Balance & Beyond
The Pick-Me Girl Grows Up
If you’ve ever watched someone else get the opportunity you knew you could handle, the sting might not be about your capability. It might be about conditioning. We’ve been trained to chase gold stars and wait for a shoulder tap, and for high-achieving women that pattern can run for decades because it keeps “working” right up until it starts costing us our freedom, fulfilment, and energy. We talk about the system that rewards being picked and why it creates a life that looks successful on the outside but can feel strangely flat on the inside. When the old scoreboard stops motivating you, new questions get louder: Do I even want that next role? What do I want my days to feel like? How much of my career have I consciously chosen versus simply said yes to? We explore the grief and anger that can surface when you realise you played by the rules, yet still don’t feel like you’ve won. We also get practical about what changes in midlife, especially for the “safe pair of hands” who gets things done, keeps everyone steady, and says yes by default. When you start wanting boundaries, delegation, spaciousness, and time to think, the workplace and the people around you may keep inviting the old version of you back. Choosing yourself can mean re-weighting internal measures like meaning, vitality, connection, and control over your time, even when there’s no applause or clear next ladder. You don’t need a dramatic reinvention to start. You can pick yourself in micro moments: asking for what you want, creating opportunities, and making choices before checking what everyone else thinks. If this lands with you, subscribe, share it with a woman who needs the nudge, and leave a review so it reaches the people it’s meant for. Send a text message to Jo The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process. We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself. If something landed today, there's more where that came from. And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way. ️ https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast www.balanceinstitute.com https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne @therealjostone
