Why Does the World Hate Ambitious Women?

Why Does the World Hate Ambitious Women?

From Under the Influence with Jo Piazza by Jo Piazza

May 12, 2026 · 41 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the societal challenges faced by ambitious women and features a conversation with Stephanie O'Connell about her book, The Ambition Penalty.

There's a very specific kind of rage that comes from realizing that the rules were rigged against you the entire time. As women, we were told that we could have ambition, careers, power, money, independence, all of the things, that we could have it all, but only if we managed to pursue all of it while we also remained endlessly agreeable, attractive, maternal, selfless, accommodating, emotionally available, and completely non-threatening to men. Even if we checked all the boxes, we still weren't gonna get all the things. Today we're chatting about the new book, The Ambition Penalty, with Stephanie O'Connell. Buckle up, this one is a wild ride. Order The Ambition Penalty here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER The Parisian Heist here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Jo Piazza

Guest: Stephanie O'Connell

Topics covered

  • ambition
  • women's rights
  • gender inequality
  • career challenges
  • societal expectations

Keywords

  • ambitious women
  • gender roles
  • career
  • society
  • The Ambition Penalty

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Ambition Penalty, The Parisian Heist

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