Quietly. Almost without a sound.
Not in rebellion.
Not in a rage.
Because she didn’t recognise herself anymore.
Let’s call her Claire.
On paper?
She was still successful.
Still senior.
Still “safe hands.”
But inside, something was fracturing.
She was:
➜ Second-guessing everything
➜ Forgetting words mid-sentence
➜ Crying in the car before client meetings
➜ Then pulling it together to play the part
➜ Dreading the business travel she used to enjoy
And the hardest thing?
No one knew.
Because high-achieving women are experts at hiding it.
“When You’re the Strong One… Where Do You Even Go?”
Claire told me something I still think about.
“If I was new in my career, I’d ask for help.
But when you’re the strong one… where do you even go?”
She almost didn’t book our call.
It felt indulgent. Like she should be able to push through.
But then she said one sentence that changed everything:
“I don’t think I belong in my own life anymore.”
So we didn’t talk about goals.
We didn’t jump to strategy.
We started with safety. And space.
We untangled the performance from the person.
I listened to what wasn’t being said:
➜ The flinch in her voice when she mentioned her team
➜ The silence when I asked what she wanted
We worked gently. But deliberately.
To help her reclaim herself before she made a decision she couldn’t unmake.
This Wasn’t Burnout. This Wasn’t Failure.
It was something quieter.
More invisible.
For Claire – and for so many others – the real culprit was something we don’t talk about enough.
Perimenopause.
The season that changes everything.
And yet no one prepares you for it.
Right now, 1 in 10 women leave their jobs because of menopause-related symptoms.
Most don’t realise what’s happening until they’re already halfway out the door.
What Changed for Claire
She didn’t burn it all down.
But she did build something new within the life she already had.
Same title.
Same team.
But now?
➜ Her calendar has breathing room
➜ Her boundaries are real (and honoured)
➜ Her nervous system is no longer in a constant state of red alert
She leads with clarity now.
With energy, balanced by intention.
With conviction that doesn’t crack when no one’s looking.
And maybe most importantly?
She’s stopped pretending she’s fine.
“I didn’t need a new direction did I?
I needed someone to hold the mirror steady while I found my face again.”
Claire
Support doesn’t always look like strategy. Sometimes it looks like being seen.
If You’re the One Everyone Leans On…
But you feel like you’re disappearing under the weight of “being okay”?
Let’s chat.
You don’t need to have the right words ready.
You just need to start.
And we’ll redesign from meaning. Not burnout.
