“I'm frustrated. At a meeting last week, my HR told me I was too ambitious. What does that mean?”   Maï-Linh enters our coaching session as if entering a room in the midst of a storm: her shoulders tense, her voice tight, her anger ready to explode...

Since returning from maternity leave six months earlier, she had sensed a subtle shift. Her projects were progressing, her results were good, her ideas were solid. Yet something was holding her back... It was as if, since becoming a mother, she had been pigeonholed as a “reasonable,” “stable,” and “less available” woman. This “excessive ambition” suddenly put into words the unease she had been feeling.

Women's careers in question

I ask her, "How exactly did you feel when your HR said that to you ?”   She takes a long breath and says, “I felt like I was being told to calm down. To fall into line. As if becoming a mother had taken away my right to want more.”   Behind her anger, there is also some fear: “What if my career ends here?” “What if people think I can't handle it anymore?”... Maï-Linh doesn't doubt herself. She doubts the way others see her. So I bring her back to basics: “What do you really want? Not what is expected of you or what others project onto you. But what you want.”   For the first time, her face lights up.

Taking back the reins session after session

In the weeks that follow, our work takes the shape of a journey. First, she redefines her ambition. Not the one that others attribute to her or criticize her for, but her own: the one that has always driven her and given her momentum. Rediscovering this inner compass is an essential first step.

At the same time, we explore the subtle signs surrounding this famous shift. Nothing is set in stone: there are biases, unspoken assumptions and zones of influence to uncover. Little by little, she reaffirms her plans and reasserts her goals. One day, she says to me with newfound clarity: “I get it now. It's not my ambition that bothers people. It's the idea that a woman shouldn't have too much of it.”   This sentence marks a turning point.

Having a role model and growing in confidence

A few weeks after our last coaching session, Maï-Linh attended a networking event. There she met a brilliant, assertive, inspiring female executive. They hit it off immediately, striking up a deep, obvious connection. This woman recognized in Maï-Linh someone who was moving forward, who dared to take risks and who had potential. Maï-Linh sent me a message saying, “I think I've found my mentor.”  Today, this young woman is moving forward with confidence. She has regained control of her career path, has asserted her value, and above all, she has stopped apologizing for being ambitious.

What I experienced with Maï-Linh is something I often see. Returning from maternity leave is a delicate and sometimes unjust moment in women's careers. But it can become a moment of renewal. Coaching does not provide ready-made solutions: It offers a space to regain focus, build confidence and reposition oneself.

Are you going through a period of doubt, a setback, or do you simply wish to take stock of your ambitions? May be now is the right time to talk about it and explore what could get you moving forward again.