167 | [Guest] Boundaries, Identity, and God-Aligned Leadership with Carolon Donnally

About this episode

In this episode, Rika Whelan and Carolon Donnally discuss the signs and implications of burnout in leadership, particularly for women, and how to create a sustainable leadership life aligned with God.

Burnout doesn’t always look the way we expect. Sometimes it looks like loving your job… but slowly losing yourself in it. Sometimes it looks like saying “I’m fine”… while quietly falling apart. And sometimes it shows up in your body before you even recognise it in your mind. In this episode, I’m joined by Carolon Donnally, Burnout Prevention Strategist and former Head of Leadership Coaching at the IRS, who shares both her personal journey with burnout and the leadership patterns that often lead women there. Together, we explore how burnout develops over time, why high-capacity leaders are often the most at risk, and what it looks like to build a leadership life that is sustainable, healthy, and aligned with God. In This Episode We talk about: • the early warning signs of burnout (including physical symptoms many leaders ignore) • how burnout can progress into emotional and even clinical exhaustion if left unaddressed • why high-achieving, responsible leaders are often the most vulnerable to burnout• the hidden patterns that create burnout — including people-pleasing and over-responsibility• how work can subtly become an identity or even an idol• why saying “I’m fine” can mask…

People in this episode

Host: Rika Whelan

Guest: Carolon Donnally

Topics covered

• burnout
• leadership
• women in leadership
• mental health
• identity
• sustainability
• God-aligned leadership

Keywords

• burnout prevention
• leadership patterns
• high-capacity leaders
• emotional exhaustion
• people-pleasing
• work identity
• team support

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IRS

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