Feeling burned out? Before you assume it’s about doing too much, consider a different idea. Burnout isn’t necessarily about working harder—it’s about drifting too far from your center.
Many leaders think the solution to burnout is taking a break or reducing their workload. But what if the real issue is that you’re exhausted from not doing the work you’re truly meant to do? Or you’re doing it in a way that doesn’t serve you?
Gayle Lantz shares a powerful metaphor about the spiral of life, inspired by one of her mentors, Richard Bolles (author of What Color Is Your Parachute?). As we move through life, we accumulate layers of expectations from our parents, teachers, bosses, and the broader culture. These expectations can pull us so far from our authentic selves that we lose track of who we really are at our core.
The challenge isn’t to work less, it’s to realign with your true self.
Drawing from her own experience transitioning from corporate life to entrepreneurship, and her current role as a caregiver, Gayle explores how burnout often signals misalignment rather than overwork. She offers practical steps to reconnect with your center, including identifying what drains versus energizes you.
If you’re constantly frustrated, unfulfilled, or spinning your wheels, this episode will help you understand why working harder isn’t the answer and what actually is.
This episode covers:
- Why burnout is often about misalignment, not overwork
- The spiral of life and how expectations pull us from our center
- Signs you’re working in the wrong direction
- A practical exercise to identify energy drains vs. sources of vitality
- Three steps to reconnect with your authentic self
- Why your center never moves, even as life’s spiral expands
- How to take small corrective steps toward alignment
