TED Talks Daily Book Club: "Intentional Ambition: Redefining Your Work for Greater Joy, Freedom, and Fulfillment" with Rha Goddess

Episode Date: August 24, 2025
Host: Elise Hu
Guest: Rha Goddess

Episode Overview

This Book Club edition of TED Talks Daily features Rha Goddess, acclaimed social impact strategist, career coach, and author of "Intentional Ambition: Redefining Your Work for Greater Joy, Freedom, and Fulfillment." The conversation, recorded live with TED members, explores how the global upheavals of recent years have transformed our relationship to work, placing joy, well-being, and intentionality at the center. Rha shares her personal journey, practical frameworks, and answers questions from listeners about finding purpose, overcoming inherited narratives of success, and cultivating a more fulfilling professional life.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Current State of Work and Its Transformation

[03:06–05:04]

• Rha describes work culture as "massively in flux," affected by global crises, technological shifts, and organizational restructuring.
• People are re-examining what work means to them, prioritizing health, happiness, and quality of day-to-day life over traditional external metrics like money.
  • Quote (Rha, [05:21]):
    “Joy is now more of a priority than it’s ever been...money isn’t everything.”

2. Rha’s Personal Journey to Redefining Ambition

[06:59–09:19]

• After her father’s death, Rha threw herself into work to avoid grief—a common response, she notes, that led her to physical and mental burnout.
• She realized she was living by inherited narratives about achievement and worth, disconnected from her true needs and humanity.
  • Quote (Rha, [09:08]):
    “I was floored to discover all of the narratives I had been carrying unconsciously about why I had to show up and push and prove and overachieve.”

3. Redefining Success

[09:19–11:52]

• Rha discusses how her definition of success was rooted in achievement, accolades, and external validation—often derived from her family history and social context.
• She highlights the need to include well-being, happiness, safety, and values in personal definitions of success.

4. Recognizing When We’re Living Others’ Ambitions

[12:15–13:47]

• If your achievements feel disconnected or you feel numb and exhausted, you’re likely pursuing someone else’s version of success rather than your own.
  • Quote (Rha, [13:44]):
    “The degree to which I disconnected from my true feelings...was one of the blaring indicators.”

5. Pivoting: Shifting to Your Own Definition of Success

[14:08–15:18]

• Rha encourages listeners to get clear about what they really want, acknowledging this can take months of honest listening beyond social or familial expectations.

6. The Three-Stage Framework: Negotiation, Resignation, Renegotiation

[15:33–17:18]

• Negotiation: Navigating work by someone else’s terms, often making constant trades (big and small) for advancement.
• Resignation: Either accepting things as they are or deciding to radically break away.
• Renegotiation: Considering what truly matters, aligning work with personal values, and contributing in ways that fulfill you.

Deep Dive: Renegotiation’s Three Steps

[17:18–19:15]

1. Reclamation: Examine the stories you've inherited or self-created and decide which to carry forward.
2. Realignment: Return to authenticity and energy. Notice when depletion signals misalignment or self-betrayal.
3. Reimagination: Now cleared and realigned, envision what work and contribution could look like on your terms.

7. Getting Practical: Making Change When You Feel Stuck

[27:11–30:35]

• Even in tough circumstances, the first step is to believe more is possible—if only by 1%.
• Small grounding actions (walking, journaling, mindful moments) can begin shifting you out of survival mode and open space for new possibilities.
  • Quote (Rha, [30:17]): “Start with the very, very simple things… the more that you can begin to nourish yourself and nurture yourself, the more space and room you'll begin to have to really imagine new possibilities.”

8. Intentional Ambition vs. Wounded Ambition

[22:58–25:07]

• Wounded Ambition: Guided by external standards and scarcity, leading to harm, burnout, and “doing to fit in.”
• Intentional Ambition: Rooted in your own wants, values, and agency—expanding your impact from a place of authentic energy.

9. Special Topics: Scarcity, Age, and Belonging

a. Scarcity Mindset

[33:36–36:01]

• Rha urges letting go of zero-sum thinking, replacing it with examples of community and collaboration where everybody eats and thrives.

b. Reimagining Purpose at Any Age

[36:01–38:03]

• There’s always opportunity to discover new adventures and impact, regardless of age. One 80-year-old shared his new motto:
  • Quote (Rha, [37:09]):
    “When people now ask him, how does it feel to be 80? He says, Ask me when I'm 90, because then I can tell you all the great things I've done over the last 10 years.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On defaulting to others’ definitions ([12:15], Rha):
  “We don’t often feel connected to whatever we’re achieving...my representative was way alive and kicking—the fake smile, the fine, fine, fine, everything’s fine when it was all falling apart.”

• On slowing down and survival ([25:31], Rha):
  “Getting out of survival...requires not only a mental conversation. It is an emotional, a physiological conversation.”

• Encouragement to try, even in difficulty ([27:50], Rha):
  “The first thing is to even begin to let in...that it is possible.”

• Self-care as a radical act ([41:29], Rha):
  “Part of caring for the world is caring for myself too.”

Community Q&A (Selected Highlights and Timestamps)

1. Rewriting Your Story

• Azgush C. ([43:40]) — Struggling with family expectations, now pursuing her dreams but feeling economic and mental strain.

  • Rha’s Advice ([43:40]): “You can do work that you love, you can pursue the field that you love, and you can be well taken care of.”

• Kim H. ([46:02]) — Wants to let go of the martyr mindset and lead from aligned energy.

  • Rha’s Mantra:
    “I lead from inspiration and am fully supported by those around me.”

• Jeanne J. ([47:53]) — Wants to outgrow undervaluing her expertise.

  • Rha’s Mantra:
    “I stand in my value and allow amazing opportunities to flow to me.”

2. Advice for Young Leaders

([49:32])

• Practice courage, patience, permission, and daily habits that bring joy and fulfillment even when the traditional path pressures compromise.

3. Navigating Trends and Community

([51:40])

• Trends can be inspiring or alienating; authenticity is the test. True recognition often comes from offline, in-person community and real relationships.

4. Balancing Achievement and Well-being

([53:39])

• Achievement is good if it aligns with your energy and values; avoid crossing into burnout by checking for anxiety and self-pressure.

5. Staying Intentionally Ambitious

([55:17])

• Grounding practices—journaling, prayer, meditation, time in nature, and regular regrouping—are vital for sustained intentional ambition.

6. Rha’s Current Mantra

([57:00])

• “Joy is always my destination.”

Memorable Quotes (with Attribution & Timestamps)

• “Joy is now more of a priority than it’s ever been...money isn’t everything.”
  — Rha Goddess, [05:21]

• “I was floored to discover all of the narratives I had been carrying unconsciously about why I had to show up and push and prove and overachieve.”
  — Rha Goddess, [09:08]

• “Part of caring for the world is caring for myself too.”
  — Rha Goddess, [41:29]

• “You can do work that you love...and you can be well taken care of.”
  — Rha Goddess, [43:40]

• “Joy is always my destination.”
  — Rha Goddess, [57:00]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:06] The current state of work: Why it's "massively in flux"
• [06:59] Rha’s personal backstory and awakening
• [09:19] Redefining success and tracing its roots
• [12:15] Signs you’re living someone else’s ambitions
• [15:33] Introduction to the three-stage framework
• [17:18] The three steps of renegotiation: Reclamation, Realignment, and Reimagination
• [22:58] Intentional ambition vs. wounded ambition
• [27:11] Getting practical when you feel stuck or overwhelmed
• [33:36] Overcoming the scarcity mindset
• [36:01] Redefining purpose at any age
• [42:17] Community responses: rewriting your story
• [49:30] Questions on staying true/ambitious as a young leader
• [51:40] Navigating trends and building true community
• [53:39] Balancing achievement and well-being
• [55:17] Core practices for staying on the path
• [57:00] Final mantra: “Joy is always my destination.”

Conclusion

The episode offers a deeply empathetic, practical, and holistic roadmap for renegotiating your relationship to work—no matter your industry, background, or current circumstance. Rha Goddess’s core message is to “bring yourself back to your values and joy,” and to believe—even just a little—that more is possible. Whether you're burned out, changing careers, or seeking deeper fulfillment, her frameworks and mantras provide actionable hope to make the journey yours.

Further engagement:
Watch the video version at ted.com, and consider joining future live sessions via TED Membership for direct Q&A with authors and thinkers like Rha Goddess.