Authentic Ambition: Redefining Success for Millennial Women

In a world that raised us to “have it all,” millennial women are caught in a perpetual cycle of feeling like we’re constantly falling short.

Demanding careers, family duties, and constant pressure to keep up — along with the rising cost of living, lack of affordable childcare, and the never-ending demands of technology — have created a reality that feels unsustainable.

But what if we’ve been asking the wrong questions all along? What if the problem isn’t us, but the outdated rules of a game we can’t win?

Introducing the Authentic Ambition trilogy – a series that challenges everything you thought you knew about success in the modern world. Through a blend of raw personal stories, cutting-edge research, and insights from trailblazing experts, this series equips you to:

• See the myth of “having it all” for what it is

• Redefine success on your own terms

• Design a path that aligns with your deepest values

The Authentic Ambition series helps millennial women question the status quo and carve their own routes to success:

• Explore the paradox of empowerment in book #1 — Superwoman is Tired: Breaking Free from the Pressure to ‘Have It All’

• Find out about potential career transitions in book #2 — The New Flex: Hitting Reset on Your Career Compass

• Learn the design of a values-based business in book #3 — The Lifestyle Startup: Building a Business on Your Own Terms

Whether you’re standing at a career crossroads, dreaming of launching your own venture, or simply seeking a more sustainable way to live and work, Authentic Ambition provides the inspiration and questions you need to ask yourself to design the next step that feels right for you.

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“Millennial women are exhausted. Disillusioned. Let down after a lifetime of being told that we – yes, we – could have it all. At work, we feel unsupported, undervalued. At home, we’re still expected to take on the heavier load of housework. Everywhere we turn, the message is this: That no matter how much we work, there’s always more to do.”

— Ann Hui, ‘Millennial women are not okay’ (The Globe & Mail)

“Had a bath. Still stressed. You’ve had the work day from hell. Meetings about meetings, enough deadlines to make your heart race and your chest tighten until it felt like you might drown at your desk. A friend asks if you want to go out, but you haven’t got the energy to do anything but doomscroll on the sofa (last night you woke up at 2.55am again panicking about the bills you haven’t paid, the birthday you forgot and that weirdly ominous thing your boss said yesterday…”

— Meena Alexander, ‘Stop telling us to take a bloody bath!’ (Stylist)

“All human beings who work and have loved ones who need care feel the tug of dividing their time between work and family. Women feel it most intensely because society expects them to be caregivers — and castigates them when they are not.”

— Anne-Marie Slaughter, “‘Having it all’ was always a poor measure of success” (FT)

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About the author

Adele Barlow writes about women, work, and redefining success as ‘having enough’ rather than ‘having it all.’ Her global upbringing, combined with almost two decades in the startup world, lends a unique perspective to her insights on career reinvention, technology’s impact, and balancing professional fulfillment with personal well-being. As the founder of a successful content studio and co-creator of the UK's Women in Software Power List, she brings real-world entrepreneurial wisdom to her writing.