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As the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and before that, as the presidentially-appointed CFO of the U.S. Air Force, I was entrusted with the financial integrity of two of the most consequential institutions in the world. Both roles taught me the same lesson: in government service, caring for the people makes missions successful.
Jackie Lyons was my strategic advisor through several of the most complex system implementations of my career, advised me on how to take care of my people, and helped me plan my own encore after retiring from government service. In Beyond Ambition, she carries that same people-focused mission discipline into an entirely new arena: adding capability, building community, and helping others do the same. The mission does not end when the role does. Jackie guided me through my next chapter. This book will guide you through yours.
Honorable Ricardo Aguilera - Former Chief Financial Officer, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
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For those whose ambition and achievement led them to superior levels of success and now ask what’s next, this book is highly recommended for its authenticity and wisdom. Ms. Lyon’s personal journey of achievement and growth as an executive who traversed the valleys to reach multiple summits will challenge you to deeply reflect on your own journey.
Johnna Torsone, Former EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, Pitney Bowes, and Former Partner, Parker Chapin Flattau & Klimpl (now Troutman Pepper Locke)
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I know Jackie Lyons through both professional and social circles, with both of us now part of the smaller circle of people who've written a book. I wrote my first book, Joy and Success at Work, because I believed success without joy isn't real success at all. Beyond Ambition brings a similar balance of theory and practice to this topic. It's not written by someone theorizing about life after achievement. It's written by someone practicing it in real time, still adding capabilities, still finding the next mountain, still showing up for the community she serves. She isn't describing a philosophy. She is living it, one mountain at a time.
Mark McClain, CEO and Founder, SailPoint
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Beyond Ambition Foreword
Most of us spend our careers believing the next peak is the one that will finally satisfy us. We chase the promotion, the larger challenge, and the next milestone, convinced that one more achievement will complete the journey. But success rarely reveals a final summit. It reveals an entire mountain range ahead. The question eventually changes from How do I climb higher? to How do I continue to grow?
For the past five years, I have had the privilege of knowing Jackie Lyons, and that question has shaped many of our conversations. As a CFO and former Microsoft executive, I have worked with exceptional advisors throughout my career, but Jackie brings a rare combination of experience, curiosity, and foresight. She has a unique ability to see around corners, challenge assumptions, and help leaders prepare for what is coming rather than simply react to what has already arrived.
This showed up firsthand during our discussions around artificial intelligence. Like many organizations, we were exploring how AI could create value while separating meaningful opportunity from the noise. Jackie did not approach the conversation with a set of predetermined answers. She became a thought partner, helping us think more deeply about how technology would change leadership, decision-making, and the capabilities our people would need to build. She consistently brought focus to a key question, one she calls Adjacent Growth: What capabilities are we developing today that will make everything we know more valuable tomorrow?
Jackie approaches life and leadership the same way she approached that question. She is endlessly curious, widely traveled, and committed to continuous growth. She understands that the valleys between life's peaks are not setbacks; they are where we gain the experiences, relationships, and capabilities that prepare us for the mountains ahead.
This is the heart of Beyond Ambition. It is not a book about leaving success behind. It is about recognizing that achievement is only one chapter in a much larger journey. Jackie challenges us to expand our definition of success, continue developing our capabilities, and intentionally design what comes next.
Readers will finish this book with a new perspective, not just on success, but on the possibilities that remain after success has been achieved.
Taylor Hawes
Chief Financial Officer, PDS Health and Former Microsoft Executive
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Jackie Lyons and I first worked together for a mutual client on complex accounting matters, and we’ve stayed connected ever since. That’s the real story here: long after the engagement ended, we kept collaborating and showing up for each other. The kind of enduring professional relationship Beyond Ambition mentions that people rarely see but deeply values.
After retiring from Deloitte, I opened Town Square NW Austin, an adult day enrichment center built around a 1950s theme, designed to provide seniors with a safe place to have engaging activities and build meaningful relationships. It was inspired by my father and everything I wished had existed for him. Jackie supported me through the opening and the launch, showing up when it counted. I also stepped into board roles after retiring from the partnership. She has been part of that journey too, not as a colleague from my old life, but as a friend in this one.
Success happens on the peaks. Real growth happens in the valleys. Friendships that survive the transition are the ones that carry you through it. Which is why it feels so fitting to be with Jackie now, as she launches Beyond Ambition into the world.
Emily Rollins – Former Deloitte Partner
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Salespeople live by one measure: results. Early in my career, fueled by ambition and focused on the next win, I found something rare in Jackie Lyons: a mentor who truly invested in me. She gave me her time, challenged me to become the best version of myself, and always welcomed my perspective
in return.
Beyond Ambition isn't a run-of-the-mill leadership book. Most are written by authors twenty years further up the mountain, describing their view from the peak. This book meets readers where they are, teaching us to appreciate the valleys where real growth occurs. It also gave me a name for what Jackie
has modeled since the day we met: Adjacent Growth, serving as the practice of continually expanding your capabilities, one step at a time.
A decade into my career, this book is a powerful reminder to keep looking for the next summit, while knowing that every peak doesn't need to be higher than the last.
Mallory Anne Sheehan - Fortune 150 Account Director and Former Gartner Account Executive
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