Amanda Goetz is a marketing exec turned two-time startup founder. She has become a strong national voice on the entrepreneurial stage. At 39 years old, she’s already done it—multiple times. Alongside this, she navigates the difficulties of being a low-income, single mother of three under five. Goetz started her newest business, House of Wise, in the pandemic. This company of CBD-based wellness products is a testament to her resilience and creativity, even in the dark economic clutches of COVID.
Goetz’s path has been characterized by high aspirations and hardship. She refers to her former relationship with work as toxic grit, which she defines as hustling without intention. Her tireless drive, she said, for years served her as a “badge of honor.” This mentality ultimately resulted in extreme burnout which caused her to re-evaluate her connection to work and what it means to be successful.
In short, her pursuit of balance led Goetz to create a different approach that she describes as “sustainable ambition.” This morning’s keynote reminded us that under this approach we must intentionally plan for seasons of intense work and commit to seasons of rest. Goetz advocates for a 2:1 cadence in work and rest cycles, allowing individuals to push hard for two weeks while taking a step back in the third week to recharge.
Goetz illustrated this by saying that you need to establish a cadence of intentional rest in your life. So don’t wait for your body to make these demands. She’s a strong proponent of having people regularly reset their priorities and energy investments. The most ambitious, most driven people are often the ones who run the fastest and break their legs. In practice, we fail to stop and ask if these objectives continue to reflect our deeper intentions.
This change in Goetz’s perspective has made her life much better and her writing deeper and more powerful. Her upcoming book, titled “Toxic Grit: How to have it all and (actually) love what you have,” is set to debut in October. In this book, she offers perspective from her journey and reiterates that finding balance is the key to sustained success.
I knew I needed to dial down the drama in my life. Otherwise the physicality of my body would make me move. This encounter led her to realize she might need to pursue and promote a more cautious path to realizing her aspirations. She learned that you can have it all, but just not all at the same time.
Goetz’s entrepreneurial spirit shines through in her creation of “Life’s A Game,” a popular newsletter aimed at aspiring multi-hyphenates. Through this platform, she inspires others to pursue diverse interests while maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life.
When she looks back on the way she used to work, Goetz admits that something had to give. She recognized that if her overachiever tendencies got the best of her, she would end up working 24/7. That drive keeps her ambitious, determined, and concentrated on finding success. This consciousness has prompted her to create strong boundaries with her time and energy.
That’s two weeks of really fighting through and going hard at the office. Then you have one week where you can start to breathe, like leaving every single day at 5 o’clock on the dot, closing your computer, hanging out with friends,” she explained. By moving through this balance, Goetz hopes to hone in on a more sustainable future for herself and others in her position.