Sustainable Ambition: Redefining Success Without Burning Out with Kathy Oneto

The Lindsey Elmore Show

Lindsey Elmore

Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Alternative Health, Medicine

5.0 • 529 Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Is ambition driving you—or draining you? In this powerful episode, Lindsey welcomes Kathy Oneto, author of Sustainable Ambition, to unpack how we can pursue our goals without sacrificing our well-being. They explore how ambition operates on a curve, how to balance drive with rest, and why our motivation doesn’t always have to come from within.

With practical tools and a refreshing take on success, this conversation invites you to slow down, reflect, and align your ambitions with what actually matters.

Listen in to learn more:

Ambition operates like pressure: too much or too little can backfire
‣ 00:00:01 – 00:00:31

Kathy introduces the "ambition curve" and how finding your sweet spot leads to optimal performance. Our culture pushes a ‘more is more’ mindset—but at a cost
‣ 00:01:00 – 00:02:30

Kathy breaks down how external influences and idealized standards can lead to overload and dissatisfaction. Motivation doesn’t have to be pure to be effective
‣ 00:04:30 – 00:06:00

Lindsay and Kathy agree: extrinsic motivators can be valid stepping stones toward deeper purpose. The 4 sustainable motivators: vision, purpose, values, and joy
‣ 00:07:00 – 00:08:30

Kathy walks us through the core motivators behind her framework for sustainable ambition. Ambition changes throughout your life—and that’s okay
‣ 00:09:00 – 00:10:30

From resume goals to legacy building, Kathy shares how our definition of success evolves over time. Ambition isn’t an identity—it’s a state that can ebb and flow
‣ 00:13:00 – 00:15:00

Learn how detaching from ambition as a fixed trait creates space for rest and recovery. The Sustainable Ambition Framework: Right ambition, right time, right effort
‣ 00:16:00 – 00:18:00
Kathy outlines her 3-pillar model and how it can help prevent burnout while still pursuing what matters.

Resources & Mentions:

Kathy Oneto’s Book: Sustainable Ambition
Podcast: Sustainable Ambition with Kathy Oneto
Website: www.sustainableambition.com

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lindsey-elmore-show--5952903/support.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This idea is similar to pressure and performance, where if there's too much pressure, you don't perform, if there's too little pressure you don't perform.
0:12.2	And I think ambition is like that, too, where ambition where we don't have enough ambition, we can start to become stagnant.
0:21.9	Kathy Onetto, welcome to the Lindsay Elmore show.
0:26.1	Well, Lindsay, thanks so much for having me.
0:28.7	I'm so excited to talk to you because we're going to talk about sustainable ambition today.
0:36.2	Because so often I think people get it in their head that we have to
0:40.2	achieve, achieve, achieve. And we get into this mindset of if we don't just have more and more and
0:49.6	more all of the time day in and day out, sometimes without us even realizing it, it can take a toll on us,
1:00.3	emotionally and physically and relationally. Talk to us about how you see this more,
1:10.2	more, more mentality just present itself.
1:14.4	And what are the costs of living in this way?
1:19.8	Yes, it's a great question.
1:21.4	Well, our society today, you know, really impacts us to lean into kind of wanting to do more, more and more. And,
1:31.8	you know, we are as humans naturally influenced by our external world. And so that's a natural
1:41.4	thing. But as you said, there are these costs to us feeling like we need to do more.
1:47.8	So how does that show up?
1:49.1	Well, one way that shows up is, you know, in today's world, kind of this idea of the fear of
1:54.8	missing out, right?
1:55.6	Thinking that we always need to be doing things or we're seeing other people doing things. And what can happen
2:01.9	is we start chasing more, more, more, and not checking in to really determine, well, is that
2:09.0	something I really want to do? It can also start to lead to us, you know, putting more on our
2:16.5	plates than we really have the capacity for.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Lindsey Elmore, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Lindsey Elmore and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.