Whenever I work with Executive women, I ask them to identify a big threat to their career. Often they will list things like having a terrible manager, getting a bad performance review, or a period of time spent out of the job market, which reflects poorly during job interviews. While these things can be very challenging, they're not existential threats.
The single greatest threat to your career is burnout (the kind that involves a serious physical, mental, and emotional breakdown). Somewhere inside yourself you already know this, but you may have thought you could avoid it if you downplay the risk, or just ignore it. You may have thought that burnout is what happens to people who don’t know how to organize their time or prioritize their tasks. Yet burnout is shockingly common among high-level Executive women, many of whom are as well-organized, intelligent, and thoughtful as you are. In fact, a 2025 McKinsey report showed that an unprecedented 60% of women in Senior positions have experienced burnout (BTW, this number is roughly reflected in the pool of clients I’ve worked with over the past five years).
But I also have some clients who have managed to avoid burnout, and achieved a genuine work/life balance that feels right to them.
Here are 5 ways Executive women can avoid burnout, and adjust for work/life balance:
Embrace equanimity at work. Don’t let yourself get drawn into complex office politics or ego dramas, and don’t get too excited by successes or angry at failures. Too much time on the emotional roller coaster can have a seriously negative effect on your emotional and physical health. Adopt the Buddhist ideal of, “Praise or blame, it’s all the same!” This may sound easier said than done, but studies show you can develop this skill over time. Remember your overall career mandate: to build trust with others using your high-level competence. Stay calm in the face of chaos, and lead with excellence in all your tasks. Leave it all behind once the work day is done, and release any lingering tension. Take a quick walk before you walk in your front door, draw some deep breaths, and let it all go.
Don’t over-schedule. You may think over-scheduling is the key to success, but a packed calendar is the easiest way to hide from your life. If you’re always ultra-busy, you don’t have time to connect to your own needs and wants, or face up to situations that might not be working the way you want them to. Refusing to over-schedule is particularly important for mothers, who are often doing a double-shift of work + childcare every single day. Look at your monthly calendar and take out one after-school activity, and one weekend activity. Use that time to do some self-inquiry about what is working and/or missing from the bigger picture. Trust that everyone will adjust to a slower pace, and show them how to be in the present moment whenever you can.
Get comfortable with failure. I’ve coached plenty of Executive women whose anxiety about failure is sabotaging their best work. The anxiety ramps up their blood pressure and puts them in a constant state of emotional dysregulation, pushing them right to the edge of burnout. The fact of your career is that, on a day-to-day basis, sometimes you will succeed, and sometimes you will fail. But what matters is how you pivot from failure, what lessons you learn and how you turn those into your next great success. So keep calm and remind yourself that learning valuable lessons is what matters. If you’ve identified an area of consistent weakness, consider getting some coaching to help you level-up those skills.
Embrace new health metrics. I’m not talking about strapping on the latest Apple watch or Oura ring, unless you find those things helpful. In any case, wearables only tell part of the story. Your heart rate, blood pressure, sleep and weight are all useful to know, but you are a unique individual with specific needs that go beyond standard health metrics. Maybe you don’t feel like yourself unless you’re able to go for a 5-mile hike every weekend. Maybe you can’t make sense of the world unless you escape it sometimes by reading fiction. Maybe cooking with your family or crafting with friends has a magical effect on your mood. Things like that can help you get more nourishment out of your life, so make some room in your schedule and keep track of their effects. The more benefit you receive, the more you'll make time for those things, and vice versa.
Accept that there are some things you can’t control. This one is hard for ambitious, career-driven Executive women, who are resolutely independent and agentic in their approach to work and life. But constantly stressing over things that fall outside of your control can cause chronic, debilitating health issues that are hard to manage. Recognize that your time and energy are valuable resources, and direct them toward areas where you can make valuable contributions. Learn to be clear, concise and compelling in your communication, so you can bring others along with you.
Clear, concise and compelling communication is one of the skills I work on with clients every single day. Contact me for details about my individual Executive Power Voice coaching packages and group trainings.