We call her strong. We call her a role model. We call her unstoppable !
But what if, behind the confidence and competence, she’s quietly unraveling?
More and more, I find myself coaching women who are successful by every measure, CEOs,
founders, physicians, mothers, educators, yet when the room is safe enough, what I hear is this:
“I’m exhausted. I’ve built everything, but I feel like I’m disappearing in the process.”
This is not burnout in the traditional sense. This is resilience fatigue, the hidden cost of being the woman who always pushes through.
The Myth of Endless Capacity
Resilience has become a buzzword in executive spaces. But let’s be honest, too often, it’s code
for “keep going, no matter how you feel.”
Women in leadership are applauded for their ability to multitask, perform, and rise above. But resilience without restoration becomes self-betrayal.
When a woman’s worth is linked to how much she can carry, she learns to suppress, to endure, to
smile through the overwhelm.
Until her body says no.
Until her spirit quietly whispers, “enough.
The Real Risk? Disconnection
Chronic resilience creates a dangerous distance, not only from others, but from oneself.
She stops checking in with her emotions.
She schedules rest like a task.
She doesn’t cry anymore, not because she’s fine, but because she’s numb.
At some point, the high-performing woman becomes a version of herself, efficient, respected,
but emotionally underfed.
A New Definition of Power
What if we redefined resilience, not as endurance, but as reconnection?
Real resilience is not the ability to carry more, but the courage to set something down.
It is not about being unaffected, but about staying deeply connected to our needs, values, and
emotional reality.
This isn’t weakness. It’s leadership maturity.
Because a woman who knows how to pause, replenish, and feel leads with more clarity,
compassion, and creativity.
3 Ways to Start Reclaiming Your Energy
- Normalize softness in strength
You don’t need to choose between being effective and being human. Start allowing
vulnerability into your leadership, it builds trust, not doubt. - Build relational resilience
Find spaces where you’re not the one holding everyone. Coaches, circles, mentors, and connection regulate the nervous system far more than any solo routine. - Reclaim your rhythm
If your life is all momentum and no stillness, your nervous system is stuck in survival.
Create micro-moments in your day to drop into your body, not to perform, but to feel.
A Final Word
You are not failing because you’re tired.
You’re not weak because you can’t carry it all.
You are wise enough to ask: What’s sustainable? What’s real? What’s mine to hold?
The world doesn’t need more women who push harder.
It needs more women who are deeply connected to themselves and bold enough to lead from
there.
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By Dr. Zeina Ghossoub
English 
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