<p>In this episode, Dina sits down with Sophia Mikelionis, founder of Gearing Together, to say the part out loud:</p><p>You can do everything “right”… and still feel completely drained.</p><p>Sophia’s résumé checks every box.<br></p><ul><li>BBA in Finance from Howard.</li><li>MBA from Syracuse.</li><li>Climbed the corporate ladder.</li></ul><p>Delivered. Performed. Excelled.</p><p>On paper? Thriving. Behind the scenes? Exhausted.</p><p>Running on deadlines, pressure, and the promise that relief would come “after this quarter.” (You know. The mythical next week.)</p><p>This conversation is the one women have in the group chat but rarely in public.</p><p>We talk about what burnout actually looks like for ambitious women - and why it hides in plain sight when you’re high-performing.</p><p>Because here’s the truth:</p><p>Burnout doesn’t always look like falling apart. Sometimes it looks like being wildly competent… and quietly resentful.<br>Smiling in meetings.<br>Crying in the car.<br>Telling yourself you’re lucky.<br>Wondering why it still feels heavy.</p><p>We unpack:</p><ul><li>Why corporate culture rewards over-functioning and then calls it “leadership potential”</li><li>How guilt keeps high-achievers stuck long after their bodies have started protesting</li><li>The identity crisis that hits when you realize you can’t keep running at this pace</li><li>And why stepping back can feel scarier than staying exhausted</li></ul><p>This isn’t an episode about quitting your ambition.</p><p>It’s about interrogating who taught you what ambition was supposed to cost.</p><p>If you’ve ever thought:</p><p>“I should be grateful.”<br>“I just need to push through.”<br>“Everyone else seems to be handling it.”</p><p>This conversation will feel uncomfortably familiar - in the best way.</p><p>Because sometimes the bravest thing you can admit isn’t “I can’t do this.”</p><p>It’s: “I don’t want to keep doing it like this.”</p><p>*************</p><p>To learn more about Sophia Mikelionis and her work with Gearing Together, visit https://www.gearingtogether.com/ or follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-mike/</p>