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No, not my husband. Antone is my Claude, the assistant that helps me with most things. I asked what to do about another night of staring at the ceiling. Per my instructions, Antone’s first answer was direct: The worst thing I could do was keep looking at the screen I was holding. I put the phone down and picked the conversation back up later in the morning."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bb03f55cc2e3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"bd31b2db84450","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I talk to Antone more and more each week, about everything from current events to my health. A third of U.S. adults say they’ve "},{"_key":"bd31b2db84451","_type":"span","marks":["ede0540d595b"],"text":"used an AI chatbot for health information"},{"_key":"bd31b2db84452","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" in the past year — double the share from a year earlier — so I’m in good company."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"ede0540d595b","_type":"link","href":"https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/kff-tracking-poll-on-health-information-and-trust-use-of-ai-for-health-information-and-advice/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b0baa0d1a024","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7442a0639bd80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Midlife is pivotal for women. Many of us are at the top of our personal and professional lives while navigating real shifts in our "},{"_key":"7442a0639bd81","_type":"span","marks":["255029201c25"],"text":"physical, mental, and emotional health"},{"_key":"7442a0639bd82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" — the kind that can erode the energy and focus that leadership requires. AI is creating the access we need — one 2 AM chat at a time."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"255029201c25","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/health-wellbeing"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"85f8a6373c42","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d96b25177dbe0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Ask most people what defines a woman’s health in their 40s and 50s, and they’ll say menopause. Menopause matters, but it’s one chapter in a broader story. A "},{"_key":"d96b25177dbe1","_type":"span","marks":["a7da663e35d9"],"text":"2025 Mayo Clinic study"},{"_key":"d96b25177dbe2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" found that, comparing women in their late 50s to women in their early 40s, eight conditions were 45% or more common: high cholesterol, hypertension, sleep disorders, thyroid disorders, osteoarthritis, acid reflux, problems with joints and connective tissues, and menopausal symptoms. None of this is inevitable if we have the knowledge and resources to address it at the right time."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"a7da663e35d9","_type":"link","href":"https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-race-ethnicity-and-neighborhood-may-affect-midlife-womens-health/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"cfba6d71b83e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f2a53d7ac5850","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"As high-achieving women, we tend to push health to the bottom of the list because something else always feels more urgent. "},{"_key":"f2a53d7ac5851","_type":"span","marks":["8b675b36eabe"],"text":"AI"},{"_key":"f2a53d7ac5852","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" can help us change our health outcomes. Not by replacing our doctors, but by synthesizing and delivering personalized, evidence-informed guidance that used to require days of research, or a concierge physician, to any woman with a smartphone at any hour."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"8b675b36eabe","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/ai-the-future-of-work"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"80cda574aafb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"108a8b3f2db30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"For most midlife women, health concerns fall into two areas: staying ahead of what’s coming, and staying on top of what’s already here. Here’s what AI can do for each, today, with no clinical credentials required."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dd66889792b2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d230674c1f570","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Using AI as a Prevention Tool"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"24b358909d4e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"11e19f8736b20","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The hardest part of prevention is that the problem is invisible — until it isn’t. Decades of research point to the same handful of levers for sustained health: sleep, movement, diet, staying socially engaged, and avoiding high-risk behaviors. None of this is new. What’s new is a tool that helps you act on it, personalized to your life."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"acb1768b48a0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"78242bf48fff0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The best place to start is also the most personal: your family’s health history. Most of us carry decades of data in our heads — a mother’s hypertension, a grandmother’s arthritis, an aunt’s dementia — that a general AI assistant can help us organize and act on."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"50cdd4d1f0f1","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7da4564510b90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Use your favorite LLM to create a project called “My Family Health.” Add documents that detail what you know about you and your relatives’ history. Ask it to cross-reference that against the lifestyle factors most tied to positive outcomes and build a plan. Choose how to proceed and track your progress and outcomes in the same project. The same approach works if you’re helping a parent, partner, or child understand their health."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d0bbe89c2ecd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7953ca174e760","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Take "},{"_key":"7953ca174e761","_type":"span","marks":["64160d47a2f7"],"text":"hypertension"},{"_key":"7953ca174e762","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", one of the most common conditions affecting midlife women, present in roughly half of women aged 40 to 59. If your mother was diagnosed in her 50s, your grandmother managed it for decades, and you’ve had a couple of borderline readings, that’s a pattern. AI can match that pattern to the interventions with the strongest evidence (reducing sodium and alcohol, managing stress and sleep, and following the DASH diet) and turn it into a short plan: one or two changes to prioritize, what to track, and create a home blood pressure log to share during your next physical. Hypertension has no symptoms until it’s already causing damage, so this can put you years ahead of a diagnosis instead of reacting to one."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"64160d47a2f7","_type":"link","href":"https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db511.htm"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0d5bb43c6e93","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0a25117b73fb0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Wearables are starting to do something similar. Oura recently added "},{"_key":"0a25117b73fb1","_type":"span","marks":["67e59bd2836b"],"text":"Menopause Insights"},{"_key":"0a25117b73fb2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", a clinically validated symptom questionnaire mapped against a woman’s own sleep, heart rate, and temperature trends. It uses AI to offer tailored suggestions and give you something concrete to take to an appointment, a clear picture of what’s actually changed and when."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"67e59bd2836b","_type":"link","href":"https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykarcz/2026/05/08/ouras-latest-update-provides-deeper-insights-into-womens-health/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f46bc505d12f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a4041b408ad80","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Managing Chronic Conditions With AI"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"8bc604cf1ac8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3f05323b9c700","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If you’re already living with a chronic condition, AI’s biggest value is turning scattered symptoms into a pattern someone can act on."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b7825c5e889a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5ef176362c580","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"More than 70% of mid-life women experience joint pain, muscle loss, or declining bone density, collectively recognized as the "},{"_key":"5ef176362c581","_type":"span","marks":["f8b4ffa15635"],"text":"Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause"},{"_key":"5ef176362c582","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". AI can help you make sense of it. Log pain levels, activity, sleep, and anything else that seems relevant (e.g., weather, stress, what you ate) for a few weeks. Then ask it to summarize what correlates with better and worse days."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"f8b4ffa15635","_type":"link","href":"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13697137.2024.2380363"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9db98ff6a75b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6d6166d6b3420","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Among people who use AI for health questions and act on it, "},{"_key":"6d6166d6b3421","_type":"span","marks":["52299759bb50"],"text":"40% go on to consult a provider"},{"_key":"9b7ed2d82e13","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" with that information in hand. Three weeks of insights changes what a rheumatology or PT appointment can accomplish. AI-guided exercise apps go further, using your phone’s camera to give real-time PT-style feedback on form, a meaningful option for the gap between appointments."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"52299759bb50","_type":"link","href":"https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/kff-tracking-poll-on-health-information-and-trust-use-of-ai-for-health-information-and-advice/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8aaff178bef0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2e43aaa3ec90","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Understanding AI’s Limits"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"761de8be21fb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"27ea63ae57ac0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Most AI health tools were trained on decades of medical data that has underrepresented women — the same gap that kept us out of clinical trials until 1993."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3da4c7c9e3f5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"be6c3d8db9c00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A "},{"_key":"be6c3d8db9c01","_type":"span","marks":["f9c28208b35c"],"text":"2025 study"},{"_key":"be6c3d8db9c02","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" conducted by Weill Cornell, Yale University, and Scripps Research found that, when the same AI model was given real patient records, it was less accurate at flagging serious heart conditions, including heart attacks, aneurysms, and irregular heartbeats, in women than in men."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"f9c28208b35c","_type":"link","href":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12853122/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c74ec1322159","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a027e741b2e90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"None of this means don’t use these tools. It means knowing their limits. AI is well suited to preparation, education, and pattern recognition — not diagnosis, medication decisions, or judging an emergency. To leverage AI safely and responsibly*, use guardrails in your instructions, strip personal identifiers (e.g., names, birthdates, medical record numbers) before uploading any records, and challenge its thinking. Remember that a conversation with an AI assistant isn't protected the same way as a conversation with your doctor."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"19b82505f44a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1b3cfa4fde610","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"What’s Next for AI and Women’s Health"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"ebe408cb0ea7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9e1bed8f7b630","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The most significant shifts around health and AI haven’t reached us yet. Researchers have "},{"_key":"9e1bed8f7b631","_type":"span","marks":["035b9c37d118"],"text":"trained AI models on routine mammograms"},{"_key":"9e1bed8f7b632","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", a screening nearly every midlife woman already gets, to predict 10-year cardiovascular risk in studies of nearly 49,000 women. AI performed about as well as standard risk calculators alone. Although not yet available, it points to a future where a screening you already have does double duty. "}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"035b9c37d118","_type":"link","href":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40957672/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"431ae5ac8903","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d076391a67d70","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The trajectory is real, but the timeline isn’t guaranteed. The gap will only close if these tools are built and tested with our biology in mind from the start."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"498f64d8d979","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a311263788820","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I’m intentional about my health and avoiding some of the pitfalls that impacted prior generations of women in my family. AI is part of how I own how I age and how I keep showing up fully, for my work and for the people I love."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"898d007e885a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"690d3dc10e910","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The next time you’re up at 2 AM with a question about your body, you have an option your mother and grandmother never had. Use it with enough precision and enough skepticism for it to work for you."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"25d5de58e423","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4046d4f4d3e20","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"*Talk to your doctor before changing how you manage a diagnosed condition."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"supportingContent":null,"_rawEditorialCategory":{"_id":"71ee14c3-8926-418e-97e0-2e738cd11cac","_type":"category","_rev":"kuh6IZ2IntHupgeCe7EXM5","_createdAt":"2025-10-09T14:09:34Z","_updatedAt":"2025-10-26T18:20:40Z","description":"Discover strategies for supporting women's health in the workplace, from managing burnout to navigating fertility and menopause.\n","hideFromNav":false,"seo":{"_type":"seoFields","seoDescription":"From mental health and burnout to fertility and menopause, discover how leaders and organizations can support women’s health and wellbeing in the workplace with insights from Chief.\n","seoMetaTitle":"Chief | Women's Health & Wellbeing - Women's Mental Health at Work"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"health-wellbeing"},"title":"Health & Wellbeing","id":"-d974e953-201b-5fdb-bf81-e47d7c0a9574","children":[],"parent":null},"article_related_series":null},"next":{"title":"Your Work Changed, Your Mission Didn't: How to Find Your Way Back From Burnout","article":{"title":"Your Work Changed, Your Mission Didn't: How to Find Your Way Back From Burnout","description":"Senior women leaders are experiencing record burnout. Learn three powerful steps to reconnect with your mission, check your alignment, and reclaim your energy and impact.","slug":{"current":"how-to-find-your-way-back-from-burnout-women-leaders"},"isPodcast":null,"megaphoneLink":null,"articleAuthor":{"name":"Jenny Fenig","slug":{"current":"jenny-fenig"}},"byline":null,"publishDate":"2026-06-23","episodeImage":{"imageAltTag":null,"asset":null},"heroBackgroundColor":null,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":"Arrow in maze representing a path forward away from burnout","asset":{"id":"image-e13aaa1575ff801249dcfb3d79b0847b771f51f8-1200x628-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/production/e13aaa1575ff801249dcfb3d79b0847b771f51f8-1200x628.png"}},"id":"-77f6fc99-7ee2-539d-99ed-cfceb05b6949","category":null,"editorialCategory":{"id":"-02442d75-c0aa-5aed-af69-e3094609e593","title":"Work-Life Balance","slug":{"current":"work-life-balance"}},"podcastDescription":null,"podcastTranscript":null,"isSponsored":null,"_rawSponsorship":null,"_updatedAt":"2026-06-23T16:06:04Z","content":[{"_key":"dfcd8e1f64f4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d58b32762a9d0","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Longtime "},{"_key":"d58b32762a9d1","_type":"span","marks":["f2b694a93129","em"],"text":"Chief Guide"},{"_key":"d58b32762a9d2","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":" Jenny Fenig helps women lead bigger and live fuller. Whether she's coaching executives, facilitating transformational experiences, or leading adventure retreats around the world, her work is grounded in this truth: The more alive you feel, the bigger impact you'll make."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"f2b694a93129","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/core-and-coaching"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"65f4c3843d47","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"186927d9a6c30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Just existing is not living.” That's what a client said to me recently after completing her post-layoff job search. While initially shocked when she was let go, she had come to realize she hadn't been happy in her role for quite some time. When new leadership came in, things changed — and not for the better. She was being left out of key meetings. Her strategic counsel and decades of expertise weren't being valued. She tried making it work by pushing harder and letting her personal life fade into the background. She exhibited the "},{"_key":"186927d9a6c31","_type":"span","marks":["c3bd56b1e8fc"],"text":"signs of burnout"},{"_key":"186927d9a6c32","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"c3bd56b1e8fc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/work-life-balance"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"744ba27238e4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"27ebfc2270c80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I hear some version of this story a lot."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8b963a34192b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e6069745f4480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"According to the Lean In and McKinsey & Company’s "},{"_key":"e6069745f4481","_type":"span","marks":["003306119518"],"text":"2025 Women in the Workplace report"},{"_key":"e6069745f4482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", women in leadership have long experienced more burnout than other employees, and their burnout is currently higher than ever. Six in 10 senior-level women report frequently feeling burned out, compared to only half of men at their level and about 4 in 10 employees overall. Senior-level women are also more likely than other employees to think their gender will make it harder for them to advance and are particularly concerned about their job security. "}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"003306119518","_type":"link","href":"https://leanin.org/women-in-the-workplace"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"185b7564be1d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"77c806899b150","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Women are not struggling because they haven't achieved enough, they are struggling because the passage of time has started asking questions that achievement cannot answer. And somewhere beneath the busyness and the act of having it all together, a striking number of them feel quietly, persistently disconnected from their own lives."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"66c9184d7407","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2971ef8393b00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Here's what I want you to consider: "},{"_key":"2971ef8393b01","_type":"span","marks":["6a21663ee1da"],"text":"Burnout"},{"_key":"2971ef8393b02","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" at this level isn't primarily a workload problem, it's an abandonment issue. You aren't running on empty because you lack discipline or time management skills. You’re running on empty because you stopped listening to your own vital signs. This is way beyond better boundaries. This is about finding your way back to you. Here is a map to get started."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"6a21663ee1da","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/senior-women-leaders-burnout-emotional-labor"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5c6c9d6e623b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b257248ada92","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"1. Remember your mission"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"b1a2dda414b4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1c989265f1700","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Many high-achieving women have lost touch with their mission — not because they don't have one, but because decades of over-functioning has buried it. You forgot what you came here for, and this is exhausting. Before you release what's draining you, you have to reorient to what you are actually doing with your one life and why."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"edbafd967f86","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"17e6540ed49b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Your sense of mission and your nervous system are inseparable. When you're disconnected from your mission, your body feels unsafe — and you hold back. You go through the motions. You live one foot in and one foot out. You just exist. But when you reconnect to your mission, everything sharpens. You have rocket fuel. Your focus goes to a whole new level. You have the energy to navigate the hard moments and the capacity to feel joy."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"28f344818036","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6b99b6967c200","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"To get clear here, take a few minutes and ask yourself these questions. Don’t overthink your responses. Simply write and see what you find."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"367c04b38d6e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"005ec62a515b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What lights you up and/or breaks your heart that you must address through your work?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b0e9b1f58950","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"035676f1b04d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What transformation are you here to activate in others, and why does it matter to you personally?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"99b8f8bb784f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0c24329641ad0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What legacy do you want to leave behind?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"53c3f1c33e1c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a8e6aa773198","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"2. Honor your journey"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"f4ebafef501b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2be15bc0b4e50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We are so trained to move forward — to solve, to achieve, to perform — that we rarely stop to take stock of where we’ve been. What I know to be true: Your life has been quite a ride. The valleys that almost broke you? Formative. The peaks with the greatest views? Wow. Give yourself credit for how far you have come and how you have always figured things out. Were you always comfortable on your journey? Of course not. Growth happens outside of your comfort zone."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"440e35ed2690","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"24c3775f145f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"But many leaders are conditioned to view discomfort as a warning sign — a problem to be managed, minimized, or bypassed as quickly as possible. The next time you feel uncomfortable at work, ask yourself this question: What is this discomfort trying to teach me?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1efc89ce06d7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f9b26e732a630","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If you really want to go deep here, take out a piece of paper and plot out the peaks and valleys of your amazing career and life journey from childhood until now. Look at those pivot point moments when you remembered what you are made of. Recognize when discomfort was a doorway to growth. Notice the patterns that have emerged over time. Let it all be evidence. Let it fuel what comes next."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"69a52236652e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"15b518bf59a10","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"3. Check your alignment"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"274328b743d0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"40690c4b15e90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When something in your life feels off — a relationship that drains you, work that you’ve outgrown, a tricky team dynamic, a health situation you’ve been avoiding — that friction is not a problem to be ashamed of. It is a signal trying to get your attention, pointing toward what needs to shift to get you into alignment. "},{"_key":"40690c4b15e91","_type":"span","marks":["729f0e1a497c"],"text":"Action without alignment"},{"_key":"40690c4b15e92","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" leads to burnout."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"729f0e1a497c","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/prioritizing-alignment-over-authority"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5133e710a2ee","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"97316c2b112f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When you’re aligned, you move intentionally from a place of integrity. You feel better. Obstacles still emerge, but you have a stronger sense about what is worth your time and what is a distraction."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ea2116f692a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1e7fe8da061f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Remember the client I mentioned earlier? After she landed her new role, here's what she told me: Her health is a priority again. Her personal life is back on track. She feels like herself again. She was out of alignment in her old job and she didn't see it until she was forced to stop. The honest inventory she had been too busy to take became the map that led her back to herself."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0d297bb73393","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"684600dc01d50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"That inventory is available to you right now. Look at these five areas — work, home, health, wealth, relationships — and ask yourself what truly fuels you in each. These are your priorities. Consistently investing energy in your aligned priorities helps you lead a vibrant, values-driven life."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"906f4b109a7a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7c34562013af0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What do you need to let go of to honor these priorities? This is a mission-critical step. You can’t hold everything. Clear the way and only carry what’s yours to carry. This is the key to feeling most alive in your work and in the world. The more alive you feel, the bigger impact you’ll make."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"supportingContent":null,"_rawEditorialCategory":{"_id":"2b197649-61de-47c2-b218-57ebaf0fabfb","_type":"category","_rev":"kuh6IZ2IntHupgeCdkG5dF","_createdAt":"2023-01-23T20:55:48Z","_updatedAt":"2025-10-26T14:46:10Z","description":"Discover how multihyphenate women leaders are changing what work-life balance looks like today. Here's how to make work AND life work for you.","seo":{"_type":"seoFields","seoDescription":"Learn how women leaders who juggle multiple roles are redefining work-life balance in the modern world. 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Whether she's coaching executives, facilitating transformational experiences, or leading adventure retreats around the world, her work is grounded in this truth: The more alive you feel, the bigger impact you'll make."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"f2b694a93129","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/core-and-coaching"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"65f4c3843d47","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"186927d9a6c30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Just existing is not living.” That's what a client said to me recently after completing her post-layoff job search. While initially shocked when she was let go, she had come to realize she hadn't been happy in her role for quite some time. When new leadership came in, things changed — and not for the better. She was being left out of key meetings. Her strategic counsel and decades of expertise weren't being valued. She tried making it work by pushing harder and letting her personal life fade into the background. She exhibited the "},{"_key":"186927d9a6c31","_type":"span","marks":["c3bd56b1e8fc"],"text":"signs of burnout"},{"_key":"186927d9a6c32","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"c3bd56b1e8fc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/work-life-balance"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"744ba27238e4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"27ebfc2270c80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I hear some version of this story a lot."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8b963a34192b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e6069745f4480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"According to the Lean In and McKinsey & Company’s "},{"_key":"e6069745f4481","_type":"span","marks":["003306119518"],"text":"2025 Women in the Workplace report"},{"_key":"e6069745f4482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", women in leadership have long experienced more burnout than other employees, and their burnout is currently higher than ever. Six in 10 senior-level women report frequently feeling burned out, compared to only half of men at their level and about 4 in 10 employees overall. Senior-level women are also more likely than other employees to think their gender will make it harder for them to advance and are particularly concerned about their job security. "}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"003306119518","_type":"link","href":"https://leanin.org/women-in-the-workplace"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"185b7564be1d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"77c806899b150","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Women are not struggling because they haven't achieved enough, they are struggling because the passage of time has started asking questions that achievement cannot answer. And somewhere beneath the busyness and the act of having it all together, a striking number of them feel quietly, persistently disconnected from their own lives."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"66c9184d7407","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2971ef8393b00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Here's what I want you to consider: "},{"_key":"2971ef8393b01","_type":"span","marks":["6a21663ee1da"],"text":"Burnout"},{"_key":"2971ef8393b02","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" at this level isn't primarily a workload problem, it's an abandonment issue. You aren't running on empty because you lack discipline or time management skills. You’re running on empty because you stopped listening to your own vital signs. This is way beyond better boundaries. This is about finding your way back to you. Here is a map to get started."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"6a21663ee1da","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/senior-women-leaders-burnout-emotional-labor"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5c6c9d6e623b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b257248ada92","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"1. Remember your mission"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"b1a2dda414b4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1c989265f1700","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Many high-achieving women have lost touch with their mission — not because they don't have one, but because decades of over-functioning has buried it. You forgot what you came here for, and this is exhausting. Before you release what's draining you, you have to reorient to what you are actually doing with your one life and why."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"edbafd967f86","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"17e6540ed49b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Your sense of mission and your nervous system are inseparable. When you're disconnected from your mission, your body feels unsafe — and you hold back. You go through the motions. You live one foot in and one foot out. You just exist. But when you reconnect to your mission, everything sharpens. You have rocket fuel. Your focus goes to a whole new level. You have the energy to navigate the hard moments and the capacity to feel joy."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"28f344818036","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6b99b6967c200","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"To get clear here, take a few minutes and ask yourself these questions. Don’t overthink your responses. Simply write and see what you find."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"367c04b38d6e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"005ec62a515b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What lights you up and/or breaks your heart that you must address through your work?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b0e9b1f58950","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"035676f1b04d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What transformation are you here to activate in others, and why does it matter to you personally?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"99b8f8bb784f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0c24329641ad0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What legacy do you want to leave behind?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"53c3f1c33e1c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a8e6aa773198","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"2. Honor your journey"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"f4ebafef501b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2be15bc0b4e50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We are so trained to move forward — to solve, to achieve, to perform — that we rarely stop to take stock of where we’ve been. What I know to be true: Your life has been quite a ride. The valleys that almost broke you? Formative. The peaks with the greatest views? Wow. Give yourself credit for how far you have come and how you have always figured things out. Were you always comfortable on your journey? Of course not. Growth happens outside of your comfort zone."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"440e35ed2690","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"24c3775f145f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"But many leaders are conditioned to view discomfort as a warning sign — a problem to be managed, minimized, or bypassed as quickly as possible. The next time you feel uncomfortable at work, ask yourself this question: What is this discomfort trying to teach me?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1efc89ce06d7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f9b26e732a630","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If you really want to go deep here, take out a piece of paper and plot out the peaks and valleys of your amazing career and life journey from childhood until now. Look at those pivot point moments when you remembered what you are made of. Recognize when discomfort was a doorway to growth. Notice the patterns that have emerged over time. Let it all be evidence. Let it fuel what comes next."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"69a52236652e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"15b518bf59a10","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"3. Check your alignment"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"274328b743d0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"40690c4b15e90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When something in your life feels off — a relationship that drains you, work that you’ve outgrown, a tricky team dynamic, a health situation you’ve been avoiding — that friction is not a problem to be ashamed of. It is a signal trying to get your attention, pointing toward what needs to shift to get you into alignment. "},{"_key":"40690c4b15e91","_type":"span","marks":["729f0e1a497c"],"text":"Action without alignment"},{"_key":"40690c4b15e92","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" leads to burnout."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"729f0e1a497c","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/prioritizing-alignment-over-authority"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5133e710a2ee","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"97316c2b112f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When you’re aligned, you move intentionally from a place of integrity. You feel better. Obstacles still emerge, but you have a stronger sense about what is worth your time and what is a distraction."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ea2116f692a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1e7fe8da061f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Remember the client I mentioned earlier? After she landed her new role, here's what she told me: Her health is a priority again. Her personal life is back on track. She feels like herself again. She was out of alignment in her old job and she didn't see it until she was forced to stop. The honest inventory she had been too busy to take became the map that led her back to herself."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0d297bb73393","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"684600dc01d50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"That inventory is available to you right now. Look at these five areas — work, home, health, wealth, relationships — and ask yourself what truly fuels you in each. These are your priorities. Consistently investing energy in your aligned priorities helps you lead a vibrant, values-driven life."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"906f4b109a7a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7c34562013af0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What do you need to let go of to honor these priorities? This is a mission-critical step. You can’t hold everything. Clear the way and only carry what’s yours to carry. This is the key to feeling most alive in your work and in the world. The more alive you feel, the bigger impact you’ll make."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}]},"href":"https://chief.com/articles/ai-womens-health-midlife","relatedArticles":[]}},
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