This Product Leader Walked Out of the Office at 9AM — And Didn’t Go Back (Else van der Berg)

What makes someone walk away from a PhD, a career in law, and the startup that made them?

In this episode, I sit down with Else van der Berg—a former head of product turned solopreneur—to unpack the hard-earned lessons from the burnout that nearly broke her. Else shares how working 80-hour weeks and tying her identity to performance pushed her to the brink—and what changed afterward.

We talk about how startup culture, pressure to “always be on,” and even toxic leadership can distort your sense of success. Else doesn’t just reflect on the crash—she offers a clear, honest roadmap for building back stronger, with boundaries and intention.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

- Why Else left a high-growth role after a massive burnout—and how she rebuilt her career

- How early startup culture trained her to overwork and ignore red flags

- What she looks for now in leaders, teams, and work environments—and how you can too

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Intro

(07:06) From law to tech: Elsa's career transition

(08:59) Thank you to our sponsor, ThriveStack

(20:22) Challenges in the job market

(25:44) Burnout and recovery

(29:11) The persona of hard work

(30:55) Sexual harassment in tech

(33:15) Support systems and reporting issues

(38:51) Burnout and recovery

(41:03) Choosing the right work environment

(49:06) Leadership and self-reflection

(55:12) AI and the future of work

A huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor:

ThriveStack: Measure Growth. Find Drivers. Fix Leaks. https://www.thrivestack.ai/

Resources:

Connect with Else:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-else-van-der-berg-42b8b6a2/

Substack: https://elsevanderberg.substack.com/

Connect with Andrew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching