Burned Out by Design: The Corporate Trap That Keeps Capable Women "In Place"

From Corporate Burnout to Comedy: Rewriting the Beliefs That Keep You Overloaded

Most conversations about corporate burnout stop at the symptoms: exhaustion, disengagement, dashboards that still look "green" while people quietly check out. This episode goes underneath that — to the beliefs that keep capable women absorbing responsibility long before burnout ever shows up on paper. Dr. Natalie Luke sits down with comedian, speaker, and certified emotional intelligence expert Merit Kahn — creator of the one-woman show Optimistic Personality Disorder — for a conversation that started as a talk about rewriting your personal story and turned into something bigger: a look at how the beliefs we inherit and the systems we work in quietly conspire to overload the same people, over and over. Merit calls them hand-me-down beliefs. Natalie calls it the Trust Tax. Same weight, different language — and once you can see both at once, corporate burnout starts to look less like a personal failing and more like a routing problem with a belief system attached. In this episode: * Why "if I can fix it, I should" is doing more damage than any single overloaded week * The difference between a belief you inherited and a belief that's actually true * How role responsibility, outcome responsibility, and emotional/systemic responsibility get tangled — and why untangling them is the first step out of corporate burnout * A simple five-minute reset you can do today to sort what's actually yours to carry * The backstory behind Natalie and Merit's new live event, Rewrite Your Story, coming to Detroit this October About Merit Kahn: Merit Kahn is a comedian, speaker, and certified emotional intelligence expert whose one-woman show, Optimistic Personality Disorder, turns divorce, cancer, narcissists, and empty nesting into a lens for rewriting your own story. Find her at merit.com and opdshow.com. Resources mentioned: * Take the Trust Tax Diagnostic (free, 5 minutes): Click Here! [https://unceilingzone.com/trust_tax_diagnostic-page] * Rewrite Your Story — live event with Natalie & Merit, Detroit, October 2026: Get Tickets [https://zfrmz.com/es9vLZJgRIUPLbTLHabV] * Merit Kahn: merit.com | opdshow.com [https://meritkahn.com/theater/] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/fan_mail/new] https://unceilingzone.com/rwys https://unceilingzone.com/rwys UnCeiling Your Career: At Any Age Book [https://www.amazon.com/UnCeiling-Your-Career-Any-Age/dp/B0BL2RT3JF/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PUiRe2PjrHyI-JUc1IMuLemqj7k5Sj5MTSWEM3c24c4.rFHkSdckGGZhinfCaAf_95IOhCYv-CFror44u_6uQ3U&qid=1758372223&sr=8-1] 📘 UnCeiling Your Career — At Any Age helps you battle self-doubt, build strategic plans, and keep a Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/support] Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

Corner Office, Empty Tank: The True Cost of Hustle Culture

She had the glass-fronted office. The company car. The fresh flowers on her desk. She was proud of what she had built — and she was quietly falling apart. In this episode, executive leadership coach Rachael Edmondson-Clarke takes us back to the moment she collapsed on her office floor — not because she had stopped caring, but because she had cared too much, for too long, inside a system that had quietly made her the place where everything landed. This is not a burnout recovery story. It is a story about what happens before the collapse. About the years of reframing. The responsibility that was never formally assigned. The moment her CEO looked at her across a table and said: it wasn't you. The system let you down. Rachael is the founder of ellevar and an executive coach working with CEOs and senior leaders across global organizations. She brings neuroscience, biology, and hard-won personal experience to the conversation about what sustainable high performance actually means — and what it is not. In this episode you will hear: * Why the traits that make a leader valuable are the same traits that make them a target for invisible responsibility  * What the Trust Tax cascade looks like from the inside — and why the most dangerous stage looks exactly like hard work * How the biology of leadership determines whether you can actually show up at your best — not as a wellness concept, but as a structural one * What a CEO said to Rachael that reframed everything — and why more leaders need to hear it * The one thing high performers are doing this week that makes it worse If you are still delivering, still the one everyone calls, and something is quietly wrong that you cannot name — this episode is for you. ABOUT RACHAEL EDMONDSON-CLARKE Rachael Edmondson-Clarke is the founder of ellevar and an executive leadership coach working with CEOs, senior leaders, and high-performing teams across global organizations. Her work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, biology, and leadership — helping people think clearly, handle pressure well, and lead in a way that works for their performance, their health, and the people around them. Rachael's philosophy is simple: leadership shouldn't cost you your energy, your confidence, or your peace of mind. There is a better way to perform — and still feel like yourself. * Website: https://www.ellevar.co.uk [https://www.ellevar.co.uk] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaeledmondsonclarke/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaeledmondsonclarke/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachaeledmondsonclarke/ [https://www.instagram.com/rachaeledmondsonclarke/] RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE If tonight you cannot turn your brain off — this is for you: Reset Tonight™ — Free 7-Minute Containment Tool for Leaders Your brain is not anxious. It is running an ownership audit. This tool interrupts that loop in under 90 seconds so you can sleep tonight without pretending the work is finished. https://unceilingzone.com/gettosleep Ready to name what you are actually carrying? The Trust Tax Diagnostic — Free, 5 Minutes, Immediate Result Find out your load score, your cascade stage, and the exact language to introduce the structural question in your organization. https://unceilingzone.com/trust_tax_diagnostic-page [https://unceilingzone.com/trust_tax_diagnostic-page] Ready to go deeper? The Responsibility Reset Notebook — $17 The structured tool for sorting what is genuinely yours, what is shared, and what was never yours to carry in the first place. https://unceilingzone.com/rrnotebook [https://unceilingzone.com/rrnotebook] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/fan_mail/new] https://unceilingzone.com/rwys https://unceilingzone.com/rwys Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/support] Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

Watch Me: How to Build Your Career Without Becoming the Corporate Burnout Statistic

Corporate burnout doesn't happen because someone can't handle pressure — it happens when invisible work quietly piles up with no name, no end date, and no one tracking it. In this episode, Natalie sits down with Renee Carbone Fleming, who makes the case for visibility, ownership, and showing up boldly at work — and the conversation becomes something bigger: how to tell the difference between the kind of stepping-up that builds a career and the kind that just feeds corporate burnout from the inside. Renee's framework is built around a simple, four-word permission slip: watch me. It's a call to stop waiting to be picked, stop shrinking your visibility, and start claiming your work out loud. Natalie agrees — and then draws a hard line through it: not every "yes" is the same yes. Some stretch work has your name on it. Some of it is just corporate burnout in disguise, dressed up as opportunity. In this episode, you'll learn: * Why corporate burnout is rarely about individual resilience — and what Christina Maslach's research actually says causes it * Renee's "Watch Me" framework for building visibility and ownership at work * The difference between claimed stretch work (it has your name on it, it has an endpoint) and unclaimed load — what Natalie calls the Trust Tax — that quietly drives corporate burnout even in high performers * A real story of a leader who beat corporate burnout not by doing less, but by building something that gave her energy back * A two-question test you can run on any "yes" before you say it Featured guest: Renee Carbone Fleming Resources mentioned: * Free Trust Tax Diagnostic — get your load score and find out which stage of corporate burnout you're actually in: [Click Here] [https://unceilingzone.com/trust_tax_diagnostic-page] * Related episode: Natalie and Nicole Johnston break down how corporate burnout that doesn't always look like burnout: [Click Here] [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/episodes/19344684] * Related episode: Natalie and Jennifer talks about doing the thing that fuels you: [Click Here] [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/episodes/16501091] Connect: * Follow UnCeiling You for more on corporate burnout, career ownership, and building work that's actually yours * Building Your System with Renee [https://badassqueen.co/badass-queen] * Natalie's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalielukephdbcmas/] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/fan_mail/new] https://unceilingzone.com/rwys https://unceilingzone.com/rwys Leadership Lessons From The Great Books [https://leadershiplessonsfromthegreatbooks.transistor.fm/] Understanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)... Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1591069385]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2UHJkIEj6GXQ9kFTGxUjGc] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/support] Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

Burned Out by Design: The Corporate Trap That Keeps Capable Women "In Place"

Most high-performing women aren't underperforming — they're over-delivering, and the corporation has quietly learned to depend on it. In this episode, Natalie Luke sits down with Nicole Johnston — a 30-year corporate veteran of P&G, Hershey, and Kimberly-Clark, founder of innatePOWER, TEDx speaker, and author of Taboo Topics: Things Women Should Talk About, But Don't — to name the exact mechanism that keeps capable women labeled as the "pro in place" instead of "ready for more." This conversation covers the corporate burnout that doesn't look like burnout — the kind that hides behind strong performance reviews, a packed calendar, and a reputation for getting it done. Nicole and Natalie unpack the emotional labor tax, the mental load gap, why self-promotion feels impossible (and why it's necessary anyway), the real difference between a coach, a mentor, and a sponsor, and the one calendar shift that changes everything. If you've ever wondered why doing excellent work hasn't translated into the next role — this episode names exactly what's been missing. What You'll Learn * Why strong performance and being seen as "ready for more" are two completely different things inside a corporation * The behind-the-scenes labor that keeps teams running — and why none of it gets you promoted * The "high performer tax": how being capable leads to more being added to your plate until burnout becomes the cycle * The real difference between a coach, a mentor, and a sponsor — and why most women have never built the third one * How to protect your calendar like Nicole did as a corporate sales leader — "be the barbarian at the gate" * The mental load gap: why women carry roughly 520 additional unpaid hours a year on top of full-time work * What Nicole's new book Taboo Topics covers — including the compensation chapter most women have never been taught Memorable Quotes > "Promotions are not based on your ability to complete tasks. Promotions are based on the perception of your leadership potential." — Nicole Johnston > > "It's the emotional labor tax, and it's not something that gets you recognized as a leader — it just gets you recognized as a doer." — Nicole Johnston > > "A coach is someone who talks with you. A mentor is someone who talks to you. A sponsor is someone who talks for you." — Nicole Johnston > > "You have to be incredibly selfish on your calendar and decide what works for you." — Nicole Johnston Resources Mentioned 📚 Taboo Topics: Things Women Should Talk About, But Don't — Nicole Johnston  [https://www.amazon.com/Taboo-Topics-Things-Women-Should/dp/B0GSXD7V1Y/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.y_ymh8_o8GHkOYA_Z5IA7g.fRsp9ftyOwpoiivCLQtAadQbTtgiyMEsMuqr9CbSxKw&qid=1781464936&sr=8-1#] 🔗 Nicole Johnston / innatePOWER — https://www.innate-power.com/ [https://www.innate-power.com/] 📊 Free Trust Tax Diagnostic — unceilingzone.com/trust_tax_diagnostic-page [https://unceilingzone.com/trust_tax_diagnostic-page] 📓 Responsibility Reset Notebook ($17) — unceilingzone.com/rrnotebook [https://unceilingzone.com/rrnotebook] 🎙️ Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/nicolemjohnston] About UnCeiling You UnCeiling You is a podcast for high-performing corporate women navigating leadership without burnout. Hosted by Natalie Luke, PhD, BCMAS — founder of UnCeiling You and creator of the Trust Tax framework. New episodes explore the invisible patterns that hold capable people back, and what it actually takes to redesign them. 🔗 unceilingzone.com [https://unceilingzone.com] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/fan_mail/new] https://unceilingzone.com/rwys https://unceilingzone.com/rwys Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/support] Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

800 Hours Back: Toni Will on Corporate Burnout, Alcohol-Free Leadership, and Building a Rebellious Success

What if the problem isn't that you can't handle the pressure — it's that the system learned you would? Toni Will is the General Manager and Governor of the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL), a TEDx speaker, Ironman triathlete, founder of the Empower Her conference, host of the Women In podcast, and author of the forthcoming book Rebellious Success (August 11, 2026). She is also 2,000+ days alcohol-free — and she'll tell you exactly what that gave back. In this episode, Natalie and Toni pull apart the architecture of corporate burnout from the inside out — not as a personal failure story, but as a structural one. Because Toni didn't burn out because she was weak. She burned out because systems quietly learn who will catch things. And Toni always caught things. What they cover: * The three traits that cause things to land on your desk — no memo required * Why the most dangerous corporate burnout looks like success (the four-stage cascade you need to know) * The identity dimension of the Trust Tax — and why it costs more than hours * What 800 reclaimed hours a year actually builds * The difference between being indispensable and being promotable — and why they actively conflict * How removing alcohol didn't just change Toni's health — it changed her operating system * The Responsibility Reset: how the same traits that routed everything to your desk can redirect it If you have ever looked up and realized everything is running through you — not because you were assigned it, but because the system learned you would handle it — this episode was made for you. "You are not burning out because you are weak. You are being routed to — because you are trusted. Those are not the same thing." Take the free Trust Tax Diagnostic — 5 minutes, no fluff, just clarity on where you are: unceilingzone.com/trust_tax_diagnostic-page [https://unceilingzone.com/trust_tax_diagnostic-page] More from Toni Will Website:  https://www.toniwill.com/resources Book Pre-Order:  Rebellious Success — available now on Amazon and major retailers [https://a.co/d/07Aiigrx] Podcast:  Women In [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-in/id1745524618] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/fan_mail/new] https://unceilingzone.com/rwys https://unceilingzone.com/rwys Leadership Lessons From The Great Books [https://leadershiplessonsfromthegreatbooks.transistor.fm/] Understanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)... Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1591069385]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2UHJkIEj6GXQ9kFTGxUjGc] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445948/support] Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com