started in the year. And I am so glad to be with you, and I just so appreciate you trusting me on this journey.
As we wrap up, would you do me a favor? Can you think of two friends that you want to wish for them an unapologetic 2026? Two working mom friends that you know of that could use the belief and the possibility that this episode is bringing to help them increase vision? And would you send this episode to them?
The fastest way of getting more women living an unapologetic life and cutting through the systemic problems is through you. So would you take 60 seconds, pass this episode along to a few friends that you know could use it? I would be so grateful for you if you would do that.
And once again, I am honored to be your coach this year.
All right, working moms, unapologetically declare your desires and wants for the year this week. And let's get to it.
Ready to Create More Presence, Clarity, and Balance in 2026?
Before we wrap up, I want you to picture what you want 2026 to feel like. More presence, clearer priorities, a calendar that actually reflects your values, and success that doesn't come at the expense of joy.
That's the work that we do inside Ambitious and Balanced. It's a program designed for working moms who want to feel in control of their time, confident in their decisions, and fully present in the lives that they're living.
If that's what you want more of this next year, the next step is to schedule a work-life balance strategy call. On this call, we'll talk through where you are, what you want 2026 to look like, and whether or not this program is the right place to support you.
You'll find the link in the show notes. I can't wait to talk to you. And until next week, let's get to it.
