Thank you to everyone who tuned into our Substack Live with
— licensed psychologist, founder coach, author of forthcoming Penguin book on the psychology of ambition, UT Austin faculty, wife and mother!Gena is finishing a book on psychology of ambition, describing the builder mindset that she’s seen in many startup founders that she coaches. It’s characterised by high agency, honest pursuit of truth and a desire to have a fully lived life.
Topics
We explored Gena’s redefinition of ambition—not as status-seeking, but as living a life aligned with one’s true values and full human potential.
We discussed CEO succession dynamics, drawing on my experience coaching founder-CEOs through transitions and exploring common patterns and non-binary outcomes.
We talked about high agency vs. autopilot living, and the importance of deliberately designing one’s life rather than following default cultural scripts.
We shared observations on the timing and triggers of CEO transitions, including how stress or burnout can lead to rushed decisions if not preemptively addressed.
We emphasized how trust and communication at the top—especially between co-founders and investors—are crucial for successful leadership transitions.
We examined the possibility of founders staying in the company after stepping down as CEO, and what makes non-CEO roles like chair or CPO work or fail.
We highlighted the need to move beyond binary thinking when navigating big decisions—recognizing the wider spectrum of viable paths and trade-offs.
We connected Gena’s framework to the age of AI—arguing that adaptability, creativity, and personal agency are more critical than ever in shaping the future of work.
We reflected on how the discourse on agency influences how people think about AI—especially in anthropomorphizing it and projecting values and intent onto machines.
Timestamps
01:15 Redefining ambition
05:43 Cultivating agency in uncertainty
10:54 CEO succession dynamics
04:29 High agency vs. autopilot living
07:00 Applying the builder’s mindset
13:00 Triggers and timing of CEO transitions
20:00 Trust and communication at the top
22:00 Staying on in a non-CEO role
24:00 Equity and power after stepping down
27:01 Beyond binary thinking in leadership
36:02 Thriving in the age of AI
43:47 Anthropomorphising AI and agency discourse
