Boundaries, Burnout & the Blunt Truth

I’ve always been a planner.

For years, I helped businesses simplify the complicated, sort the chaos, and get things done. I’ve managed multi-team projects, led implementations, rescued failing launches. But none of that stopped me from burning out.

Because burnout doesn’t care how experienced you are.

If your boundaries are rubbish, burnout will find you.

And it found me.

The wake-up call I couldn’t ignore

I worked myself into the ground. Lost half my body weight. My skin started turning blue. Oxygen starvation. Even then, I was trying to leave the hospital to go back to work—just to “sort the team out” so I could go into hospital properly.

I mean… what?

Looking back, I realise how deep I was in it. That trauma, that feeling of helplessness while recovering—it chipped away at me. It was the start of a long season where I began to doubt myself. I’d never even heard of imposter syndrome before then, but suddenly I was questioning everything.

And underneath it all? I’d forgotten how to put myself first.

Boundaries aren’t selfish—they’re smart

These days, I have non-negotiables.

Mondays and Fridays are mine—to work on my dream business. To think. To write. To plan. To breathe.

And weekends? Completely off-limits.

No laptop. No work. Just me, the dogs, the garden—and sometimes a notebook, if an idea really grabs me. The only exception is when I’m working on something purely for joy. Like building my content library, or adding to the dog diary (yes, it’s a thing 🐾).

Those boundaries have changed everything.

I found people to help me.

I made space to create.

I focused on what matters most—one step at a time.

Boundaries gave me back my power.

But here’s the blunt truth…

If you don’t protect your time, your energy, and your focus—someone else will use it for their agenda.

You’ll end up working on their priorities. Running their errands. Living their plan.

And you’ll start resenting your business, your clients, maybe even yourself.

Boundaries aren’t just about saying no—they’re about saying yes to the right things.

The things that light you up. Move you forward. Give you energy instead of draining it.

If this hit a nerve…

Here’s your nudge:

🔹 Block out time to work on your stuff—the deep work, the dream-building stuff.

🔹 Protect your downtime, fiercely.

🔹 Make it sacred.

🔹 Watch how everything else starts to shift.

You don’t need to burn out to earn your success. You just need to back yourself enough to say:

“This time is mine. Because my dream is worth protecting.”