I burnt out not because I was working too hard...

“I’ve never seen you work so hard, but so happy at the same time.” I still remember my husband saying this to me when I was pregnant with our second daughter.

I had just started at Google. Even with an incredibly supportive manager who was a mom of three herself, I was freaking out—can I juggle everything, will I have the energy to kick ass at work, and will I burn out.

But I worked harder than ever. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

📌 I felt a sense of purpose—sure, I was selling ads, but I saw firsthand at our partnership events how we helped SMBs grow.
📌I loved the people I worked with—smart, driven, and supportive. We were in it together.
📌 My leadership was great— they had a clear vision, genuinely cared about the team, and made a point to recognize the hard work we put in.

I have been reflecting a lot on that comment lately, as I hear constant conversations about burnout.

When burnout hit me, it was not because I worked too hard. It was because I lost sight of WHY I was working so hard.

To me, burnout isn’t just about long hours. It happened when my efforts felt unrecognized, undervalued, or disconnected from something that’s meaningful to me.

If you’re feeling burnt out, don’t just blindly follow someone else’s solution. Meditation might help, but it won’t fix a toxic workplace. Quitting might feel like the answer, but if you don’t address the root cause, you might just end up in the same situation again.

🤔 What truly excites and motivates you about your work?

🤔 What’s one change you can make this year to reconnect to your why?