In 2019, I finally got to the top of the ladder, landing a huge promotion. It was everything I’d been working towards, but instead of feeling on top of the world, I was underwhelmed. It was a good job, a great job, in fact. But I felt empty. Had I really sacrificed my health and my relationships for this? Had it all been worth it? The answer I came to was ‘no’.

All the sacrifices I had made hadn’t been worth the success. It hadn’t been worth the recognition, the job title or the salary. I realised in that moment that if you haven’t got your health and your relationships, you’ve got nothing.

During Covid, I was forced to step away from the office, like we all were, and reflect on what success really looked like for me. Not promotions, pay or bigger titles, but having my health, enough energy to enjoy my life and doing work that genuinely mattered to me. I had the job. I had the title. And I still felt empty.

Eventually, I decided to leave corporate life and set up my own business. I wanted to help leaders stop measuring themselves against someone else’s idea of success, reconnect to who they are, and do work that matters without losing themselves along the way. I know first-hand what it costs when you don’t.

And now I am there, I realise something powerful, I could have asked these questions and made so many changes even during my time in the corporate world. We can all live and work in line with our values, refusing to self-sacrifice the most important parts of who we are. We can all make decisions to step towards what energises us and away from what depletes us.

At 47, I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been. Health is a non-negotiable, and so is working with people who give me energy (as opposed to draining it). I never want to be that ghost of a person I was with my family, and I’ve now prioritised my energy, my friends and family. Oddly enough, I feel more successful than ever before.

I still love working, but it isn’t my only priority anymore. It can’t be, as my near-death experience taught me.

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