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The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living
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.
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.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published May 13, 2025
53 people are currently reading
552 people want to read
About the author
Amina AlTai
3 books5 followersAmina AlTai is an executive coach, leadership trainer, and chronic illness advocate. She has partnered with companies such as Google, Snap, Outdoor Voices, Chief, and Roku, and been featured in goop, Forbes, Well+Good, NBC, CBS, The New York Times, and more. She's an Entrepreneur Magazine expert-in-residence, a Forbes contributor, and was named one of Success Magazine’s Women of Influence.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
March 9, 2025
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but this was a great read in a conversational tone about how to set big goals without losing yourself in the process. The book has a lot of helpful exercises, visuals, and prompts for reflection that made me think differently about my relationship with work and “success.” The author never talks down or criticizes, so it feels very relatable. I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to reframe their mindset, but it’s especially relevant for ambitious women.
June 18, 2025
The Ambition Trap is meeting me on a soul level. This isn’t just a book about career or success—it’s a spiritual invitation to return to yourself. Amina, whom I’ve known and been a fan of for years, writes with such clarity and compassion, helping us untangle ambition from ego and reconnect it to purpose, wholeness, and self-trust. Personally, my jam. If you’ve ever felt the quiet nudge that there’s a more aligned way to live and lead, this book is an excellent roadmap. It’s both grounding me and expanding me in the best ways.
July 29, 2025
The Ambition Trap offers the kind of clarity and language I wish more of us had earlier in our careers. It’s not another “ditch your 9-5 and find your passion” manifesto. Instead, it’s a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of what it means to pursue ambition in a way that’s sustainable, embodied, and aligned with who we actually are. Amina challenges the idea that burnout is a badge of honor or that ambition has to come at the cost of our health, relationships, or identity. Definitely read it if you're feeling tired/disconnected from your ambitions!
June 14, 2025
An incredibly eye-opening book that has allowed me to unpack my motivations, my fears, and my unlocked Potential. I’m so glad to have found this book and keep it in my library for my children to read someday very groundbreaking, very heartwarming.
July 1, 2025
This book is SO needed in a world of too much hustle, not enough rest, and the constant need to compare to others. Amina is such an incredible writer! Cant recommend this book enough!
June 23, 2025
This isn’t just a book about career—it’s a book about coming home to yourself. Amina’s insights on identity, burnout, and purpose are powerful and refreshing... especially in today's climate. She helps you understand why you might feel disconnected from your ambition and gives you a roadmap for realigning it with your values and joy. I’ll be recommending The Ambition Trap to every ambitious friend I know.
June 24, 2025
This book spoke to the intersection of ambition and identity in a way I’ve never read before. As a woman of color trying to succeed in spaces that weren’t built for me, The Ambition Trap helped me feel seen.
What I loved most is how Amina doesn’t shame ambition, instead, she reframes it. It’s not about doing less but about doing what matters from a place of alignment. I’ve already bought copies for two of my girlfriends. Read it if you're tired of burnout being the badge of honor.
What I loved most is how Amina doesn’t shame ambition, instead, she reframes it. It’s not about doing less but about doing what matters from a place of alignment. I’ve already bought copies for two of my girlfriends. Read it if you're tired of burnout being the badge of honor.
June 24, 2025
AlTai's writing hits a nerve but in a good way. She breaks down how hustle culture is often tied to unhealed wounds and outdated definitions of success. The structure is clear and accessible, and I appreciated the blend of coaching tools and personal storytelling.
A quote that stuck with me: “Ambition without healing is often just survival with a better outfit.” That one line made me put the book down and re-evaluate some big life decisions.
HIGHLY recommend for anyone exploring purpose, burnout, or the shadow side of ambition.
A quote that stuck with me: “Ambition without healing is often just survival with a better outfit.” That one line made me put the book down and re-evaluate some big life decisions.
HIGHLY recommend for anyone exploring purpose, burnout, or the shadow side of ambition.
June 20, 2025
AMAZING. As someone who has really struggled with burnout in work, this book helped me reframe my ambition to be more aligned to ME and what I wanted. I am a high achiever and have always struggled with people pleasing and chasing the “next thing” and this book gave me a roadmap to shift that thinking and use it to my advantage. I love love loved it. I really needed to read it.
June 16, 2025
The Ambition Trap isn’t just a career book—it’s a lens into how systems impact how we define success. It's a deep look at our relationship with ambition and gives clear tools for working through what might be holding us back to reach a new level of success. Amina masterfully blends personal narrative with social analysis and shows how ambition can be reclaimed, especially for those who’ve been told they’re “too much” or “not enough.” Loved it!
May 13, 2025
Amina is brilliant and wise and her book is a gift to the world.
May 27, 2025
From redefining ambition to identifying your needs and true gifts, this book is like having a caring and knowledgeable coach walking you through the research-based mindset shifts and processes that will lead you toward living a fulfilling and meaningful life. The Ambition Trap helps you redefine what it means to be ambitious in a healthy and inspiring way so you can create and live your most joy-filled life, starting by healing from the inside out. As a founder and wonderful coach, author Amina AlTai has helped thousands overcome the internal barriers that often prevent us from living in our power and purpose. And this book is a way for you, too, to overcome any barriers that are holding you back. I absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about themselves and live more aligned.
March 6, 2025
I was so excited to be able to get my hands on an advance copy of The Ambition Trap. Amina expertly weaves together personal experiences, clients’ stories and relevant and interesting research to create an incredibly easy to read and relatable experience. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to harness their ambition in a healthy way in order to find their purpose and do so without feeling burnt out.
February 24, 2025
An incredibly helpful and affirming read! Amina understands the trappings of hustle culture intimately and offers insight around how to shift our mindsets around work and purpose. A must read for all former girl bosses!!
October 28, 2025
Not what I was looking for.
I went into The Ambition Trap hoping for a structured analysis of ambition in the modern workplace — something that unpacked how modern workplaces, economic incentives, and societal norms trap us in cycles of overwork while offering tangible strategies for navigating or resisting that system. Instead, what I found was a self-help book focused on how individuals (especially those from underrepresented backgrounds) can realign their personal ambitions in response to systemic barriers.
That’s not a wrong focus — but it’s a much narrower one than the title and subtitle suggest. If you're looking for frameworks or organizational levers that perpetuate burnout (and how to intervene), this isn't it. And if you're looking for books on how work impacts marginalized groups, there are others I'd point to first (Whistling Vivaldi, What Works).
AlTai distinguishes between painful ambition and purposeful ambition. Painful ambition, according to the book, is rooted in early emotional wounds. Purposeful ambition, by contrast, is grounded in internal clarity, values alignment, and service to others.
To her credit, AlTai does name the systemic factors that shape ambition: pay gaps, psychological safety, hustle culture, “glass cliffs,” and so on. But these show up more as context-setting than as the main focus. The book consistently returns to the personal — how you think, feel, act, and heal. Burnout, in this framing, becomes less a systemic inevitability and more a misalignment between your internal wiring and your external choices. In other words... if ambition isn't working for you, you're not doing it right.
I came to the book to read about the system: how it works, who it harms, and how to change it. Instead, I got a guided tour through how to build a more values-aligned solo career. There's an audience for that, but I wasn’t that audience. In hindsight, I probably should have been more suspicious of phrases like “core wounds and insecurities”.
This book may resonate if you’re in the midst of a career pivot and looking for a self-reflective, healing-centered approach to ambition (and can deal with a bit of religious woo). But if you came here for insight into burnout as a systemic problem — something bigger than individual psychology — this won’t scratch that itch.
I went into The Ambition Trap hoping for a structured analysis of ambition in the modern workplace — something that unpacked how modern workplaces, economic incentives, and societal norms trap us in cycles of overwork while offering tangible strategies for navigating or resisting that system. Instead, what I found was a self-help book focused on how individuals (especially those from underrepresented backgrounds) can realign their personal ambitions in response to systemic barriers.
That’s not a wrong focus — but it’s a much narrower one than the title and subtitle suggest. If you're looking for frameworks or organizational levers that perpetuate burnout (and how to intervene), this isn't it. And if you're looking for books on how work impacts marginalized groups, there are others I'd point to first (Whistling Vivaldi, What Works).
AlTai distinguishes between painful ambition and purposeful ambition. Painful ambition, according to the book, is rooted in early emotional wounds. Purposeful ambition, by contrast, is grounded in internal clarity, values alignment, and service to others.
To her credit, AlTai does name the systemic factors that shape ambition: pay gaps, psychological safety, hustle culture, “glass cliffs,” and so on. But these show up more as context-setting than as the main focus. The book consistently returns to the personal — how you think, feel, act, and heal. Burnout, in this framing, becomes less a systemic inevitability and more a misalignment between your internal wiring and your external choices. In other words... if ambition isn't working for you, you're not doing it right.
I came to the book to read about the system: how it works, who it harms, and how to change it. Instead, I got a guided tour through how to build a more values-aligned solo career. There's an audience for that, but I wasn’t that audience. In hindsight, I probably should have been more suspicious of phrases like “core wounds and insecurities”.
This book may resonate if you’re in the midst of a career pivot and looking for a self-reflective, healing-centered approach to ambition (and can deal with a bit of religious woo). But if you came here for insight into burnout as a systemic problem — something bigger than individual psychology — this won’t scratch that itch.
June 19, 2025
📚 Success Wasn’t Supposed to Hurt: Thoughts on The Ambition Trap.
The book is a refreshing and necessary take on something many of us silently struggle with: the pressure to achieve at any cost. This book isn’t about abandoning ambition—it’s about examining where it comes from.
The author talks honestly about how ambition, when driven by unhealed wounds or external validation, can lead to burnout, disconnection, and even illness. She calls this “painful ambition.” Through personal stories and real-life examples, she guides readers to shift toward “purposeful ambition”—a form of drive rooted in clarity, intention, and inner alignment.
What makes this book special is how deeply human it is. It doesn’t offer quick fixes or generic motivation. Instead, it invites you to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what success truly means to you. It acknowledges the weight of identity, trauma, and societal expectations—and still empowers you to move forward with self-respect and purpose.
If you’ve ever felt exhausted trying to “keep up,” or questioned whether the version of success you’re chasing is really yours, this book will resonate deeply. It’s a gentle, insightful companion for anyone looking to grow—without losing themselves along the way.
The book is a refreshing and necessary take on something many of us silently struggle with: the pressure to achieve at any cost. This book isn’t about abandoning ambition—it’s about examining where it comes from.
The author talks honestly about how ambition, when driven by unhealed wounds or external validation, can lead to burnout, disconnection, and even illness. She calls this “painful ambition.” Through personal stories and real-life examples, she guides readers to shift toward “purposeful ambition”—a form of drive rooted in clarity, intention, and inner alignment.
What makes this book special is how deeply human it is. It doesn’t offer quick fixes or generic motivation. Instead, it invites you to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what success truly means to you. It acknowledges the weight of identity, trauma, and societal expectations—and still empowers you to move forward with self-respect and purpose.
If you’ve ever felt exhausted trying to “keep up,” or questioned whether the version of success you’re chasing is really yours, this book will resonate deeply. It’s a gentle, insightful companion for anyone looking to grow—without losing themselves along the way.
June 17, 2025
This book came at just the time I needed it. I'm honestly not a huge reader, but the author has written this in a way that is just so approachable. The content is inspiring and vulnerable and candid and I found that I couldn't stop reading it. I also find that in order to really absorb content, I need there to be research (otherwise I can get skeptical) and this book has such a good mix of research and personal experience and lessons learned from her coaching. As a woman in corporate america, I've often found myself at odds with my own ambition. This book has been so eye-opening about how to better understand ambition and there's so much in the book that is actionable in my own life. I have already ordered many copies to share with some of my friends as I don't want to just keep this to myself. I can't recommend it enough. If you're looking to challenge what you know about ambition and find yourself inspired to be your best self, this is the book for you!
August 12, 2025
A Powerful Reframe on Ambition, Success, and Rest
As someone immersed in the world of high achievement, I found The Ambition Trap to be a refreshing, much-needed reframe on what ambition truly means. Amina AlTai reminds us that ambition isn’t about chasing “more” at any cost—it’s about cultivating a life where achievement and well-being co-exist.
This book is a guide for designing success that honors both our motivation and our need for rest and recovery. It’s a powerful antidote to hustle culture, showing us that rest is just as essential as action, and that true success comes from leaning into who we really are—not pushing ourselves to be someone else.
If you want to live and work with purpose, create more ease, and nurture your goals in a sustainable way, The Ambition Trap is a must-read.
As someone immersed in the world of high achievement, I found The Ambition Trap to be a refreshing, much-needed reframe on what ambition truly means. Amina AlTai reminds us that ambition isn’t about chasing “more” at any cost—it’s about cultivating a life where achievement and well-being co-exist.
This book is a guide for designing success that honors both our motivation and our need for rest and recovery. It’s a powerful antidote to hustle culture, showing us that rest is just as essential as action, and that true success comes from leaning into who we really are—not pushing ourselves to be someone else.
If you want to live and work with purpose, create more ease, and nurture your goals in a sustainable way, The Ambition Trap is a must-read.
August 28, 2025
A very careful considered and generous offering with such an assured voice. It was enjoyable to read but also difficult at times, having to face your own traumas and history associated with ambition, work and success.
Unfortunately I don't think I'm the right audience. All the examples of past clients were such high-fliers, in industries I'd never worked in (or heard of!) it felt a bit isolating at times, and made me question if I could apply much of the advice (I work in education, very prescriptive in terms of our work schedule, pay, trajectory etc) I wonder if having some examples of support for people with perhaps less glamorous sounding jobs might have more appeal. But then, this is based on AlTai's actual experiences and clients so makes sense.
That being said, I will try some of the exercises and, as mentioned above, it's a very generous book.
Unfortunately I don't think I'm the right audience. All the examples of past clients were such high-fliers, in industries I'd never worked in (or heard of!) it felt a bit isolating at times, and made me question if I could apply much of the advice (I work in education, very prescriptive in terms of our work schedule, pay, trajectory etc) I wonder if having some examples of support for people with perhaps less glamorous sounding jobs might have more appeal. But then, this is based on AlTai's actual experiences and clients so makes sense.
That being said, I will try some of the exercises and, as mentioned above, it's a very generous book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2025
This book is a masterpiece. What I’m about to say has a lot to do with social justice and systems, but if you’re coming here solely to understand yourself and ambition you will get that too. Amina Altai has woven together social justice, self- reclamation, nervous system rewiring, ancestral awareness and our desire to become more (ambition) with such skill and care. I understand myself more clearly as well as the culture that has helped shape me and those around me. I understand even more how these systems affect marginalized populations without going into a shame spiral but instead seeing a clear path forward that is mutually beneficial to self and other. A path that has enough nuance that it can be favorable for all bodies.
June 24, 2025
This book hit me right where I needed it. I spent years doing “all the things”, building, striving, pushing, and honestly, this book helped me realize just how much of that was coming from a place of needing to prove something.
Amina writes with so much honesty and heart. It didn’t feel like I was being taught or coached. It felt like a friend sharing what she’s learned and inviting me to slow down, check in, and re-align with what really matters to me.
This isn’t a book about giving up ambition, it’s about redefining it in a way that actually feels right for me. If you're feeling stretched thin, or like success doesn't feel as good as you thought it would, read this book.
Amina writes with so much honesty and heart. It didn’t feel like I was being taught or coached. It felt like a friend sharing what she’s learned and inviting me to slow down, check in, and re-align with what really matters to me.
This isn’t a book about giving up ambition, it’s about redefining it in a way that actually feels right for me. If you're feeling stretched thin, or like success doesn't feel as good as you thought it would, read this book.
March 3, 2025
I cannot WAIT for people to get their hands on this book. I felt like my ambition was kind of lost with so much going on in the world and this book just took me on such a journey.
I felt like it made SO much sense for the specific challenges I have experienced too, like being a woman of color and someone with a chronic illness. The book just talks about ambition in such a clear, direct, and helpful way that it will leave anyone who reads it feeling like they can move their life's work forward. I am genuinely SO excited for people to read this book!!
I felt like it made SO much sense for the specific challenges I have experienced too, like being a woman of color and someone with a chronic illness. The book just talks about ambition in such a clear, direct, and helpful way that it will leave anyone who reads it feeling like they can move their life's work forward. I am genuinely SO excited for people to read this book!!
June 24, 2025
This book cracked something open in me. As a recovering perfectionist and corporate climber, I didn’t realize how much of my drive was tied to feeling “enough.” Amina AlTai offers not only insight, but genuine soul care through every page. This isn’t your typical self-help pep talk. It’s rooted, grounded, and dare I say... sacred.
She leads with compassion and truth. I found myself pausing often to just breathe. Her guidance feels like that wise friend who sees all of you; your pain, your potential, and your possibility. This book is going on my re-read shelf.
She leads with compassion and truth. I found myself pausing often to just breathe. Her guidance feels like that wise friend who sees all of you; your pain, your potential, and your possibility. This book is going on my re-read shelf.
July 1, 2025
What I love most about The Ambition Trap is that it reminds us we’re not meant to chase success alone. Amina beautifully unpacks how ambition is communal, pushing beyond the social construct that ambition is a personal journey. She shows how our goals, our energy, and our impact are deeply intertwined with the people around us, and how healing our relationship to ambition can ripple outward. This book left me feeling seen, supported, and reconnected to something bigger than transactional achievement. It’s a love letter to collective growth.
August 11, 2025
The Ambition Trap is a refreshing, heart-centered guide to redefining success on your own terms. I admire the way she blends soul, stories, and actionable tools into a roadmap for thriving without burning out. Her frameworks and exercises help you take aligned, sustainable action toward the life and work you truly want. This book is equal parts inspiring and practical, challenging the way we think about ambition while offering a compassionate, clear path forward. It's like having personal coach by your side. A must-read for anyone ready to pursue their goals with clarity, joy, and purpose.
October 8, 2025
Amina is the real deal. She speaks for lived experiences and gives actionable tools that are easy to understand and simple to use. Amina take s place for major slip-age for most of us that have been born into and bought into the go go go culture to create from a place that depletes and erases us. I love the language she uses because it leaves a mark, is easy to remember, recall, and use. As a master therapist and transformational coach I can attest that if we pause and check whether pain or purpose is driving us we will make it home to ourselves with all we do.
November 7, 2025
Really solid set of frameworks and exercises for readers to identify what toxic ambition looks like for them, and how to move towards an ambitious life that supports their unique goals for themselves & their communities. Not everything here will be new — you've heard a lot of it before. But there were enough unusual metaphors to think through, and the exercises interspersed throughout each chapter were particularly valuable for reflection. A recommend, especially if you feel like you're "doing it right" and still feeling burnt out.
June 16, 2025
Amina is a gem and by the end of this book you'll be feeling bright and sparkly, too! She invites us to consider a different approach to ambition- one that honors and reveres your gifts and talents, rather than exploiting and misusing them. Reading this book feels like sitting with a sweet friend that wants only the very best for you and won't let you go until you want the absolute best for you, too!
July 13, 2025
I couldn't put this book down. I usually skip the intro, but don't do that with this book. It's full of really important and illuminating facts. If you’re an immigrant, person of color, or part of a historically marginalized group, this book will make you feel SEEN. It unpacks how systemic pressure shapes our ambition and shows a new path rooted in healing, joy, and community. If I could give it 6 stars, I would.
September 14, 2025
The best book I’ve read in a minute. It is so well written and all encompassing way to think about being a leader, ambitious woman, following your dreams in a guided and aligned way. I’m so happy this book exists and I smiled and laughed and cried reading it because it just really hit the spot I needed.
Everyone should read, especially if you feel in a funk or want more for yourself then you’re currently getting.
Love love LOVE IT. thank you Amina!!!
Everyone should read, especially if you feel in a funk or want more for yourself then you’re currently getting.
Love love LOVE IT. thank you Amina!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews