Breaking the cycle of burnout with Winnie Keji
How can women of colour break the cycle of burnout and realign their work with their life’s purpose while embracing authentic leadership?
Join us in this insightful conversation with Winnie Keji, leadership and management consultant.
Winnie shares her leadership journey, beginning as the eldest sibling and evolving through various stages of life. From her early roles as a class prefect and Sunday school leader to mentoring immigrant women and teenage girls, Winnie reflects on how leadership naturally chose her despite initial resistance. She emphasizes the crucial role of mentorship, self-discovery, and authenticity in her path.
Winnie opens up about her experience with burnout, describing how it manifested in phases, including chronic fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and behavioural changes. She highlights the unique challenges faced by racialized women, such as systemic pressures, racism, sexism, and cultural expectations. Key contributors to burnout, like overcompensation, code-switching, caregiving responsibilities, and financial burdens, are addressed, especially for women supporting extended families.
Together, we reflect on how breaking the burnout cycle requires a powerful act of self-love to rediscover joy and fulfillment, a journey that will look different for every woman of colour.
Prioritize yourself in your leadership journey with inspired action and gentle reminders of your worth and humanity.
Listen to the episode here or watch the episode on Youtube.
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Learn more about Winnie on Instagram
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03:34 – Winnie shares her leadership journey, which began at home as the eldest sibling and evolved through various life stages. From being a class prefect and Sunday school leader to mentoring immigrant women and teenage girls, Winnie reflects on how leadership chose her despite resistance. She highlights the importance of mentorship, self-discovery, and authenticity in her path.
10:00 – She reflects on her experience with burnout, describing how it unfolded in phases from chronic fatigue to emotional exhaustion and behavioural changes. She emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, support systems, and mentorship in recognizing and navigating burnout, particularly for racialized women who face additional systemic pressures and the intersection of racism, sexism and cultural expectations.
18:40 – To break this cycle of burnout, Winnie highlights overcompensation, code-switching, caregiving responsibilities, and the financial burden of supporting extended families as key contributors to burnout. She shares that resigning from her job was pivotal in breaking the cycle and reclaiming her life. Inspired by friends who balanced successful careers with personal time, she realized the importance of aligning her work with her life's purpose and prioritizing work-life balance. This courageous choice allowed her to rediscover a sense of joy and fulfillment.
29:37 – We end the episode with Winnie’s profound advice – to always choose and prioritize yourself repeatedly – emphasizing the birthright of women of colour to not simply exist to perform but to live authentically.
African Proverb: “Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.”
What is one step you can take today to recalibrate the threshold of your capacity?
