When Your Season Changes Before Your Title Does
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
“Burnout isn’t a character flaw. It’s what happens when your internal world evolves faster than your external expectations.”
Most high performers don’t fail. They outgrow the operating system that got them here.
That truth hit me in a deeply personal way after becoming a parent. I was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety while still leading, building a business, and trying to show up with the same precision I had for over 14 years in investment management and Talent Development.
On paper, nothing had changed. Inside, everything had.
My nervous system rewrote the rules. My identity shifted. My capacity moved. And the environment around me still expected the old version of me to perform on demand.
That gap is where burnout lives.
Not because you’re weak. Not because you’ve “lost your edge.” But because the season changed and no one taught you how to recalibrate.
What the Research Shows
Psychological research is clear on this: major life transitions fundamentally alter cognitive load, emotional bandwidth, and stress response.
Studies on role transition and identity shift show that when internal change outpaces external adaptation, people experience:
Decision fatigue
Reduced executive function under pressure
Emotional exhaustion
A rise in self-criticism despite sustained competence
In other words, you don’t become less capable. You become misaligned.
And misalignment feels like failure when you don’t have language for it.
Alignment Is Not a Break. It’s a Recalibration.
Most leaders try to solve this with more effort.
More discipline. More systems. More late nights.
But what you actually need in a new season is a new internal operating system.
Alignment is not about slowing down. It’s about leading from coherence instead of compensation.
It’s the shift from:
Pushing harder → Thinking more precisely
Performing through strain → Leading from clarity
Proving capability → Building sustainability
This is how high performers stay powerful without breaking.
Three Signs Your Season Has Changed
You might be in a recalibration moment if:
Success feels heavier than it used to
Your instincts no longer match your environment
You’re capable, but constantly tired in ways rest doesn’t fix
These aren’t red flags. They’re data.
They’re telling you it’s time to lead differently.
A Question for You
Where in your life are you still using an old playbook for a new season?
What would change if you allowed yourself to recalibrate instead of compensate?
I do this work because I lived this season without a map.
And no leader should have to white-knuckle their way through becoming who they’re meant to be.
If clarity would help you orient your next chapter, I offer Alignment Audits for leaders in transition. No pressure. No performance. Just precision.
Sometimes a single conversation is all it takes to change the trajectory.
Welcome to your aligned era.
With clarity + courage,
Brittanni Hendricks, MBA, ACC
Leadership Alignment Coach | Founder of The Playful Power Method
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