Successful on Paper, Exhausted in Private: Why High-Performing Leaders Are Burning Out, and What Actually Works with Jahmaal Marshall
Listen Then SpeakShow Notes
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- Why high achievers don’t burn out from doing too much, but from being disconnected from themselves - The hidden belief that keeps senior leaders trapped in stress and over-responsibility - How anxiety in leadership is often identity-based, not circumstantial - Why traditional solutions fail high performers with dysregulated nervous systems - What “disordered boundaries” look like in executives and founders - How the Listen Then Speak approach helps leaders reduce stress, restore clarity, and lead without self-betrayal - What sustainable success actually requires at the nervous system level
More from Listen Then Speak
Are you always ready for a fight at work? The fight response is one of the 5 stress responses, and in high performers it rarely looks like rage. It looks like control, micromanaging, perfectionism, and needing to win every conversation. In Part 3 of our series on the 5 stress responses (fight, flight, freeze, flop, and fawn), Jahmaal Marshall breaks down how the fight-or-flight stress response shows up in successful leaders. You'll learn how fight shows up differently in men and women, the three root causes behind anger and control in leadership, and three practical steps to calm your nervous system and lead with strength under control. If you're an executive, leader, or HR professional who gets defensive with feedback, struggles with anger at work, or can't turn off "fight mode" at home, this episode is for you.
In this week’s episode, Jahmaal explores how the flight response can hide behind busyness, perfectionism, and the constant drive to achieve. He looks at where the pattern can begin, why it can lead to burnout, and how to start breaking the cycle by noticing what you’re avoiding, practicing stillness, and facing the beliefs underneath the urge to keep moving.
Even high-performers can have issues that stem back to their childhood affecting their career (and who they are) today! Jahmaal breaks down how we can begin to recognize and deconstruct our own "root cause".
Pastor Aaron Graham joins me to discuss Unshakeable Faith and how we can work through grief, fear, and doubt without losing our convictions. We also explore racial justice, political division, online outrage, and the importance of leading with both courage and compassion.