Ever had that moment where you think, “That’s it. I’m done.”?
Mine hit me in January.
Six weeks on the road. The US. Canada. Family road trips, late-night conversations, three days geeking out at NASA—soaking in a world that felt big, exciting, full of possibility. I came home expecting to feel refreshed. Instead, something felt… off.
It wasn’t jet lag. It was everything else.
I was relieved to leave behind the intensity of US politics. But stepping back into Australia, I felt like I’d walked into something worse. Leaders pulling the same tricks. Spinning the same narratives. And the hardest part? Watching good leaders—people who knew better—mirror that same destructive behaviour and get away with it.
Something inside me snapped.
"Fuck it. I don’t want to do this anymore."
I was done. Done pushing for better leadership, better care, better mental health awareness. Done trying to make this work commercially while the clients I cared about were getting hammered by shifting priorities. And my own mental health? Taking a nosedive.
I hit the wall. Hard.
And then, somewhere in that mess of exhaustion and frustration, a thought surfaced:
This is exactly what I talk about. Exactly what I train people for. Exactly what I’ve watched play out in over a thousand leaders I’ve worked with.
Because here’s the thing: I know this moment isn’t just mine. I’ve seen it on the faces of leaders I’ve trained. Where they feel drained, questioning everything, wondering if the fight is still worth it.
I did what I tell them to do. I reached for friends. I reached for family. I reached for NewAccess from Beyond Blue—mental health coaching for small business owners.
Thank god I did.
Because not long after, I sat down with Emma Schneider.
I told her I might shut the business down. Not in a dramatic way—just a real, honest conversation about whether what we were doing actually worked.
She let me get it all out. Then she asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks:
💭 “If you could change one thing, what would it be?”
I sat with it. And then the answer was so obvious I couldn’t believe I’d missed it.
✨ I need to stop pushing. I need to start offering.
At first, they sound like the same thing, right? But when you sit with it, they’re completely different. And the energy behind them made all the difference.
The Shift That Changed Everything
Leadership is full of these moments—where what worked before stops working. Where the thing you’ve been pushing suddenly turns into resistance.
And here’s the hard part: when leaders hit this wall, most of them double down.
🔹 They push harder.
🔹 They micromanage more.
🔹 They hold onto “how we’ve always done it” because change feels like admitting failure.
I was about to do the same thing. Until Emma’s question forced me to pause.
Instead of trying to convince leaders to care about mental health, I started offering them ways to build high-trust, well-led teams.
Instead of pushing programs, I built tools leaders and teams could use every day.
And everything shifted.
This wasn’t just a business decision. It was a leadership shift.
The Hard Truth About Leadership Growth
We talk about leadership like it’s about driving results, inspiring people, setting strategy. And it is. But underneath it all, leadership is about learning how to let go of what’s not working.
It’s about recognising when force isn’t the answer—and when a shift in approach could change everything.
That’s what we did.
🔹 We made our programs pragmatic. No fluff—just what leaders actually need.
🔹 We made them clear. Tools for trust, hard conversations, and better decision-making.
🔹 We made them usable. Because people don’t need another theory—they need something they can apply today.
That’s leadership growth. The ability to adapt, recalibrate, and make the next right move—even when you’re exhausted.
What This Means for You
If you’re reading this, maybe you’ve hit your own version of this wall.
Maybe you’re leading a team that’s disengaged.
Maybe you’re struggling to balance care and accountability.
Maybe you’re doing everything “right” and still feeling stuck.
If you could change one thing, what would it be?
It might be time for your shift.
🚀 Let’s talk about what might work for you. Drop a comment or DM us—we’d love to hear what’s made the biggest difference in your leadership journey.
At Well-Led Workplaces, we’re here to help you lead with clarity and purpose. Let’s create workplaces where people and results thrive—together.
📩 Email: support@well-ledworkplaces.com.au
🌐 Website: www.well-ledworkplaces.com.au
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