Hi y’all, it’s Missy! AKA Corporate America Burnout. I’m so glad you’re here!
I’ve been creating content on social media for a few years now. Let me tell you, it has been an incredible outlet for me to process my burnout and commiserate with like-minded people.
Hearing other’s stories about recovering from their overachieving and people-pleasing tendencies made me feel less alone. So without further ado – here’s my corporate America burnout villain origin story:
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a high performer, a people pleaser, and an overachiever. These traits shaped much of my life, driving me to graduate with three undergraduate degrees, earn my MBA, and climb the corporate ladder in brand marketing. My ultimate goal? To become a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). I worked tirelessly, said “yes” to every leadership request, and made sacrifices to climb the ladder. I clearly drank the corporate Kool-Aid, and it showed.
But in 2020, everything changed.
Success at What Cost?
The pandemic forced me to slow down and reflect.
For the first time, I observed the lives of the leaders I once aspired to emulate. Most were white, middle-aged men, tethered to their jobs, working 10+ hour days. They all had to neglect their families to reach this level of success. One senior leader, in particular, horrified me with his derogatory remarks about his wife and children during multiple team meetings.
It dawned on me: I didn’t want to be like them.
What once seemed glamorous—high salaries, travel, accolades —no longer held the same allure. These achievements weren’t making me truly happy, and they certainly weren’t bringing me joy.
When My Career Doesn’t Come First Anymore
In August 2021, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It was a life-altering moment for me. I asked my employer for flexibility in working remotely so I could care for him as he lived across the country. Given my track record of high performance (I was rated in the top 10% of my peers for four consecutive years), I thought they’d accommodate my request. After all, I have been working remotely for 100% of my time since March 2020.
They denied me.
That was my breaking point. I realized no amount of hard work would ever make corporate America care about me the way I had cared about my job. I was just another cog in the machine. And I was incredibly burnt out. Cleaning my dishes started to feel like a herculean task. I knew something had to change.
Leaving Corporate for Flexibility
I left my corporate job and entered the uncertain world of freelancing. For the first time in over a decade, I took control of how, when, and where I worked. I had a dream the year before that I could make nearly the same salary but only work 20-30 hours a week instead of the 40+ hour work weeks I was used to. At first, I thought it was a pipe dream, but then I heard the stories of many people who lived this lifestyle. I thought, if they could do it, surely I could figure it out too!
I have been stumbling through the challenges of navigating being a business owner. While challenging, it’s been much more rewarding than my career prospects in corporate America. For the past three years, I have been healing my burnout and unpacking my relationship with work.
The Toxicity of Overachieving
Being a high performer, people pleaser, and overachiever came with a steep price. These traits are celebrated in corporate environments, but they often lead to:
- Chronic burnout: The constant push to excel left me emotionally and physically drained.
- People-pleasing traps: Saying “yes” to everything meant I rarely said “yes” to myself.
- Loss of self-identity: I equated my worth with my output, losing sight of who I was beyond my achievements.
Deconstructing these patterns has been one of the hardest but most rewarding journeys of my life.
Rediscovering Joy Outside of Achievements
Stepping away from corporate America has taught me to value flexibility, autonomy, and time with loved ones over high pay and prestigious titles. It’s also made me question the broader system of capitalism that glorifies endless productivity at the expense of personal well-being.
This path hasn’t been easy, but it’s so worth it. Healing from burnout and rediscovering what brings me joy isn’t just about leaving a toxic environment—it’s about building a life aligned with my values.
For anyone feeling trapped in corporate America, know it’s okay to let go of what’s no longer serving you. Your happiness is worth the risk. Perhaps this is the start of your own corporate America burnout villain origin story! No matter where you are in your journey of de-centering overperformance and capitalism, you’ll find your like-minded community here. Follow along on TikTok tuned for tips, tricks, and what I’ve learned throughout my journey since leaving corporate America in 2021!
