What Finally Helped Me Break the Burnout Cycle
The Breakdown Behind the Breakthrough
I’ve always been the one who could “gut it out.”
Give me a challenge, a difficult team dynamic, an impossible deadline, and I’d handle it—usually by working harder, longer, faster. In my early days as a manager, I had a direct report who was headstrong and consistently underperforming. Week after week, I gave the benefit of the doubt. I rewrote their reports. I redid their presentations. Quietly, in the evenings. Frustratedly, on weekends. Hunched over my laptop when I should’ve been enjoying dinner with friends or taking a walk with family.
And I told myself I was strong for doing it. Resilient. A team player. A high-achiever.
Until I wasn’t.
At some point, the cycle I’d relied on for so long—grind through it, tough it out, prove my worth—stopped working. I was burned out. Everything felt hard. I wasn’t just resenting my work—I was resenting my career. The very career I had worked so carefully to build.
Seeing the Cycle Clearly—for the First Time
I first encountered the Immunity to Change framework while studying leadership at Harvard. I was lucky enough to be both coached through the framework and trained to use it with others.
At the time, I didn’t realize how deeply it would shape the way I understand personal transformation. But in that season of burnout, it became more than theory. It became a mirror.
The framework helped me articulate, for the first time, what had been happening beneath the surface for years. Why I kept pushing through impossible workloads. Why I avoided setting boundaries. Why I felt like I couldn’t let anything drop—even when I was exhausted.
It turned out, my exhaustion wasn’t just a time management issue. It was a kind of internal immune system—a set of beliefs—that were protecting me from what I unconsciously feared might happen if I didn’t keep overdelivering.
These beliefs weren’t irrational—they had worked for me. Until they didn’t. And once I could see that pattern clearly, I could start shifting it—with intention.
How I Rewired My Crisis Loop
With the help of my coach and this framework, I started doing what had once felt impossible:
Letting go of over-responsibility
Saying no—without apology
Delegating work I used to hoard out of fear
Creating experiments each week to test new ways of leading, living, and making decisions
Within six months, I had recovered from burnout. More importantly, I had found joy again—in my work, in my boundaries, and in my sense of self.
I wasn’t just performing. I was leading. Clearly. Sustainably. On my own terms.
Now I Use This Framework with My Clients
This framework is now one of the most powerful tools I use as a coach. I’ve guided high-achieving women through it when:
They’re burned out but afraid to slow down
They’re people-pleasing their way to invisibility
They know they need to change but feel stuck in place
It works because it goes deeper than productivity hacks or mindset platitudes. It helps you see what’s really holding you in place—and then design a strategy that builds both insight and momentum.
You Don’t Have to Grind Through It Anymore
If you’re high-performing on the outside but feel stuck, exhausted, or quietly wondering, “Is this really it?”—you’re not alone.
You’re not failing. You’re evolving. And with the right support, you can move forward—clearly, powerfully, and sustainably.
If you’re ready to break the cycle and get unstuck, I invite you to Book a Complimentary Call. Let’s talk about what’s holding you back—and what’s possible on the other side.
