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.
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