I was on my Sunday run—my bright pink running shoes kicking up dust along the Elmhurst Prairie Path—when I tuned into my favorite weekend podcast, The Interview from the NYTimes.
Unexpectedly, I began to feel my mind bending a little as I listened to Rutger Bregman, the guest. Something he said reminded me of Kourtney, a young woman I’d recently met.
Bregman, bestselling author and founder of the School for Moral Ambition, believes many of us—especially the privileged and talented—are chasing success in ways that may feel empty. He asks: What if we redefined ambition? What if we saw it not as personal gain, but as a moral duty—to do the most good with the gifts we’ve been given?
His words about “moral duty” brought me back to my time with Kourtney during a session at Dress for Success (DFS) in Chicago, where I volunteer as a career coach.
Kourtney is 19 years old, a student at Fisk University, and works as an RA on campus. She was at DFS preparing for a summer internship in New York with the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
As part of a personal branding exercise, I asked her, “If you had to choose three words to describe yourself, what would you say?”
She didn’t hesitate:
Devoted—“I care a lot about others,” she said.
Dedicated—“I’m good at seeing things through.”
Good at talking to people—and she is.
When I asked where her deep care for others came from, she said:
“My mom has always inspired me to stand up to injustice. I used to see it right outside my door or at school and I would feel outraged. I actually joined the debate team in junior high as an outlet for my anger—so I could organize my thoughts and make a case for what matters.”
She also told me about Miranda, a shy student she met during a Fisk event last summer. Kourtney had sensed something in her and said, “If you ever need anything when school starts, I’m here.”
Weeks into the school year, Miranda had to switch dorms due to roommate issues—and she remembered Kourtney. Kourtney stepped up, helped her navigate the change, and the two became close friends.
That small gesture? That’s moral ambition in action.
Funny enough, I recognized the name of Kourtney’s internship firm, which is ironic because I know like two law firms by name. But Cravath is where Julie Sweet, now the CEO of Accenture, spent the first decade of her career. I talk about Julie Sweet in my courageous communication trainings for women navigating male-dominated industries.
Years ago, during a corporate training on unconscious bias at Cravath, Sweet was one of just two women in a room of 30. When the facilitator asked if anyone had ever experienced bias, she opened her mouth to speak—and instead, began to sob.
It caught her off guard. She rushed back to her office, shut the door. But then a colleague came in and said, “The men sent me to check on you.”
Julie was embarrassed at first. But what she realized in that moment is what many women understand deeply: we often endure what we shouldn’t have to. And we accept it because we think we have no choice.
But Julie made it her mission to change that. And she did.
At Accenture, she led the charge for transparency around gender and diversity metrics. “What gets measured gets done,” she explained. Because trust and accountability matter.
Moral ambition isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s in the quiet choice to stand up, speak out, or take action—especially when no one’s asking you to.
Kourtney reminded me of that. Julie Sweet did too.
And Bregman’s parting words still ring in my ears:
“If you’re watching the news right now and you’re not terrified for yourself—because you have some savings or a nice job—then you are the person who needs to stand up.”
It’s a reminder that privilege isn’t something to feel guilty about. It’s a resource. And it’s up to us to use it well.
You don’t l have to start a nonprofit, lead a Fortune 500 company, or join the debate team in middle school. But you can ask:
What am I doing with what I have—and what more is possible from here?
Whether you’re 19 or 89 or somewhere in between, moral ambition isn’t just a challenge—it’s a way of living with purpose.
So let me ask you: What’s one small way you’re already putting your values into action—or hoping to this week?
It’s a question I’m asking myself, too.
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