As we celebrate Women’s History Month, I find myself reflecting not only on the incredible women who have shaped our past, but on the women leading today, as well. Too often, brilliant, passionate and committed leaders are running on empty, carrying more than anyone should and risking their health to do meaningful work.

Lately, I have been watching the journey to burnout unfold around me not in dramatic ways, but in quiet, subtle shifts. I hear it in conversations with leaders who are tired in a way sleep cannot fix. I see it in calendars that are full while spirits feel low. The passion remains, but the space to breathe has disappeared.

Burnout is quiet. It looks like commitment and responsibility. It looks like showing up again because the work matters and the people matter. I have watched leaders I deeply respect carry more than anyone should. I watched them say “yes” when their bodies whispered “no.” I have watched them normalize exhaustion because the mission felt bigger than their own needs.

I have seen how easily urgency becomes culture. High capacity quickly turns into high expectation. We celebrate output but rarely ask about sustainability. The journey is not one big decision. It is a thousand small ones – one more meeting, one more call, one more event, one more thing.

Burnout does not come from a lack of passion. It comes from prolonged overextension without enough support. It comes from carrying vision without shared weight. It comes from believing that rest can wait until everything is done, even though everything is never done.

I have always thought about the well being of people, especially leaders. This year, I am choosing to lead differently by making that a priority in how I show up. I am setting boundaries that protect energy. I am checking in on the leaders around me; not just about results, but about how they are really doing, as well. I am naming “too much” before it becomes too late, because caring for the people leading this work is just as important as the work itself.

As we honor women’s history, I am reminded that our presence matters. We cannot shape the future for women if we are not healthy enough to lead it. We cannot leave a legacy while slowly depleting ourselves. Leadership and wellness are not opposites. They are inseparable.

Let us stop glorifying exhaustion. Let us stop equating overextension with excellence. Let us build teams and organizations where sustainability is part of the strategy from the start, not something we address after someone is already depleted.

If you are a leader, pause and ask yourself what you are modeling. Are you creating space for rest, or are you silently rewarding burnout? Are you sharing the weight or carrying it alone? Are you building something that can last or something that depends on constant sacrifice?

We cannot build strong organizations on exhausted leaders. If we want the work to outlive us, we must lead in a way that allows us to stay whole.

This Women’s History Month, we choose awareness, a rhythm and to lead in a way that keeps us well so we can be here to make history for the women behind us.