Future Leaders: Anna Wojtowicz Of The AW Creative On How Ambitious Young Adults Are Redefining Success
An Interview With Eden Gold
Success is feeling fulfilled by the day-to-day journey not just when you hit a milestone or make a sale
In a world rapidly changing through technology, societal norms, and global challenges, a new generation of leaders is emerging. Ambitious young adults are not just aiming for traditional markers of success; they are redefining what it means to be successful. Beyond the corporate ladder and financial milestones, they prioritize impact, sustainability, and personal fulfillment. They are entrepreneurs, activists, scientists, and artists who are shaping the future with innovative ideas and actions. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Anna Wojtowicz.
Anna Wojtowicz is a first-generation immigrant, Speaker, Host of The Limitless Podcast and Founder of The AW Creative, a business and mindset advisory. She’s on a mission to help ambitious high-performing women redefine success by stepping into their purpose and peace without sacrificing profits, ultimately finding a balance between ambition and inner peace. Anna has spent a decade in NYC working in the Marketing and Ad Sales department of brands such as Teen Vogue, Vogue, Martha Stewart and The Smithsonian Magazine. She has supported over 100+ female entrepreneurs to start and scale to multi 6 figure brands within her business consulting services. While the success speaks for itself, she’s now helping them with the other 50% of entrepreneurship and that’s living sustainable lives outside of business. After burning out in corporate and then burning out again scaling her business to multi-six figures and accomplishing every milestone by 30 she hit a wall and realized that no amount of success will ever fill the “it’s enough” void because ambition without inner peace feels empty.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about cultural sensitivity, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I’ve spent over a decade in NYC working in ad sales and digital marketing departments of publications like Martha Stewart, The Smithsonian, and Teen Vogue.
When 2020 happened I got laid off and started to look for another job but every time I had a phone interview my heart sank. It was like my intuition was screaming “Don’t do it”. I was physically, mentally, and spiritually drained from burnout in corporate. So I started thinking with all of my knowledge why couldn’t I try going out on my own and consulting? So that’s what I did. I moved home to FL for 1 year because I couldn’t afford NYC rent with no income, with the goal of starting my own consulting agency targeted at helping female entrepreneurs start and scale their brands. Within 11 months I had doubled my yearly corporate salary and was back in NYC in my dream apartment.
However, in 2023 I hit burnout again which is so common for high achievers and entrepreneurs. Not only did business burn me out but I suffered a loss and grief completely took over my life. I had always prided myself on being able to bulldoze through any problem but in grief, I realized that I accomplished every milestone by 30 and yet no amount of success ever filled the “it’s enough” void because ambition without inner peace feels empty. There was nothing driving the success other than wanting to feel success and self-worth.
I made the hard choice to go on a sabbatical from my business for 1 year. After a year of a deep healing journey to heal my addiction to success and the need to achieve, I realized that adding in inner work didn’t take away my ambitious identity or strategy, it simply removed the pressure and expectations that were sabotaging my authentic core beliefs and desires from amplifying my success & lifestyle.
The experience has had such a profound impact on me that’s become my mission in life. I now work to help ambitious women redefine success by stepping into their purpose and peace without sacrificing profits by infusing strategy with a practical mindset and spirituality tools for holistic success.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
This might sound silly but I never believed burnout would happen to me. I was a firm believer that emotions were obstacles to success and whatever you were feeling had to be put aside in business. It’s kind of like one of those things you hear people talk about and you think “oh that will never happen to me, I’m driven, ambitious, and strong, I can bulldoze through anything”. Because in my mind when you’re ambitious and especially an entrepreneur you have no choice but to suck it up and keep moving.
So when I experienced grief I remember saying “I won’t let this affect my business” but it did because I’m human. The paralysis I experienced in grief led me to take off my rose colored glasses and see what I was avoiding and that was lack of purpose, joy, and fulfillment outside of dopamine driven accomplishments. I realized I had lost my identity and my self worth was directly tied to my business, when you’re a high achiever that sets you into an existential crisis because your entire belief system crashes down. You’ve accomplished all the things that were supposed to make you happy and you’re still not happy, where does one go from there?
You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Resilience: No one is going to give you a participation trophy for showing up every day in business or career, you have to be your own cheerleader, especially through really low challenging times. Your ability to navigate the highs and lows and have faith that you’re on the right path even when there’s no proof, it truly takes a next-level commitment to being resilient.
- Spirituality: It has become one of the most important things to me professionally and personally. I now have such a deep connection to my higher self through my intuition that I’m able to tap into any time I feel lost or confused when I don’t know my next step. I also feel connected with the universe and finally understand what it means to be a co-creator, surrendering to the fact that I don’t have to do this alone. That amount of faith has been a game changer in operating from a place of intuitive action vs reactive scarce action.
- Courage: Most people would say being innovative is a key character trait of a successful business owner but I would argue that you need courage first to be innovative. Having the courage to go against the norm like The AW Creative does with challenging the stigma that emotions are not weaknesses but drivers of success.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about how ambitious young adults are redefining success. How would you define success?
Our mission at The AW Creative transcends traditional success metrics such as revenue growth year over year, focusing instead on sustainable growth that’s deeply satisfying while breaking up with the dopamine-driven cycle of “never enough” that leads entrepreneurs to burn out. We believe you shouldn’t just be successful, you should feel like it too. It’s why our mission centers around helping ambitious driven entrepreneurs & career driven women, learn how to approach scaling profits without losing their purpose & peace.
How do you incorporate social responsibility and sustainability into your definition of success?
Our core mission of redefining success to balance ambition with inner peace centers around not just sustainable success but sustainable peace and fulfillment. A lot of high achievers say “I’ll be happy when I hit x revenue”, “I’ll slow down when I accomplish X ‘’ these types of situations are dangerous because it keeps you living in the future without ever experiencing the present, meaning you’re always chasing the goal without ever enjoying the process.. The AW Creative’s core belief is that there’s a balance between success and inner peace, both can exist at the same time and that starts by not only being strategic and innovative but by shed success pressure, overcome self-sabotage, and integrating self-trust into strategy for holistic success.
Can you describe a moment or decision that significantly redirected your path toward leadership?
Going on a 1 year sabbatical from my business was an incredibly hard decision I never thought I would have to make. But to be honest I was at such a rock bottom with my grief that I couldn’t go on pretending things were status quo. The reason I was so against it at first was because it felt like a failure and embarrassing. Like I said previously, when you’re a high achiever and your core belief centers around being successful and powerful, having to admit “defeat” is embarrassing. But now I view it as the most powerful and courageous thing I could’ve done for the sustainability of my business and my personal happiness. For the longest time I feared losing momentum and slowing down, now I fully understand that that is the only way to create space for ideas and intuitive decisions.
What role do mentorship and community play in shaping your approach to leadership and success?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support and mentorship I’ve had from other women in the industry. Surrounding yourself around people who not only show you what’s possible and open doors for you but encourage you to find your own path and style. That’s the type of mentorship style I have always led with as well.
At The AW Creative community is a big part of shedding the stigma that business has to be masculine, the way to change is through conversations and letting people see that they’re not alone. It’s why I created The Balanced Membership.It creates a safe space for high performance women to learn practical mindset tools for tangible results from like minded women. I say safe space because when I was healing my relationship with success the only people I found talking about mindset work were so far woo woo from me that I didn’t feel comfortable joining any community because no one resembled me. I never saw anyone with my ambition or drive talk about how to work through redefining success.
In what ways do you think your generation’s view of success differs from previous generations?
We’re Purpose & Impact-Driven vs. Stability & Safety-Driven:
Previous Generations: The pursuit of stability often dictated career and life choices, with success defined by job security, long-term employment, and predictable paths.
My Generation: Given the world and the economy today we understand that long term employment and predictable paths no longer exist. So we lean towards purpose-driven endeavors, seeking work and opportunities that align with personal values and passions. To us success involves making an impact, pursuing passions, and contributing to causes larger than oneself, even if it means navigating less stable or predictable paths.
We Prioritize Well Being & Healing Generational Traumas Over Hustling:
Previous Generations: Often, there was a tendency to focus on survival and maintaining the status quo. Emotions and feelings were looked down on and never processed. The mentality was work hard and suck it up if you have to in the pursuit of success.
My Generation: Recognizes the profound impact of healing generational trauma on achieving true success and well-being. We not only want to be successful but we want to be genuinely happy with healthy habits. We want to enjoy every area of our life.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways Ambitious Young Adults Are Redefining Success?”
1 . Success is leading with purpose and peace without thinking you have to sacrifice profits to have all three:
Success today is increasingly about integrating what we do with why we do it. It’s a misconception that purpose and profit can’t coexist. The new generation of entrepreneurs is proving that businesses can thrive by solving real-world problems, contributing positively to society, and still being financially successful. This holistic approach to business shows that leading with purpose and maintaining inner peace are not just idealistic dreams but practical realities
2 . Success is feeling fulfilled by the day-to-day journey not just when you hit a milestone or make a sale:
We’re moving away from the idea that success is only about big wins or financial milestones. Instead, there’s a growing appreciation for the day-to-day journey and the small victories along the way. This shift recognizes that fulfillment comes from the process itself — the challenges we overcome, the creativity we express, and the growth we experience daily
3 . Success is knowing it’s always enough and you’re excited for more, you’re no longer on the dopamine cycle:
The traditional success narrative often leaves us chasing an endless cycle of ‘more’ — more money, more recognition, more everything. However, redefining success means recognizing the value of what we’ve already achieved and understanding that it’s enough. It’s about breaking free from the dopamine-driven cycle of constant craving and finding contentment in our current state while still being open to future opportunities
4 . Success is growing and scaling on your own terms without feeling pressure from everyone else:
Today’s ambitious individuals are asserting their right to grow and scale their endeavors on their own terms, without succumbing to external pressures. This means setting personal benchmarks for success and following a path that aligns with their values and vision. It’s a rejection of the one-size-fits-all success model in favor of a more personalized and authentic approach
5 . Success is balancing ambition with inner peace:
Perhaps the most significant shift in how success is defined is the emphasis on balancing ambition with inner peace. The new narrative around success acknowledges that ambition doesn’t have to lead to burnout. By prioritizing well-being, setting healthy boundaries, and pursuing goals that resonate with our deepest values, we can achieve our ambitions while maintaining a sense of peace and fulfillment.
How do you navigate the challenges of innovation and change while staying true to your values and vision for success?
Innovation starts by having courage in your conviction to change. Having a clear understanding of your core values and vision, using them alongside your intuition to act as a compass to guide decisions amidst change. This is ultimately the secret to success, having unshakable trust in yourself, your purpose, and your values as not just a business owner but a human.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
It would be the movement I’ve already started, shedding the stigma that being a human in business is weak. There’s power in softness and strategy. The more people we can get on board to lead with a more balanced approach to ambition and inner peace the more fulfilled our workplaces and personal lives will be.
How can our readers further follow you online?
https://theawcreative.com/the-limitless-podcast/
https://www.tiktok.com/@theawcreative
https://www.instagram.com/theawcreative/
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold
Future Leaders: Anna Wojtowicz Of The AW Creative On How Ambitious Young Adults Are Redefining… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.