When Success Stops Feeling Like You: My Conversation on the Sharon Fitzmorris Podcast
Why are so many accomplished women feeling burnt out, disconnected, and exhausted, even when they're "doing everything right"? I recently had the honor of joining Sharon Fitzmorris on her podcast to discuss what happens when workplace culture collides with our authentic selves, and more importantly, what we can do about it.
The Hidden Cost of "Having It All"
There's a moment many women recognise but rarely talk about openly. It’s when you've checked all the boxes, climbed the corporate ladder, secured the impressive title and salary. And yet you find yourself lying awake at 2 a.m. wondering, "Is this really it?"
In my recent conversation with Sharon Fitzmorris on her podcast where she celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, we explored this paradox of modern professional life. What emerged was a candid discussion about the systems that shape us, the conditioning that keeps us stuck, and the pathway toward reclaiming our energy and authentic leadership.
From Excited Beginnings to Burnout: How It Happens
During our conversation, I shared how we enter the workforce with such enthusiasm, excited about our independence, our paychecks, and the possibilities ahead. But gradually, something shifts. We begin adapting ourselves to fit organisational molds, switching off parts of who we really are in exchange for approval, promotion, likeability as well as survival.
"We begin gradually to switch off who we really are and start becoming more of what the organisation wants us to be," I explained to Sharon. The workplace, I noted, was historically designed for a different demographic - one that didn't account for the cyclical nature of women's lives, including motherhood, menopause, and the less visible transitions we navigate.
The Double Shift Reality
One of the interesting parts in our conversation came when Sharon and I discussed the reality many working mothers face: the "job before the job" and the "job after the job." I shared how this exhaustion becomes normalised, where we're expected to simply "slot back in" after major life transitions like motherhood, and where the mental load of managing a household often goes unseen and unvalued.
The pressure compounds when we're told (or tell ourselves) that we "should" be grateful for flexible working arrangements, even when the fundamental structure remains misaligned with how we actually operate as human beings.
What Burnout Is Really Telling Us
In my work with clients, I've identified something that often gets missed in conversations about burnout: it's not always about working too many hours. Sometimes burnout stems from values misalignment, giving your energy every day to an organisation or work that fundamentally opposes what you believe in.
"If you're giving your energy to this entity every single day and it is doing work and doing things that you are completely opposed to, that affects your soul," I shared with Sharon. This soul-level disconnection is one cause of burnout that's rarely discussed but it's really impactful when it's named and uncovered.
The Myth of the Weekend Save
Many high-achieving women find themselves in what I call a "cycle of endurance", using weekends and holidays not for joy or exploration, but simply to gather enough energy to survive another week. It's a pattern I see frequently in my coaching practice, and one that points to a deeper issue.
The question I posed to Sharon (and to all the women listening) isl: Are you going on holiday because you genuinely want to explore that place, or because you're at "death's door" and desperately need recovery?
Beyond Individual Solutions: Rethinking Leadership
What I hope came through in my conversation with Sharon is my refusal to place all the responsibility on individual women to "fix" themselves within broken systems. While I work with individuals to help them find clarity, boundaries, and aligned action, I also acknowledge the systemic issues at play.
Sharon and I discussed:
How "leadership" is often narrowly defined in corporate terms
Why care work remains undervalued despite being the backbone of our economy
The importance of embodying different principles of leadership, ones that honour our values and wholeness
How we can create change in the "micro" even when larger systems feel immovable
The Fear That Keeps Us Stuck
When women start considering change, whether that's setting boundaries at their current job, transitioning to new work, or exploring what they truly want, fear naturally arises. "What if this blows up my life?" is a common thought.
My approach is what I call "titrated", taking aligned action at a sustainable pace, not dramatic overnight transformations. As I explained to Sharon, sometimes the work means finding peace with where you are by setting clearer boundaries. Other times it means planning a thoughtful transition to something new.
The Power of 2 a.m. Clarity
Something I shared with Sharon that often surprises people: I notice many potential clients book consultations at 2 a.m., during those sleepless hours when the busy-ness of the day falls away and we're left with what really matters. Rather than dismissing these midnight revelations, I encourage people to pay attention to them.
"When you wake up in that 'I can't sleep' moment, you actually start thinking about the things that really matter," I explained. "Don't tune out those things that pop into your head at that particular time."
What True Support Looks Like
One of the more vulnerable parts of my conversation with Sharon was discussing the vulnerability required to say out loud: "I have needs that aren't being met, and I don't know what to do." For people who've always managed everything perfectly, who juggle multiple responsibilities without dropping a single ball, admitting this feels terrifying.
But as Sharon and I both emphasised, nobody is truly self-made. Behind every success story are supporters, partners doing unseen work, or resources that made the journey possible. Moving from hyper-individualism to recognising our need for support is wisdom.
Listen to the Full Conversation
This blog post only scratches the surface of my rich conversation with Sharon. In the full podcast episode, we dive much deeper into:
Specific strategies for identifying your core values and assessing alignment
How menopause can actually be a gift (yes, really!)
The importance of finding the right mentor or coach for your journey
Why action, even small steps is crucial for moving out of freeze and overwhelm
My own journey to creating work that lights me up
How to move from cycles of endurance to regenerative patterns of work and rest
Listen to the full episode on the Sharon Fitz Morris Podcast to hear our complete conversation about creating sustainable change, reclaiming your energy, and leading from your authentic self.
Sharon creates such a warm, safe space for these conversations, and I'm honored to have been her guest. If you're curious about what's possible when you start honoring who you really are, I think you'll find value in our discussion.
About My Work
I'm a coach and mentor supporting women and organisations who are ready to bring deep, meaningful change into their lives with energy and impact. I work from the inside out, helping clients get clear on who they are beyond titles and achievements, and create aligned paths forward.
My approach isn't about convincing you to love the situation you're in, it's about discovering who you are at your core and what you truly want, then taking sustainable, aligned action toward that vision.
Ready to explore what's possible?
If this conversation resonated with you, if there's a fuzzy feeling in your chest, if you've been lying awake at 2 a.m. knowing something needs to change then I'd love to support you.
