#11 The Hidden Cost of Success: When Your Dream Job Makes You Sick

The Hidden Cost of Success: When Your Dream Job Makes You Sick

At the height of her career, Trudy Macdonald looked like she had it all. But beneath the surface, something was quietly unraveling; a relentless pace, a mounting pressure to "do it all," and a creeping sense of exhaustion that couldn’t be fixed with a weekend off.

In this episode, Trudy (Managing Director of TalentCode HR) and Australian “Speaker of the Year” joins Suzie to name what so many of us silently experience: burnout. 

With expertise in organisational psychology and a fiercely human approach to leadership, Trudy shares her own story of burnout and the powerful strategies that helped her bounce back, not just to baseline, but to a more sustainable, fulfilling rhythm of life and work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to recognise the early warning signs of burnout in yourself and others
• Why “doing it all” often leads us to a breaking point, and, how to rewrite that story
• What true resilience looks like (hint: it’s not about pushing through)
• The mindset shifts that protect our motivation, wellness and energy
• How organisations can foster healthy, high performance
• Practical, life-tested tips for creating boundaries, recovery rituals, and support systems

This conversation is an invitation to check in; on yourself, your loved ones, your team, and the culture you're creating around you. Because burnout isn’t a badge of honour. It’s a signal that something needs to change.

Want more?

Explore Trudy’s work at talentcodehr.com.au, or follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram for practical insights on high-performance leadership and wellbeing.

Stay connected with the Let’s Check In Podcast on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok for conversations that help you navigate the messy middle of modern life.