Burnout Isn’t a Breakdown It’s a Wake-Up Call
For years, I believed I could outrun burnout.
If I just pushed harder, achieved more, or stayed “busy” enough, the exhaustion would disappear.
But here’s what no one tells you: burnout doesn’t retreat when you speed up it deepens.
It’s not just physical fatigue. It’s emotional depletion. Mental fog. Soul-level unrest.
It’s your inner voice whispering:
This version of your life no longer fits.
The Mask of Achievement
From the outside, everything looked like success.
I had built a seven-figure business.
I was high-functioning. Productive. Praised for how much I could handle.
But inside?
I was running on fumes.
I kept asking myself:
If I’ve done all the “right” things, why does it feel so wrong?
Here’s what I now know:
Burnout doesn’t care how high you climb.
It cares how far you’ve drifted from what matters.
The Turning Point: A Conversation That Hit Home
During a conversation with Dr. Tuby Akinlosotu, a powerful business strategist and resilience coach, I had a moment of complete clarity.
We were talking about burnout, performance pressure, and why so many driven women hit a wall and stay stuck there.
She said something that shook me:
“Burnout is what happens when you're operating from survival instead of strategy.”
That landed hard.
Because that’s exactly what I’d been doing.
Surviving.
Performing.
Pretending.
Pushing.
I wasn’t building from alignment, I was building from pressure.
Then she added:
“If you want to move from burnout to brilliance, stop relying on willpower and start relying on resourcefulness.”
It was a lightbulb moment.
I realized I’d been white-knuckling my way through a life I had outgrown.
And what I truly needed was not more grit but more grace.
More time to think.
Space to reconnect.
And a mindset shift from pushing through… to rising up.
Reinvention Starts When You Stop Hiding
When I walked away from my business at 50, it wasn’t a breakdown, it was a breakthrough.
I didn’t leave because I failed.
I left because I outgrew what no longer aligned.
It takes courage to walk away from something that still “works” especially when it looks successful from the outside.
But if your success is draining you, it’s not really success.
You can’t build a life that lights you up if you’re burning out behind the scenes.
Burnout Needs Compassion Not Guilt
So many women I work with feel like they’ve done something wrong.
They’ve built success but feel empty.
They’ve pushed through but feel disconnected.
They’re tired, but they’re still pushing.
I never tell them to “hustle harder.”
Because more hustle is not the solution.
Clarity is.
Courage is.
Resourcefulness is.
True resilience doesn’t mean you power through.
It means you pause.
You reset.
You find a better way forward, one that serves you.
And that’s what resourcefulness gives you:
A way to ask better questions.
- Who can support me?
- What can I let go of?
- What small shift can I make today?
Burnout is real.
But so is your ability to change the game.
This Is Your Permission Slip
If you’re waking up tired, disconnected, or wondering if this is all there is…
You’re not failing.
You’re waking up.
Burnout isn’t the end.
It’s the call to realign.
It’s the moment you stop performing and start living with intention.
So if you’re in the messy middle right now questioning, pausing, breaking down know this:
You’re not starting from scratch.
You’re starting from experience.
And with resilience and resourcefulness, you’ll rise.
Because you always have.
And now, it’s time to do it your way.
