What If Success Didn’t Mean Being Available to Everyone, All the Time?
You know that moment when you park your car, turn off the engine… and just sit there?
Not ready to go inside. Not ready to move. Just… sitting. Staring at your steering wheel like it might drop some life advice if you wait long enough.
Yeah, same.
It’s like the only space where no one can ask you for anything. And yet even there—in that sacred, stolen silence—your brain’s still running a full marathon:
The emails you haven’t answered.
The thing you said “yes” to when you meant “hell no.”
The to-do list that somehow grew overnight like it was fed after midnight.
Welcome to Ambitiously Unavailable.
→ Listen to Episode 1: The Shift from Overcommitted & Exhausted to Intentional Ambition
This podcast is for the overachiever who’s finally asking:
What if I don’t want to live like this anymore?
In this first episode, I’m sharing the honest truth about ambition, burnout, and the slow realization that something had to shift.
Because here’s the truth no one tells you:
You can have big goals without selling your soul to the grind.
You can be ambitious without being available to everyone and everything all the time.
The Moment I Realized Hustle Culture Lied to Me
I used to take pride in never using my PTO.
I thought a full calendar meant I was doing something right.
I thought saying yes—even when I was drowning—meant I was dependable, valuable, successful.
But then I found myself in my car—just sitting there—dreading walking inside.
Not because I didn’t love my life, but because I was completely exhausted.
And that was the first time I asked:
Is this really what I worked so hard for?
Why We Keep Saying Yes (Even When We're Tired)
We were raised to believe that more = better.
More hustle.
More yeses.
More proving ourselves at the cost of our own peace.
We celebrate the person who pushes through, who handles it all, who never quits—even when they're unraveling inside.
But here’s the reframe:
→ Rest is not quitting.
→ Setting boundaries is not failure.
→ Being unavailable is not selfish—it’s strategy.
What It Means to Be Ambitiously Unavailable
This isn’t about ditching ambition. It’s about getting intentional with it.
Being Ambitiously Unavailable means you are still driven—but you are now choosing where your time, energy, and attention go.
It means you are not available for: → Burnout as a badge of honor
→ Saying yes when you mean no
→ Measuring success only by output
→ Being “always on” to prove your worth
Instead, you are available for: → Rest without guilt
→ Success on your terms
→ Creative breaks that actually fuel you
→ Boundaries that protect your energy
Being unavailable to everything means being fully present for what matters most.
You’re Allowed to Slow Down
If you’ve been waiting for someone to tell you it’s okay to stop overachieving your way into burnout—this is it.
You are allowed to say no.
You are allowed to be unavailable.
You are allowed to want more—without doing the most.
Welcome to Ambitiously Unavailable.
You’re in good company.
ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Hi! I’m Kris Licata.
I’m a strategist, creator, and former corporate leader who’s spent a lot of time pretending I was fine while quietly falling apart. Now I help high-achievers unlearn hustle culture and rethink what success actually feels like. I’m obsessed with clarity, newly allergic to toxic productivity, and firmly believe comfy clothes should be business casual.
