Many professionals believe that escaping burnout requires major external changes—a new job, a promotion, or even an entirely different career path. But what if real transformation happens from within? Taking back control of your mindset, habits, and leadership approach can lead to profound professional growth—without altering your external circumstances.
This is the story of Beth, a tax managing director, who reshaped her career, leadership style, and well-being by focusing on internal transformation rather than external change.
What You’ll Learn in This Post
How negative thinking patterns impact professional effectiveness
The power of intentional morning routines
Why proper disconnection is crucial for leadership success
How to transform your relationship with networking
Recognizing the Warning Signs of Burnout
For Beth, burnout crept in gradually. The early signs were subtle but undeniable:
Waking up at 4 AM, mind racing with an endless to-do list
Feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed by routine tasks
A shift in communication—becoming short-tempered, especially with loved ones
These symptoms aligned with the World Health Organization’s three key indicators of burnout:
Physical and mental exhaustion
Cynicism and detachment
Decreased workplace effectiveness
Instead of seeking an external solution, Beth made a crucial decision—to invest in herself through coaching.
Taking Back Control Through Internal Transformation
By shifting her mindset and habits, Beth discovered that her biggest obstacles weren’t external—they were internal. Here’s how she took back control.
1. Rewiring Negative Thinking
Beth realized that negative thought patterns kept her stuck in a cycle of depletion. Through coaching, she learned to shift from a victim mentality to an empowered mindset—leading from abundance rather than exhaustion.
This didn’t mean ignoring challenges with “toxic positivity.” Instead, it meant adopting realistic optimism—focusing on what she could control and letting go of unnecessary stressors.
2. Reinventing the Morning Routine
Instead of starting each day overwhelmed by emails and deadlines, Beth built a morning routine designed to set a positive tone. She:
Spent time outdoors with her dogs
Practiced gratitude
Listened to uplifting music
Connected with her faith
This simple shift prevented the “boulder of negative thoughts” from gaining momentum each morning.
3. Mastering the Art of Disconnection
For years, Beth struggled to truly disconnect, even on vacation. Work always crept in, and family time was overshadowed by emails and client demands. Through coaching, she implemented clear boundaries:
Setting expectations with her team
Delegating responsibilities before stepping away
Limiting email checks to true emergencies
Staying fully present with loved ones
The result? Her team managed just fine without her, and she returned to work recharged and more effective than ever.
4. Redefining Networking
As an introvert, Beth once dreaded networking. But instead of forcing herself into uncomfortable situations, she found a way to network that aligned with her strengths:
Attending smaller, more intimate gatherings
Focusing on deeper, more meaningful conversations
Approaching networking with a service mindset
Building relationships based on genuine connection, not transactions
By shifting her approach, networking went from being a dreaded chore to a valuable, even enjoyable, part of her work.
5. Elevating Leadership Presence
Perhaps the most profound shift was Beth’s newfound confidence in leadership. Instead of feeling frustrated and uncertain, she started showing up with clarity and purpose—and leadership noticed.
Her energy and passion for business development became undeniable, and the right opportunities started coming her way naturally.
The Key to Sustainable Change
Beth’s story proves that taking back control of your career doesn’t always mean changing jobs. Instead of walking away from years of career-building, she chose to invest in herself, leading to:
Renewed purpose in her role
Greater impact as a leader
Stronger professional relationships
A better work-life balance
Final Thoughts: The Power of Internal Growth
You owe it to yourself to invest in your growth. Whether you’re experiencing burnout, feeling stuck, or simply know you’re capable of more, taking time to reflect and evolve isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.
Real transformation happens not when we change everything around us, but when we change how we show up within our existing circumstances. That’s when everything shifts—without changing anything at all.
Have you subscribed to my newsletter? It’s made for high-achieving women in accounting, finance, law, and consulting who want to navigate their career with confidence while maintaining their professional edge. Each week, I share practical strategies to build meaningful connections, reduce stress, and advance your career—without compromising well-being. Subscribe here.
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
How negative thinking patterns can impact your professional effectiveness
The power of creating intentional morning routines
Why proper disconnection is crucial for leadership success
How to transform your relationship with networking
Watch The Full Episode:
TRANSCRIPT: Is officially begin. Welcome to billable hour burnout. If you are looking for tactical advice that helps you actually have the career of your dreams without the stress or the overwhelm, you are in the right place. If you wanna have the ease and enjoyment that you've spent decades building, you are in the right place. If you're here today, it means you're ready to experience more work life balance, more ease, more confidence, and you're ready to do it without having to quit your job or burn down your life. My name is Lauren Baptiste, your big four auditor turned regulatory tax consultant turned life coach, and this is where I am now. You're listening to billable hour burnout. On the show, I share simple tactical advice specifically catered to the modern woman in accounting, consulting, law, and finance. You ready? Episode 38, it is December 23rd. Happy holidays, everybody. I hope you're feeling merry and well. It's been a fun few days. I'm in New York, and it's been a white Christmas lead up. I've been doing I made my own wreath, which I'm gonna share with you. I was inspired. I had some extra tree bows or bows. I don't know. I had an extra tree, Christmas tree, that I turned into a wreath. So I'll share a reel with you, but that'll be funny to see. It it sits it kinda looks like a teardrop, but it's beautiful, and it's homemade, and I love it. And so it's sitting outside of my garage, and I just love my wreath. And then yesterday, I did some ginger house break baking or no. Not baking. Baking with my niece, and that was just lovely. So we are having a lot of fun right now. I'm excited to host tomorrow, and then I'm excited for some rest. Acolo Wellness will be closed until January 2nd. And so at that time, there will be no consults. There will be no meetings. There'll be no lives. There'll be just me chilling out, and I am doing that as an example of what's possible for you. I know so many of you come and you're saying, hey. This is a busy time. I still have to work. How do I figure that out? Right? So let's be an example of what's possible and take some time to r and r. I'm also excited to, like, goals goal storm, brainstorm, goal set, IDA create, and really envision or really bring to life the vision I have for you in 2025. So without further ado, let's get into today's episode. Now I already do a introduction, but this woman I am highlighting today is really just so special. Beth came to me feeling like something was wrong, and to see that she went from, like, something was wrong maybe with her job, with her, with life. Like, she was just feeling like not herself. And as a woman who made it as high as a tax managing director, a mama of a 10 year old, and a wife to her husband. She had so many things happening for her, but what I really wanna showcase or or even lay the groundwork for is you're listening to this, is Beth's story is about courage. And I can't tell you how many women come into my world and say, even for example, I wanna do this video interview. And then they say they can't do it because they fear repercussion of their other partners or other people or judgment or that other people might, like, expose their vulnerabilities and take advantage of them, that's double down. And, Beth, I'm just gonna let her share it. Her story. I wanna share it with you. I wanna get right into it, but I really just appreciated Beth's story and how she decided this isn't just like a me thing. Everybody needs to figure this out for themselves to be their best version. So without further ado, let me share my screen, and we'll get this going. And, everybody, I just got a Mac, so please hang with me as I'm doing all the switches. Okay. Instagram's here. I should be sharing live. Let's watch. Alright. Well, I will just kick this off. Interview style. I am so excited to have Beth here today. She has been just so fun to coach over the past 6 months. And I wanted to share her story with you. Beth has gone through a transformation and not necessarily enroll, but inside. And so I wanted to show that because often people are experiencing or expecting a promotion. They're expecting a maybe paid change or a completely different job or fill in the blank of that, like, external circumstance. And what I wanted to share why I wanted to share Beth's story is because she came to me, and I'll let her explain more herself, but she came to me feeling a certain way, which I think a lot of my community can expect. Probably something around that burnout feeling and wanting more for herself and a whole new, world, I feel like, unfolded for you. So, Beth, why don't you take a moment just to share who you are, what you do, your title, anything you think that would be helpful for us to know to get to get to know you? Thank you, Lauren. I'm really excited to be here today to share my story with other professional, women. And, it's a topic that's near and dear to my heart because I put so much effort into my career. I've been doing tax for the last 20 plus years. I don't I don't really wanna date myself, but I've been in public accounting. I was started out for about 9 years, then I was in industry for 11, and I'm back, in public accounting again for the last 2. So, it's been a whirlwind. But, I think many who work in these billable hour industries are are well aware of, you know, the the constant demands and the busy seasons and things like that. And, you know, people take those very seriously. But if you don't manage yourself, and your, thoughts and your actions and how you use your time very well, you kinda end up where I was, which, I will say I was really not acting like myself. Emotionally, I was exhausted. I did not have, patience, particularly with my family members. And, I was starting to exhibit characteristics that I did not like. And I was really at a a crossroads. I could either continue down my career journey, or I could stop and do something entirely different. And I met Lauren at that crossroads. And I I went to my husband and I said, hey. I'm really struggling here. I need help. I'd like to get, help from an executive coach. I believe that I burnt out, and I believe that I need to, in essence, nurse myself back to health, holistically. And, the beauty of Lauren's program is that Lauren focuses on, you as an entire person and really gets to know you and invest time in knowing you. And, I really, enjoyed, you know, reflecting upon all the different things that affect me, and then learning about myself, and having that time to reflect, has really put me in a much better position where I'm I'm not gonna just get up and do something entirely different. I really didn't want to do something different, but I felt at the time because I was burnt out that there was, you know, there was sort of a dead end I was sitting in a wall. So, I knew I needed help. And thankfully, I saw Lauren. Her name was mentioned by a colleague of mine. So I just wanna say thank you to the colleague that that mentioned Lauren. And, I started by attending one of her, evening gatherings where she tells, others about what she does. And, through that, definitely peaked my interest and, it started our relationship. So I'm just really grateful. I'm so grateful. It's I love you sharing even just like a little snippet because I feel like you gave a little trailer, and I think it's so nice. You know, one thing that you mentioned is there were characteristics in myself that I noticed that I didn't like. What were some of those characteristics? Yeah. So I was, struggling to sleep, and I would wake up at odd hours, like, 4 o'clock in the morning, and then my mind would start racing with all the to dos. And, it almost created a paralysis, like an extreme procrastination where I was so overwhelmed with the volume of tasks that I had, that it almost, made me unable to move, you know, unable to move forward, which is not like me because I'm a person that prides myself on productivity. And I I really get a lot of satisfaction off checking the things off the list. I also noticed, that I was becoming short in my communication. And I also like to think of myself as a kind and loving person. And I wanna speak particularly to my loved ones, in that way. And I was not able to filter things out. I was very short, often reacting in anger. And, that I recognized fully that that's not who I wanted to be. Something needed to be done about that. And, you know, those are just a couple of the symptoms. I will say, you know, people talk about getting the Sunday night scaries before work week starts. I would say I had an extreme version of that where I just I just didn't wanna do it anymore. Mhmm. And, you know, I I wanted to find the passion for what I was doing and joy and and feel like a valued, team member and and to add and produce value, But I was not feeling that, because of my burnout. And so, I definitely needed to seek help and, you know, I'm I'm definitely in a different spot now than I was back then. Yeah. Amazing. And and I think what's helpful to identify too, burnout is composed according to the World Health Organization of 3 things. Exhaustion, physical and mental, a cynicism and detachment, which you just mentioned and you know, you first mentioned in the sleep, the second in that, like, Sunday scaries, and the third is an ineffectiveness at work. Did you feel that showing up for you at all? The procrastination. Right? The sense the, like, overwhelming sense of being overwhelmed with the to do list, like I said, created in action. And I would often take a lot of it would take me a lot of effort to sort of encourage myself to move forward. And it was almost extreme where just expending the effort to get myself going was a lot and would exhaust me. Yeah. And that's why I think as what you're sharing is what I hear daily. Women coming to me feeling like this, like, procrastination is like, oh, just who I am or just how I function or just because I have so many other things on my list. And while that's true, there's also part that's not true. And that's what we started to unravel one layer at a time of being like, you don't have to be angry to be a leader. You don't have to be exhausted to be a leader. You don't have to feel always behind the 8 ball. And that's where we started to say, okay, this is actually burnout. And now we get to, like, remove that from the equation, which I love in our time together. While we've been working, what have you learned about yourself, or what have you noticed or learned about your career, or noticed in yourself, while we have been coaching together? Well, I think a lot of people generally like to say, oh, it's not me. It's someone else and point a finger. And, you know, I I'm definitely humbled to say that, there was a lot that was happening within myself, that that was the problem. And I can't really put a blame on someone else, in this situation to a certain extent because, a lot of what was happening was in my head. And one of the most important things I've learned is how the negative thinking, can put you in this cycle of, you know, influencing results in a not great way. And, if you can heal that part of you and train your mind to think positively and I and I'm not talking about a false positive. I'm talking about a realistic positive. If you can learn how to do that, that is very powerful because it directly influences the actions and results that you achieve. And, the other thing that I would note is I was pouring from an empty cup. And the thing that I had to realize was, I might not have been aware of it, but whether or not I like to say it, I was giving off a vibe to others and and to those within my team, particularly at the end when I was, you know, utterly exhausted. And, you know, there's this victim mentality. Oh, I've sacrificed so much. I've done so much, And that part is not healthy. And I needed to to work on that and realize that as a leader, I'm I should not be pouring from an empty cup. That does not serve my team well. And, and I needed to nurse myself back to health in order to be the appropriate leader that I want to be. Mhmm. I love that. It's so many you said so many good things. But the one that I think even just starting from the top was, like, this idea of blame. And it's it's such a fine line because what happens is we either say, my company did this to me and or it's all my fault. And what you shared is like that gray space of it's not their fault, but also, like, it's not my fault either. So, like, let's find a solution. And so instead of blaming ourselves and, like, going into a place where our confidence starts to dip, self deprecate, like, into that whole spiral, it's like, oh, I can do something about this. And that's where it goes from blame to, like, power. And I love that you share that right from the get go of, like, okay, There's something here. And just even the idea of, like, how the negative thinking influences the results of where you were going, how it showed up in your team of, like, them not getting your best self. Maybe even the negative thinking of, like, I have to keep giving even when I have nothing to give. So I just really appreciate it even that the the victim mentality, and how now you're seeing how that's not serving you. It's not serving your team. It's not serving your clients. It's not serving your family. And now you have something better. So I love, love, love that. So tell me about some of the successes. So there's mindset, which is this, like, really, sometimes a subtle component. But have you noticed, like, tangible, gross components of, like, in your life, I'm experiencing these benefits now because I did this program. Yeah. I will say that habits take time to change. So you gotta give yourself grace when you embark upon a journey of growth like this. And, it does take hard work in chipping away at the habits. And so slowly building that muscle memory of for me, part of it is starting my day in a positive way. So doing something that uplifts me instead of stresses me out. And an easy one to highlight is that every morning, I used to get up and start looking at my emails and my messages and start my to do list in my head. And I actually have stopped doing that. Now in the morning, I wake up and I go outside with my dogs and I breathe in the fresh air and I don't look at my phone. And I I look at the sunrise coming up. And I I try to find the joy and the gratitude to start the day. And if I start my day with gratitude, being thankful that I have a job and a roof over my head and food on my table and a family that loves me, all the things that I my true value in my life, that starts me in a positive way. And then I follow that up with some music. I'm very I have a very strong faith. I I play some faith music. And, and then I then I get energized about my day. And it could be a hard day. It could be a day of meetings back to back, but my mind is in the right space. Whereas, what I used to do was look at my phone and become overwhelmed and start that negative cycle of bad thoughts in my mind. Oh, what if I'm late? What if I don't get all this stuff done? Then it's a you know, this boulder rolling down a hill. What if I can't eat dinner with my family? What if I can't take care of my dogs? You know? And I can stop that boulder in its tracks and knock it down the other side of the valley and not even let it happen and affect me. So, but every day, I have to do that with diligence. And I you know, there are days when I don't do that, But I see the result, you know, on the different end of the spectrum of the day. And I start with gratitude and positive things versus when I don't. It's a dramatic difference. I love that. You know, it's funny when I speak with clients who are, like, moving towards the end of the program, I almost hear the words are, like, joy and presence and gratitude. And these, like, words that I think when we're in burnout, we're like, what is that? So I actually you know, you and I love what you shared because I think it is so tangible. Like, you mentioned morning habits. I'm gonna add a couple of things to the list that I know you've accomplished. Even the idea of you took a really solid vacation a couple months ago, weeks long. Went spent time with family, properly disconnected. Right? That's something that when you go from, like, burnout, you don't even think you can take a day off, And you took weeks off. Yeah. That one was really important to me because I had, taken a similar trip. And I have a twin sister, and I really wanted to spend 1 on one time with her. And I was up there, earlier in the year, and I worked the entire time. And, you know, while it sort of was what it was, I came back again a little bit later after I had been working with you for some time. And I knew that it was okay for me to take my PTO and to fully disconnect, and that was what I should be doing. And, you know, did I skim my emails from time to time just to make sure nothing was blowing up? Yes. But that did not mean that when I was with my sister, I was on my phone the entire time. In fact, I kept my phone in my pocket or my pocketbook. You know, I was not looking at it throughout. And my sister noticed the difference, and she said, this is amazing. We had such a lovely time together. I'm so glad that we could do this. And it was night and day different than what I had done. You know, I do think that there are ebbs and flows in your professional career, and sometimes there are emergencies and things that happen. But, you know, the way that I got around it was I told the teams in advance. Advance. I am away. And, if there were other teammates, I asked them to step up while I was out to cover up. And, I set that plan in motion as best I could to cover while I was gone. And, it it did work out very well. So Amazing. I love I love hearing that because we need proof of that. And sometimes, you know, we don't believe it until like that. If we go away, the world's gonna crumble. And I love that, like, even in a few months difference of I worked when I was with my sister earlier in the year to mid year, I had a full proper break and she noticed it. Amazing. Another thing that I noticed from you, which has been a really beautiful change in you, is this power of networking. That is something that really came to light, and how you started to build your book of business. Tell me about the successes there that you've seen and experienced in yourself and even in maybe your bottom line or anything you'd like to share. Yeah. It's interesting because, I never really would envision myself as a salesperson. Although sales is part of my role, currently. And, I had not had prior experience in the sales of, services and my time initially in public accounting because I was not at the level when I left. And then I was in industry for a while. So I was a buyer of services, but I did not have to sell them. So this is this was entirely new to me. And part of it was a confidence thing, and part of it was not really understanding fully how things like that happen. But I I was afraid of networking. I'm naturally introverted. I, you know, I I don't like being the center of attention. But through the work that we did together, I found that I truly enjoy networking. Mhmm. I I took it on my own terms though. The part that I didn't like about networking was going into a huge room with a large group of people, and I didn't even know where to start. And what I've done is I identify a smaller subgroup to connect with, and that makes me much more comfortable. I can have those deeper conversations with others and get to know them closely. And that is how I have modified it. But once you build success upon success about those positive experiences that helps to build your confidence and now I actually found that the thing that I was afraid of, I now have passion for and I enjoy and love, which is night and day of how I was in the beginning. And it is a critical component of my role. So it was either I learned how to do that or and, could stay on the path to principal. Or if I would did felt like that was not for me, I might have to change my career trajectory and accept that that was not for me. And, I did wanna give it a try, and I'm happy that I've that I've given it a real try and learned to love it. So Amazing. And one other thing I I love this. This is so good. Because it's all building. So the last thing that I noticed as a tangible impact of us working together is this shift in in your relationship with leadership. I from my gathering, it sounds like they're really noticing you now. Like, are you feeling that way? Like, how are you getting their attention in a way that maybe prior you weren't? I would say, you know, the the vibe that I give off is entirely different. Where before I was upset and frustrated and maybe not, not giving off positive vibes, they have noticed that my mood has changed. And, and they've noticed that I'm reenergized and that I'm getting out there and that I'm that I have the passion for the business development, which is something that, you know, when you're uncertain about it within yourself, you give off that vibe of uncertainty to others. And that now is what has changed. They they can see that I'm actually that I've pivoted from fearing it and avoiding it to enjoying it. And, you know, it's and the thing I would say is it's not as hard as I thought it would be. It actually happens naturally, when you invest the time in the relationships. And, you know, the other piece of it is I I believe that what is meant to be will happen. And I I try not to focus on getting things from other people. I I really have shifted my mentality to to how can I help other people? And that's how I approach it. I would I genuinely wanna help other people through my work and solve their problems. And that is that's my how I, you know, overcome the the idea of selling something. I love it. Yeah. We've talked about throughout our time together. This idea of, like, conscious leadership, servant leadership, and really, like, true leadership. Because we I think we see leadership sometimes, and it's just the person with the highest title. And I hear you and and the work that we've done together has really refined this, like, service mentality of, like, I'm here to serve my clients, my team, my company, and also do it in a way that's authentic to you. Amazing. Amazing. Why is coaching been a good decision for you? I think the easiest answer to that is, when I was at that crossroads, I was ready to take something that I put so much time and effort in achieving and getting to the point that I was and just, in essence, throw it away. And through coaching, I've been able to salvage that and to get myself back on the path to being well, and as you mentioned, to serve others and, and to help others. And, you know, that that part to me is very meaningful. I I I want to do that in the best way that I can, and I wanna be a good leader. And, I'm excited about the opportunities for the future. Amazing. Last question. If you were to give one piece of wisdom or advice for someone who might be thinking about coaching, What would you share with them? I would say don't be afraid to ask for help. You know you. And, if you feel like something is off and you feel like you're not being yourself recently, that you don't recognize yourself or your behavior, you wanna be more of the person that you were and have more energy and enthusiasm for what you do. You really do need that independent viewpoint to help you and encourage you to reflect. Because I think for me, it was a time thing. And I said, oh, I don't have time. I'm so busy. I can't do this. And you owe it to yourself to invest the time in you and to reflect. And by doing that, you become a better leader for others, and then you influence the world around you in positive ways instead of negative. And, yeah, it's totally worth it. Mhmm. You owe it to yourself. That's so powerful. That's so powerful. Beth, I love your story. I appreciate you sharing your journey. You know, I know for women, this is not it's not the easiest thing to come out and, like, raise our hand and say, hey. I experienced burnout. Hey. I need help. And so I love that you just from the forefront were just, like, so open to sharing your story and your boldness. And really, to me, it's just such a testament of the confidence you've built, the servant leadership that you embody, and just the way that you're going to be as you move forward in your career. So thank you so much for sharing your light and love with all of us. I appreciate it. Thank you. Alright. That was Beth's story. Can we, like, give a round of applause? I have so many I took notes. I took notes even after watching it again. There's so many beautiful things that Beth shared that is just so valuable. But as we're coming towards the end of the year, and I'm thinking about the season finale of this episode, and as we're coming to the end of this half hour, the messaging here is you owe it to yourself. You owe it to yourself to take time to reflect. You owe it to yourself to have a life that feels better than one that feels burnt out and stuck. You owe it to yourself, fill in the blank. Take a moment and fill that blank in for you. You owe it to yourself. This isn't a nice to have. Coaching isn't just, like, a gift you give yourself because. It's a necessity to have the life that you have built. It's it's the key is to actually getting not just like buying the car, but getting in the car and driving it. It's the ability to have the life that you really want. And so I called this episode when everything changes without having to change anything because that was the truth in Beth's story. Do you notice that she didn't change her job? Her title didn't change. Her family didn't change. Her location didn't change. But she changed. She completely transformed just by doing this work. And so I'm gonna wrap it up there. As we come to this last episode of billable hour burnout for this first season, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for joining me. Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing your feedback. Thank you for engaging on the post. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So let's stay connected in 2025. Okay. The the best way to do that, you can find me on all the socials. Instagram at the Lauren Baptiste, LinkedIn, Lauren Baptiste, Facebook, Lauren Baptiste Coaching, and YouTube, Aclo Wellness, and or Lauren Baptiste Coaching, and you'll find me. I am everywhere, wherever you hang, so I want you to engage with whatever platform feels best for you. But here's what I know to be true. Sometimes these algorithms, like, don't give you all the things you actually wanna see. So why don't you jump on my newsletter? You can get on there directly by going to achelowawellness.com/newsletter. That's a cheloa, wellness, w e l l n e s s, dot com / newsletter, and you can just jump right on the newsletter where you get weekly tips. You're the first I always say you're my VIP group. You're the first to know when new products come out, new courses come out, new trainings come out, webinars, all of those things. I know even Beth mentioned she first met me by coming to one of my webinars, so she knew by being on my newsletter. So I invite you to do the same. Thank you so much for this beautiful year. 2024 has been a year, For some of you, if it's been a hard year, we'll let it go. We move forward into 2025. In 2025, I wish you peace, ease, prosperity, success, and joy. Everybody, it's been a pleasure. I'll see you soon. Thank you. |
