Marsha Evans, LPC-S: How to Lead in STEM Without Losing Your Hair or Your Sleep - 048

Marsha Evans, LPC-S: How to Lead in STEM Without Losing Your Hair or Your Sleep - 048

From Lunch with Leaders: Influence Extraordinary Authentic Women in STEM Careers for Empowerment by Adaeze Iloeje-Udeogalanya | Authentic Influencer for Women Empowerment Experts

May 21, 2026 · 53 min · Season 1 · Episode 48

About this episode

The episode discusses the hidden costs of overworking for women in STEM and offers strategies for sustainable leadership and self-care.

High-achieving women in STEM are burning out because they are honoring invisible childhood "contracts" that reward overwork, but true leadership requires reconnecting with the body to rip up those old agreements and build a sustainable identity. In this episode of Lunch with Leaders , host Adaeze Iloeje-Udeogalanya (TEDx speaker and leadership strategist) sits down with Marsha Evans LPC-S , a therapist who blends traditional cognitive behavioral therapy with holistic modalities like Reiki, sound healing, and VR technology. They tackle a critical issue for women in STEM and leadership: the hidden cost of the “hustle contract.” Adaeze opens up about her previous mindset of wanting to outsource her entire life to give 150%, realizing that never lying down unless sick was a badge of honor—but a dangerous one. Marsha reframes this drive as a “contract” signed in childhood, often rooted in family systems where overworking was normalized. The conversation reveals why high-achieving women burn out: not because they are weak, but because they are rewarded for over-giving until their bodies intervene. Key insights include the biological reality of the 90-second emotion rule, why…

People in this episode

Host: Adaeze Iloeje-Udeogalanya

Guest: Marsha Evans

Topics covered

  • women in STEM
  • leadership
  • burnout
  • holistic therapy
  • self-care
  • identity

Keywords

  • burnout
  • hustle contract
  • cognitive behavioral therapy
  • trauma-informed strategies
  • self-identity
  • women empowerment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TEDx, Reiki, sound healing, VR technology

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