High performers are trained to push through. We're wired for pressure, built for speed, and have entire identities wrapped around showing up no matter what.
Until suddenly, we can’t.
The meetings are still on the calendar. The to-do list still gets checked. But something feels... off. You’re showing up out of habit, not drive. Your brain fogs up mid-sentence. You cry at a coffee commercial and snap at your kid in the same hour. And then you sit there wondering, “What is going on with me?”
If you’re in your 30s or 40s, this may not be burnout. It might be perimenopause. And for high-achieving women, that transition hits differently.
We’re not trained to slow down. We optimize everything. We power through. But hormones don’t care about your task management apps. They don’t care that you slept 8 hours or that you started meditating or that your green smoothie has flaxseed now.
They hijack the system anyway. Quietly. Until suddenly:
• Your morning routine leaves you more exhausted than restored.
• Your patience is gone before your second meeting.
• Your workouts backfire and drain you for days.
• Your motivation hits the wall, even when you’re doing meaningful work.
And because you’re the one who always figures it out, you try to fix it the only way you know how: work harder.
But this isn’t a mindset problem. It’s a biology shift.
We throw the word “burnout” around like it explains everything. But what if what you're experiencing isn’t about being overworked—it’s about being hormonally rewired?
Estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol don’t just govern your reproductive system. They shape:
• How you manage stress
• How well you remember things
• How you regulate your emotions
• How your body recovers from effort
And as these levels begin to shift—sometimes subtly, sometimes wildly—your performance, mood, and clarity can shift with them. This isn’t you falling behind. This is you adjusting to a new internal operating system no one warned you about.
So what now?
• You start noticing the patterns.
• You track when your focus dips or your energy disappears.
• You stop beating yourself up for not running at full speed all the time.
• You ask better questions about your health.
And most importantly, you talk to other women about it. Because the more we normalize this phase, the less shame or confusion there is around it. You’re not broken. You’re changing. And this phase of life deserves just as much support as the last.
Let’s stop pretending the only way to lead is by ignoring our bodies. You can be a strong, strategic leader and still honor what’s happening under the surface. In fact, that might be your next evolution.
At StringCan, we work with companies who want their leaders to thrive—not just survive. If you want support building a culture that embraces the whole human behind the title, we’re here to help.