Dear High Achiever,
Have you ever experience this? You walk out of another high-stakes meeting. The numbers are solid. The board is pleased. The team is delivering.
From the outside, you look unstoppable. But as you close the door to your office, you feel the truth in your body. Your mind is foggy, your shoulders heavy, and your calendar so full it feels like there’s no space left to breathe.
You’re not failing. You’re exhausted.
I hear this from senior leaders all the time: “I’m doing everything right… so why does it feel so wrong?”
It’s not a skills problem.
It’s not a motivation problem.
It’s an energy allocation problem.
You protect budgets with discipline. You scrutinize financial investments. You wouldn’t dream of running your P&L without a plan.
But when it comes to your own energy? Most leaders spend without tracking, overcommit without reflection, and end up depleted — with very little return.
Over time, this imbalance creates:
Decision fatigue — important choices feel heavier than they should.
Diminished presence — you’re there in body but not fully engaged.
Hollow success — you deliver results but feel strangely detached from them.
It’s not a lack of capability. It’s a misallocation of energy.
⚠️ 4 Common Mistakes Leaders Make With Energy
Confusing stamina with sustainability. Powering through long hours doesn’t equal long-term success.
Treating rest as a reward, not a resource. Recovery isn’t optional; it fuels your best leadership.
Overinvesting in low-yield meetings. Filling your calendar with updates instead of creating space for impact.
Ignoring personal energy rhythms. Forcing productivity at your lowest-energy times instead of protecting your peak hours.
📊 Three Steps to Rebalance Your Energy Portfolio
Audit Your Energy Investments. Track your week and label activities as high-return (energizing, strategic, aligned) or low-return (draining, transactional, outdated).
Cut the Loss-Makers. Like any portfolio, some “investments” no longer serve you. Delegate, redesign, or step away from those that drain you consistently.
Double Down on High-Yield Areas. Protect time for work that plays to your strengths, connects with your values, and drives the impact only you can make.
📝 Quick Self-Assessment: How Balanced Is Your Energy Portfolio?
Ask yourself these five questions. Be honest:
Meetings → Do I leave most meetings feeling energized and clear, or drained and disengaged?
Focus Time → Does my week consistently include space for deep, strategic work that only I can do?
Energy Drains → Can I clearly identify which tasks and interactions deplete me — and am I actively limiting them?
Fulfilment vs. Achievement → At the end of the week, do I feel genuinely fulfilled — or just accomplished on paper?
Reinvestment → When I free up time or energy, do I reinvest it into what matters most, or let it get swallowed by busyness?
🛠 Actionable Step for This Week
Choose one low-return activity you can reduce, delegate, or eliminate this month. Then, reinvest that freed energy into a high-return activity — whether that’s deep work, mentoring, or personal renewal.
Like with financial investments, it’s not the one-off big decisions that create sustainability. It’s the consistent rebalancing.
🧠 Bottom Line
Your energy is your most valuable currency as a leader.
Manage it with the same discipline you bring to your business — and watch how quickly clarity, presence, and sustainable success follow.
To your bold shift,
Melissa
📌 Want guided support to reset?
If you’re a woman navigating a leadership shift, here’s a powerful way to do this work alongside other brilliant women (and with me supporting your journey):
🌴 WOW Retreat (El Nido, January 2026) → 4 days of deep reflection, honest strategy, and real sisterhood in paradise → Learn more
Your leadership deserves space to breathe, reset, and evolve. Let’s create it together.