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Ambitious Mother
- Author
- Anne Welsh
- Narrator
- Jennifer Woodward
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 6 August 2026
- Run Time
- 9 hours 57 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Women are told, “You can have it all.” You can be an incredible mom and have an incredible career at the same time. But nobody explains how to actually pull this off--until now.
In Ambitious Mother, Dr. Anne Welsh--a licensed psychologist and mom of four--offers a refreshing perspective for overwhelmed moms. Welsh asks, “What are you truly ambitious for?” and invites readers to shed societal expectations, name what they really want, and pursue their own version of success. Readers will discover:
- Why being a working mom feels so hard and what we can do to change this.
- How to find their own version of ambition that fits their values.
- The difference between unhealthy striving and healthy striving and how to make the switch.
- The Three Ps--perfectionism, people-pleasing, and pretending--and how to shed these weights without lowering standards.
- How to navigate career choices as a mom.
- Inspiring stories about ambitious mothers, demonstrating that ambition comes in many forms.
Motherhood will change your ambition. As Welsh shares, you may discover that you are more ambitious than ever before, or ambitious in new and different ways. Ambitious Mother gives you permission to be as ambitious as you want to be. Permission to set down a few balls that you no longer want to juggle--and pick up others that you do. Permission to have the career and life you truly want.
Critics Review
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Dr. Anne Welsh shows us how we can thrive as parents, partners, and professionals, while also being more than our roles, and without burning out. Having it all shouldn’t mean doing it all. It starts with unlearning narrow ideas about being a ‘good mom’ and redefining ambition for yourself. And it can’t just be on moms—partners, workplaces, and policies all shape what’s truly possible.
Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live)
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I devoured this compassionate, wise, and reassuring work that reads like a love letter from a wise older sister, one working mom to another. I promise you will come away with practical tips and transformative mindset shifts. Dr. Welsh is redefining ambition to fit the many objectives of our lives, and help women find fulfillment, not just success. You will get the benefit of years of Dr. Welsh's therapy and coaching practices, packed into a breezy and delightful bedtime read.
Corinne Low, associate professor of business economics and public policy, Wharton School, and author of Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours
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In a world full of choices, women often crave guidance on how to truly know what they want. Dr. Welsh offers expert insights and real-life stories that empower women to answer that question for themselves—again and again—through the evolving journey of ambition and family.
Neha Ruch, bestselling author of The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids and Come Back Stronger Than Ever
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Ambitious Mother will be as life changing as Fair Play was. It is the book I’m giving to every overwhelmed, exhausted working mom I know. It offers relief, reassurance, and hope--plus practical steps to create a real shift from within. Dr. Anne Welsh reminds us that you can thrive in your career not in spite of being a mother, but because of it. As she writes, ‘Motherhood can be the career accelerator you never knew you needed.’ Through powerful stories of women who have accomplished their greatest work after having kids, Ambitious Mother proves that the best chapter of your career--and your life--is still yet to come.
Catherine Brown, product marketing leader at Databricks and founder of @TheCabro
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Ambitious Mother is an essential contribution to the conversation about leadership, identity, and the modern workplace. Dr. Welsh brings a rare blend of psychological depth, narrative insight, and systems-level analysis that reframes how we understand ambition in the context of caregiving. Her frameworks offer a vocabulary and structure leaders have been missing. This book will shape not only individual lives, but how organizations think about talent, equity, and the future of work.
Nicole Amoyal Pensak, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of Rattled: How to Calm New Mom Anxiety with the Power of the Postpartum Brain
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Ambitious Mother is the book I needed to read right now, and I immediately thought of 20 friends who needed it, too. Dr. Welsh gives a framework and a vocabulary (e.g. ‘the Ambition Paradox,’ ‘the Motherhood Advantage’), backed up by research and case studies, to better understand what is going on in so many of our lives. Reading Ambitious Mother was like looking in a mirror; it made me want to write out my own story to show exactly where the model hits closest to home. With concise summaries, accessible starting points, and ample resources, Ambitious Mother is a book that begs to be annotated in the margins with exclamation points and enthusiastically passed around. It is vivid and digestible, positive and realistic, aspirational and inspirational.
Emily Richmond Pollock, associate professor of music and theater arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Motherhood reshapes ambition—it doesn’t diminish it. Ambitious Mother is the first book I’ve read that truly articulates this shift. Dr. Welsh offers a powerful, research-backed reframing that will help mothers feel seen, supported, and deeply capable.
Anke Becker, PhD, assistant professor, Harvard Business School
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A great book should read like a conversation with a trusted friend. Dr. Welsh is that friend, and this is the conversation we want to be having. An informative and inspiring read for all the mothers (and caregivers) who want to do it all without losing themselves in the process.
Alison Fragale, author of Likeable Badass and professor of organizational behavior, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
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I hold myself to high standards. I want to be extraordinary in all my roles: as a mom, professional, friend, daughter, wife, and beyond. Sometimes, doing it all feels impossible. If you can relate, Ambitious Mother is going to be your new favorite book—one that you dog-ear, highlight, and recommend to your friends. Dr. Welsh gives you permission to be as ambitious as you want to be, and shows you how to strive for your goals without burning out.
Alexandra Franzen, bestselling author, award-winning editor, co-founder of One Idea Books & Gifts
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What I love most about Ambitious Mother is that it doesn’t skip over the most fundamental question about ambition: What am I truly ambitious for? And by asking this simple question, the book invites you to move away from perfectionism, people-pleasing, and pretending to become something even more powerful—yourself.
Jessica Galica, professional coach and bestselling author of Leap: Why It's Time to Let Go to Get Ahead in Your Career
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Details
- Author
- Anne Welsh
- Narrator
- Jennifer Woodward
- Duration
- 9 hours 57 minutes
- Release Date
- 6 August 2026
- ISBN
- 9798216477457
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Parenting, parenthood: advice, topics and issues
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Ambitious Mother by Anne Welsh, read by Jennifer Woodward.Women are told, “You can have it all.” You can be an incredible mom and have an incredible career at the same time. But nobody explains how to actually pull this off--until now. In Ambitious Mother, Dr. Anne Welsh--a licensed psychologist and mom of four--offers a refreshing perspective for overwhelmed moms. Welsh asks, “What are you truly ambitious for?” and invites readers to shed societal expectations, name what they really want, and pursue their own version of success. Readers will discover: - Why being a working mom feels so hard and what we can do to change this. - How to find their own version of ambition that fits their values. - The difference between unhealthy striving and healthy striving and how to make the switch. - The Three Ps--perfectionism, people-pleasing, and pretending--and how to shed these weights without lowering standards. - How to navigate career choices as a mom. - Inspiring stories about ambitious mothers, demonstrating that ambition comes in many forms. Motherhood will change your ambition. As Welsh shares, you may discover that you are more ambitious than ever before, or ambitious in new and different ways. Ambitious Mother gives you permission to be as ambitious as you want to be. Permission to set down a few balls that you no longer want to juggle--and pick up others that you do. Permission to have the career and life you truly want.
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