If you couldn't work tomorrow, who would you be?

If that question terrifies you, your self-worth isn't just connected to work - it IS work. And that's why every boundary fails and every attempt to step back doesn't stick.

In this final episode of 2025 I'm sharing what came up in client sessions and workshops about the deepest pattern keeping leaders stuck - when identity becomes inseparable from job title.

We're exploring:

→ The self-worth at work problem - when your identity IS your job and boundaries become impossible because protecting work time means protecting self-worth

→ The culture you've created - why your team's bad behavior is your leadership problem (culture isn't what you want, it's what you tolerate)

→ Why stepping back keeps failing - how many times can you commit to the same change before you admit you don't actually want to change?

Two clients this week. One fears boredom and lack of purpose without work, prioritises work over husband because work validates her. Another has committed to stepping back from engineering six times across six months - still doing it, still overwhelmed, because he can't let go of being the engineer.

The problem isn't capacity or team capability. The problem is letting go of the role means letting go of yourself.

This is the final episode for 2025. Thank you for listening. See you in 2026.