At no time in history have individuals been expected to cope with so much change or absorb and act on so much information across so many communication channels: the expectation that we must function faster impacts how we live and our physical and mental health.
We are at a tipping point: individuals are burning out with substantial to-do lists, overwhelmed by urgent deadlines that eat away at critical thinking, imagination, judgement, and mental and physical health. Ultimately, this also damages families, communities, businesses, and the government. Having experienced burnout myself, I am on a mission to educate others.
My personal story of overcoming burnout
Abruptly, I hit a speed bump on my ‘road to greatness’ during climbing the corporate ladder when I got sick with the early stages of cervical cancer. My attitude was, ‘It will be okay, and I’ll have the operation and be back at work pronto.’ I did not want to miss a beat at work because there are key performance indicators (KPIs), bonuses to earn and shares to acquire. I am still striving to be on the top of the performance bell curve.
My path to neuroscience was after experiencing multiple crises, including burnout that led to my illness, followed by my mentor’s burnout, illness, and death – Mansur was only around 45 years old and topped this off with my son’s health challenges. His lung collapsed at 18 months. Everything was a struggle, and my whole body felt heavy. Work was hectic with continued double-digit growth targets each year and new product launches with less budget and resources. Building a successful career as a perfectionist was no longer sustainable; now, I also cared for a sick toddler. I felt like a failure at my job as a wife, friend, and mother.
I lived on a diet of adrenaline, lack of sleep and tons of pressure to perform, with little fuel left in the tank. I was operating on autopilot and in a constant state of threat. I felt that I couldn’t sustain my lifestyle without it impacting my social, mental, and physical health. Something had to give. My ‘aha’ moment of insight reflected on Mansur’s death and realising that life is short, and we need to make the most of it. This is when I became curious and searched for work/life balance career options. The answer wasn’t immediate.
It was across three years that I ran my learning and development consulting business. A client recommended I read some books on the neuroscience of leadership. Once I started reading, I could not put the books down. My thinking was ‘WOW.’ I had been fascinated by how to achieve a sustainable work/life balance since losing Mansur and having a family. I was curious about how people could sustain crazy growth targets year on year without facing ill health and well-being.
Understanding neuroscience gave me insight into how the brain operates and reacts in various situations. This changed my thinking, changed how I made decisions and allowed me to solve problems more effectively. I was hungry to learn as much as possible, and the study was an essential part of the learning process.
Completing these studies and programmes changed my world, and then it changed my community’s world of clients and friends. It has enabled me to understand how different brains work genuinely. Today I coach clients with varying learning requirements, including visual impairment, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All of these life experiences and studies have led me to share my knowledge, passion and insights within the book REWIRE for SUCCESS – An easy guide for using neuroscience to improve choices for work, life and well-being, my COVID New Year’s resolution to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Everyone knows about conserving the environment, but I say I am in the business of human conservation, promoting the balance between work, life, and well-being. I am passionate about sharing what I have learned; life is an obstacle course, but with many rich learnings, possibilities, and opportunities to grow.
Why not get in touch today and see how you can transform your life.