Most leadership advice was written by and for a generation that thought "work-life balance" meant leaving the office before 9 p.m. and checking emails on weekends.

Amanda Litman is here to set the record straight.

As co-founder of Run for Something—the organization that's helped elect over 1,600 young leaders across the U.S.—and author of When We're In Charge, Amanda has spent years studying what actually makes the next generation of leaders different.

She sat down with Amanda Goetz to get into the stuff no one says out loud, like why "bring your full self to work" is actually setting you up to fail, why return-to-office mandates disproportionately push moms out of the workforce, and what it really means to lead with authenticity without accidentally trauma-dumping on your team. 🙃

Plus: the surprisingly effective thing she did every Saturday in 2025 to fight loneliness; the case for the four-day workweek; and a rapid-fire round of who’s most likely to: workplace edition (Gen Z, millennials, or Gen X).

If you've ever wondered whether you can lead a team, build a career, and have a full life—without becoming the kind of boss you swore you'd never be—this one's for you.

01:17 Intro

02:37 The biggest lie in leadership

07:43 "Bring your full self to work" is setting you up to fail

10:15 The three-question framework for showing up authentically without oversharing

13:43 Personal branding for leaders who grew up online

17:11 How to use your platform without blowing up your career

19:32 Return to office, paid family leave, and why flexible work isn't a perk

25:40 The loneliness of leadership, and two solutions

32:28 The one thing first-time leaders need to let go of (hint: it's being liked)

33:18 Rapid fire who’s most likely to: Gen Z vs. millennial vs. Gen X

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Responsible authenticity is about bringing the best version of yourself to serve your team, not your unfiltered 3 a.m. thoughts.
Your employees are not your friends. Friendship is a relationship between equals, and a boss-employee dynamic is not that.
If you can't manage a remote team, that's a “you” problem.
The four-day workweek forces better prioritization, and the research backs it up.

The sooner you let go of needing to be liked, the sooner you can actually lead—trying to please everyone is a fast track to pleasing no one and resenting yourself.

GUEST LINKS

IG: https://www.instagram.com/amandalitm/

Read When We're in Charge

Learn more about Run for Something

https://www.amandalitman.com/

FOLLOW THE PODCAST

IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss

Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/

https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast

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ABOUT AMBITION 2.0

Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

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