What happens when you’ve achieved everything you thought would make you successful, but it still isn’t enough? This is a question many high performers confront, often after years of relentless pursuit of external trophies, titles, and accolades. Dr. Angela Carrick, a former professional tennis player, lawyer, and now entrepreneur, understands this struggle intimately. She shares her powerful journey of redefining victory and cultivating an inner sense of happiness, a path that led her to build the innovative Active Giving app and become a coach for founders and leaders navigating similar transitions.

From Trophy Chasing to Purpose-Driven Movement

Dr. Carrick’s early life was geared towards winning. She was raised to pursue trophies, goals, and titles, becoming exceptionally good at it. Yet, this path, fueled by adrenaline-driven execution, ultimately left her feeling unfulfilled. She realized that relying solely on external achievements meant having nothing if those were taken away.

Today, Dr. Carrick applies her insights through her work with high performers, helping them answer a crucial question: “How do you win if you lose the trophy?” Her current endeavor, the Active Giving app, perfectly encapsulates this philosophy. Active Giving translates physical movement—running, swimming, biking—into environmental impact, planting trees or removing plastic from rivers. This platform embodies her belief that living a healthy life naturally leads to building a healthy environment, inspiring users to move more and become more aware of their interconnected impact on the world.

A Life of Reinvention: Athlete, Scholar, Entrepreneur

Dr. Carrick’s journey of reinvention began at a young age. After winning multiple Romanian championships, she and her father managed to leave Eastern Europe when she was 16 with just a single bag to pursue a professional tennis career. She played for eight years on the WTA tour and in the German Bundesliga. However, she eventually felt the career was no longer right, realizing it was difficult to leave the identity of “just a tennis player” behind, a label she felt was often undervalued.

The transition was challenging, posing the classic question of “what’s next?” She decided to study law, influenced by seeing many successful people in various fields had a legal background. This choice gave her a bridge, allowing her time to decide, providing a solid education, and filling cultural and educational gaps. She pursued her studies with grit, learning German legal language, completing a PhD, and later adapting to working in English for a big law firm amidst the 2008 financial crisis, often working grueling hours.

Turning the Tide at 50: Embracing Liberation and Self-Worth

Despite her formidable achievements in law, Dr. Carrick faced a profound period of discontent. Around age 50, she found herself at rock bottom, having achieved everything she thought she wanted, yet feeling unhappy, with her body struggling, and a pervasive sense of meaninglessness. This low point, however, became a powerful turning point. Inspired by a coach who aimed to get "fitter every year, no matter the age," she committed to a radical shift.

She started with one hour of personal training per week, a small step that led to significant physical transformation, including losing 20 kilos. This also sparked a journey into nutrition coaching and a complete reframing of her identity. Dr. Carrick now views menopause as a "biggest ever liberation," a cliff to take gracefully, empowering her to do what she truly wants without caring about others' opinions. She continuously sets new personal goals, like achieving her first unassisted pull-up, maintaining a "life list" of aspirations.

Cultivating an Inner Sense of Victory

Dr. Carrick helps high performers redefine their definition of winning, focusing on sustainable happiness. She observed that her own life, driven by a constant chase for the “next” achievement—more courses, certifications, titles—resulted in temporary happiness, quickly replaced by a new void. She excelled at executing pre-lived goals but struggled to create her own, leading to exhaustion and unhappiness.

The problem with execution is you run on adrenaline and if somebody takes it away then you have nothing.

A pivotal moment came during COVID-19, which forced her to stop. In that quiet space, she declared, “It’s enough.” This declaration wasn't just words; it was a commitment to living content with what she had, a profound shift from constant striving. Her coaching emphasizes building an inner layer of winning—a safety net that catches you if external trophies are lost.

From To-Do Lists to Win Lists

One practical mindset shift Dr. Carrick advocates is transforming a traditional to-do list into a “win list.” To-do lists often create a feeling of inadequacy and endless pursuit, fostering comparison with others. A win list, however, focuses on accomplishments—not just big achievements, but also smaller personal victories, like overcoming procrastination or managing emotional responses. This shift refocuses attention on personal progress, diminishes comparison, and builds self-worth.

How do you know whether you are on the right path? You know it when the path disappears.

The Essential Role of Space and Creativity

Dr. Carrick highlights the critical distinction between execution and creativity. Execution relies on the "mammal brain" (autopilot), while creativity engages the "new brain" (pilot). They cannot operate simultaneously. Constant execution, fueled by adrenaline, prevents mental expansion and creative thought, leading to burnout and a sense of disconnect. She recalls a time she couldn't even articulate a simple story about herself for a marketing campaign because she was so entrenched in execution mode.

To foster this crucial creative capacity, the first step is to create space. This might seem counter-intuitive to high performers, but it’s essential for internal regrouping and clarity. Space allows you to "switch on" the creative part of your brain, enabling you to find unique solutions and your own path forward. This space can be created in several ways:

• By taking dedicated time for pause and reflection.
• By finding geographical distance from your usual environment.
• By decluttering your life—from physical possessions to relationships and even excess body weight—to remove anything that is suffocating your growth.

By actively making space, individuals can reduce internal "inflammation," allowing them to breathe, think clearly, and access the intuitive insights necessary for genuine personal and career transformation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Redefining Success

How can high performers find happiness beyond external achievements?

High performers can find happiness by cultivating an inner sense of victory, focusing on personal growth, and creating a supportive inner layer of self-worth that exists independently of external validation or trophies.

What is the "Active Giving" app and how does it work?

Active Giving is a platform that translates physical movement, such as running, swimming, or biking, into environmental impact by planting trees or removing plastic from rivers, connecting personal health with planetary well-being.

How did Dr. Angela Carrick transition from a professional athlete to a lawyer and entrepreneur?

Dr. Carrick transitioned from professional tennis by pursuing a law degree to gain time, education, and choice, later leaving her law firm to build a startup focused on well-being and eventually leading the Active Giving app, combining her athletic background with purpose-driven business.

Why is it important to turn a "to-do list" into a "win list"?

Converting a to-do list into a win list shifts focus from perceived deficiencies and constant comparison to acknowledging and celebrating daily accomplishments, fostering self-worth and eliminating the feeling of always falling short.

How does creating "space" help in personal growth and career transitions?

Creating space, through dedicated time, geographical distance, or decluttering your life, allows the creative part of the brain to activate, enabling individuals to pause, reflect, and discover unique solutions for personal growth and navigating career changes.

Your Path to Winning Inside

Dr. Angela Carrick’s remarkable journey offers a powerful blueprint for anyone seeking more than just external achievement. By embracing inner victories, reframing challenges, and purposefully creating space for creativity, it’s possible to redefine success on your own terms. For more inspiring conversations and strategies to transform your life and career, be sure to tune into the Starter Girlz Podcast.