UnCeiling You: High-Performance Leadership without Burnout

You didn't burn out because you're weak. You burned out because you're the one everyone depends on — and nobody ever defined where your responsibility ends. UnCeiling You — High Performance Leadership Without Burnout is for high-functioning leaders who are ready to rise without running themselves into the ground. Host Dr. Natalie Luke — PhD, former Senior Vice President in a STEM company, author, and leadership performance consultant — breaks down the real drivers of burnout in high performers: unclear ownership, over-responsibility, and urgency culture that rewards reaction over results. Each episode combines peer-reviewed research with real conversations and practical strategies so you can do what most leaders never learn: lead at your highest level without paying the cost showing up in your health, your relationships, or your team's performance. Whether you're carrying too much yourself or leading a team where someone else is — this podcast was built for both of you. 🎧 New episodes weekly. Subscribe and start leading in a way that's sustainable, powerful, and completely yours.

UnCeiling You: High-Performance Leadership without Burnout is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 0 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

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  Episode #83

  Stop Playing Small in Corporate

  Aug 18, 202641 minS5

  Why High Performers Need to Stop Proving Their Value by Doing More Week 4 of The Trust Tax Investigation: How We Break the Cycle You work hard. You're reliable. You take responsibility. You make sure things get done. And somewhere along the way, you may have learned a story that sounds something like this: If I keep doing great work, eventually I'll be recognized for it. So you keep giving. You absorb another responsibility. You help someone else succeed. You make sure the team is okay. And when the recognition, promotion, compensation, or opportunity doesn't follow? You may respond by doing even more. In this episode of The Trust Tax Investigation , I sit down with Catherine Lang-Cline , who built and sold a multimillion-dollar company and then wrote The Rules of the Game for Women in Business . Catherine learned something while building her company: she had been playing by rules that encouraged her to be polite, humble, grateful—and smaller than she actually was. Then someone gave her a simple piece of advice: You're the CEO. Start introducing yourself like one. That seemingly small shift changed the way Catherine entered rooms, talked about her expertise, built relationships, and eventually grew her business. But our conversation goes much further than confidence. We talk about what happens when being reliable becomes part of your identity. When being needed feels good. When responsibility keeps accumulating. And when you become so focused on helping everyone else succeed that you forget to ask: What am I getting in return for the value I'm creating? Catherine's answer is clear: Stop playing small. In this episode, we explore: How reliability can help you succeed—and eventually keep you stuck Why capable people often keep accumulating responsibility instead of advocating for advancement How to communicate your expertise without minimizing yourself Why you should be able to explain how your work contributes to the organization's bottom line The difference between being appreciated and being appropriately recognized and compensated Why advocating for yourself isn't the same thing as being selfish How champions and cheerleaders can help you step into opportunities before you think you're ready Why high performers need to stop waiting for someone else to recognize their value What Catherine means when she says it's time to stop playing small The Trust Tax Investigation This conversation gives us another answer to our Week 4 question: How do we break the cycle? One way is to stop proving our value by continually taking on more. The story may say: I'm responsible. They need me. I'm good at this. I should be grateful for the opportunity. Eventually, they'll recognize everything I'm doing. But being valuable doesn't require becoming responsible for everything. Catherine challenges us to do something different: Know the value you create. Say it. Advocate for it. Ask for the opportunity. Ask for the compensation. And if an organization continually benefits from what you contribute without recognizing or rewarding it, give yourself permission to consider whether there's another organization that will. That's not caring less. It's recognizing that you belong in the equation too. One Question to Take With You If you're the person everyone describes by saying: "I don't know what we'd do without her..." Catherine gives us an important follow-up question: Are you being recognized, developed, and compensated accordingly? Because being indispensable isn't the same thing as advancing. And being appreciated isn't always the same thing as being rewarded. Rewrite Your Story That's why this final week of The Trust Tax Investigation leads directly into Rewrite Your Story . For four weeks, we've been identifying the patterns. Now we have to look at the stories underneath them. Maybe yours says: I have to prove myself. Good work will eventually speak for itself. I shouldn't ask for too much. Being a good leader means taking care of everyone else. Those stories may have helped create your success. They don't have to define how you lead next. On October 15, 2026 , at Walsh College in Troy, Michigan , comedian, keynote speaker, and playwright Merit Kahn and I are bringing this work into the room for Rewrite Your Story: Leadership Workshop + Live Comedy Show . We'll work on: Seeing the story. Changing the beliefs. Setting boundaries and clarifying ownership. Building systems of trust. Leading differently. Then Merit takes the stage with her hilarious one-woman theatrical comedy show, Optimistic Personality Disorder™ . The workshop helps you see your story . The comedy helps you let it go. ️ Learn more and reserve your seat: RewriteYourStoryEvent.com Connect with Catherine Lang-Cline Catherine Lang-Cline is an entrepreneur, mentor, and author of The Rules of the Game for Women in Business . After building and selling a multimillion-dollar company, she now shares the lessons she learned about relationships, visibility, advocacy, and navigating the unwritten rules of business. Website: CatherineLangCline.com Book: The Rules of the Game for Women in Business LinkedIn: Catherine Lang-Cline on LinkedIn Follow The Trust Tax Investigation Week 1: When Success Becomes a Trap Week 2: Why Does This Happen? Week 3: How Organizations Support Burnout Week 4: How We Break the Cycle Subscribe to UnCeiling You on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

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  Episode #82

  Stop Proving. Start Connecting in Corporate

  Aug 16, 202639 minS5

  How High Performers Break the Cycle of Overwork and Burnout Week 4 of The Trust Tax Investigation: How We Break the Cycle For the past three weeks, The Trust Tax Investigation has been asking why capable, successful people burn out. This week, we stop simply diagnosing the problem. We ask what we can do differently. And my conversation with Emmy-winning comedy writer Beth Sherman took us somewhere I didn't entirely expect. Beth spent decades writing for some of television's biggest shows and personalities. Today, she brings what comedy taught her about connecting with skeptical audiences into leadership and business. We started with a question about trust: How do you get people to trust you? But our conversation eventually led to a different question: What happens when being trusted becomes part of the problem? Because being dependable can be a tremendous strength. Being known as the person who can solve a particular problem can create opportunities. But there can also be a hidden cost when: "You're really good at this" becomes... "So you should always be the one who does it." That's where Beth and I had to work through the idea together. And I think the conversation became better because we did. The problem isn't being trusted. The problem isn't being dependable. And the solution certainly isn't to stop being excellent at what you do. The problem begins when the role everyone trusts you to play starts limiting your ability to choose, grow, communicate what you want, or become something different. In this episode, we explore: Why being trusted and dependable isn't inherently a problem When being the "go-to" person can begin limiting your growth Why people-pleasing can quietly keep successful people stuck How to communicate when you want something different Why leaders need to understand the audience in front of them How authenticity and vulnerability create connection Why perfection can actually get in the way of trust What Beth means by "connection over perfection" How staying connected to yourself can help you recognize when it's time to make a different choice The Trust Tax Investigation One of the things this conversation clarified for me is that trust itself isn't the tax . The Trust Tax begins to grow when trust continually routes responsibility back to the same dependable people, and those people stop having meaningful choices about what they carry. There's often a story underneath it: They need me. I'm good at this. It's easier if I just do it. I don't want to disappoint anyone. This is what people expect from me. Those stories can help us become successful. But eventually, we have to ask whether they're still helping us become the leader—or person—we want to become. Beth gives us one way to start breaking that cycle: Connection over perfection. Connect with the people you're leading. Communicate what you need. And don't forget to stay connected with yourself. Because breaking the Trust Tax doesn't require becoming less dependable. It requires becoming more intentional about where, why, and how you choose to be depended upon. Rewrite Your Story That's also why this final part of The Trust Tax Investigation leads directly to Rewrite Your Story . Once you recognize the pattern, the next question becomes: What story is keeping it going? On October 15, 2026 , at Walsh College in Troy, Michigan , comedian and keynote speaker Merit Kahn and I are bringing this work into the room for Rewrite Your Story: Leadership Workshop + Live Comedy Show . We'll work on recognizing the stories and beliefs driving the way we work, lead, and carry responsibility—and begin choosing what we want to do differently. See the story. Change the beliefs. Set the boundaries. Build trust. Lead differently. The workshop helps you see your story. The comedy helps you let go of it. ️ Learn more and reserve your seat: RewriteYourStoryEvent.com Connect with Beth Sherman Beth Sherman is an Emmy-winning comedy writer, speaker, and communications expert who helps leaders use humor and humanity to create stronger connections with their audiences. Website: https://www.bethsherman.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-sherman/ Follow The Trust Tax Investigation Week 1: When Success Becomes a Trap Week 2: Why Does This Happen? Week 3: Why Organizations Create It Week 4: How We Break the Cycle Subscribe to UnCeiling You on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

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  Episode #81

  Once You Stop Speaking Up, You've Checked Out of Corporate

  Aug 9, 202635 minS5

  How Bad Decision Rooms Create Burnout, Groupthink, and Costly Mistakes Week 3 of The Trust Tax Investigation What happens when the people who see the problem stop saying anything about it? They're still in the meeting. They're still doing their jobs. They may still be delivering. But somewhere along the way, they learned that their perspective wasn't wanted, wasn't heard, or wasn't worth the effort it took to keep offering it. As Kylee Ingram says in this episode: "Once you stop speaking up, that's kind of when it's all over. You've checked out." And that should matter to every leader. This week on The Trust Tax Investigation , we're asking what role organizations play in creating the conditions where burnout grows. Kylee brings us directly into one place where that can happen: The decision room. Who gets invited? Who gets heard? Whose information counts? Who speaks first? And whose perspective disappears before the decision ever gets made? Kylee's work in decision science shows why the loudest or most senior person in the room isn't necessarily the person with the perspective the organization needs. When organizations repeatedly rely on familiar voices and familiar ways of thinking, they don't just risk leaving people out. They risk groupthink, blind spots, poorer decisions, reduced innovation, and disengagement. And there's another cost. When people are overloaded, Kylee explains, they tend to fall back on what's familiar and simple. That can further limit creativity and decision quality. That's where this conversation becomes part of The Trust Tax Investigation . Because burnout isn't simply about how much work someone has. It's also about what happens when people repeatedly spend energy navigating systems that make it harder to do good work. In this episode, you'll discover: Why the loudest or most senior person can unintentionally dominate a decision. How social, information, and capacity biases affect organizational decisions. Why cognitive diversity matters—not just demographic diversity. What happens to creativity and decision-making when people become overloaded. Why leaders should consider speaking last , rather than first. How better-designed decision rooms can increase buy-in across an organization. Why someone can physically remain in the room while psychologically checking out. The simple question every leader can ask before the next important decision: Who's missing? The Trust Tax Investigation Week 3 has widened our lens. Burnout isn't simply an individual problem. It's created through an interaction between people and the environments in which they're trying to succeed. Sometimes the Trust Tax looks like doing more than your share. Sometimes it looks like responsibility continually finding the same capable person. And sometimes it looks like sitting in a room with something valuable to contribute—and eventually deciding it isn't worth speaking. That costs the individual. And it costs the organization. Because when people stop contributing what they see, know, question, or understand, organizations aren't getting the full value of the people they've hired. Kylee's message offers another possibility: Don't just ask people to speak up. Design better rooms for them to speak into. Rewrite Your Story There's also a personal story underneath this conversation. Maybe yours sounds like: "I'm not senior enough to say anything." "They've already made up their minds." "It's easier if I just keep quiet." "Speaking up isn't worth it anymore." Those stories don't appear out of nowhere. Sometimes they're learned from the environments we've been working in. But they don't have to define how we lead next. That's why The Trust Tax Investigation and Rewrite Your Story belong together. The investigation helps us recognize the patterns shaping how we work and lead. Rewrite Your Story helps us decide what we want to do differently. Join comedian, keynote speaker, and playwright Merit Kahn and me on October 15, 2026 , at Walsh College in Troy, Michigan , for a full-day interactive leadership workshop followed by Merit's hilarious and inspiring one-woman show, Optimistic Personality Disorder™ . Because the story that helped create your success doesn't have to define how you lead next. ️ Reserve your seat: RewriteYourStoryEvent.com Connect with Kylee Ingram Kylee is the founder of Wiser , where she applies decision science to help organizations intentionally design better decision-making environments. Kylee also mentions a free decision profile during our conversation that can help you understand the perspective you naturally bring into a decision room. Wiser / Decision Profile: https://www.wizer.business/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleeingram/ Send us Fan Mail Support the show Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

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  Episode #80

  You Can't Have It All by Doing It All; Why High Achievers Mistake Overload for Leadership

  Aug 4, 202632 minS5

  Week 3 of The Trust Tax Investigation For many high achievers, success doesn't disappear overnight. It slowly drifts out of alignment. The responsibilities grow. The calendar fills. You become the person everyone depends on. From the outside, it looks like success. On the inside, it feels like you're achieving more—but enjoying it less. In this episode of The Trust Tax Investigation , I sit down with leadership expert, executive coach, and former Vice President of Talent and Leadership Carol Enneking to explore how organizations—and the people inside them—can unintentionally create the conditions where burnout grows. Carol shares what she learned after years leading talent inside large organizations and interviewing high-achieving professionals for her book, The Rebalancing Act . One theme kept emerging: The very strengths that make people successful—being dependable, ambitious, intelligent, and willing to help—can also become the habits that quietly lead to overload. Together, we explore why burnout isn't just about working harder. It's about losing alignment between what matters most and how we actually spend our time. In this episode you'll discover: Why "balance" is the wrong goal—and why rebalancing is a healthier way to lead. How organizations unintentionally reward the people who always say "yes." Why many high achievers become overloaded simply because they're capable. How responsibility quietly accumulates until it becomes unsustainable. Why great leaders develop others instead of becoming indispensable. A practical way to negotiate priorities with your manager before overload turns into burnout. How reconnecting your daily work with your values creates hope, energy, and healthier leadership. The Trust Tax Investigation One of the stories many high achievers quietly live by is this: "If I can do it, I should do it." That story often earns praise. More opportunities. More responsibility. More trust. Until one day it also earns something else. Exhaustion. The Trust Tax grows whenever responsibility keeps accumulating without enough opportunity to release it, share it, or question whether it still belongs to us. Sometimes organizations unintentionally reinforce that pattern. Sometimes we reinforce it ourselves. Either way, the cost is the same. The good news? Once you recognize the pattern, you can begin changing it. Connect with Carol Enneking Website: https://carolenneking.com/ The Rebalancing Act is available wherever books are sold, including Audible, where Carol narrates the audiobook. Carol also offers a free Legacy Planning Workbook to help you identify what matters most and begin aligning your life and leadership with those priorities. Rewrite Your Story October 15, 2026 • Walsh College • Troy, Michigan If The Trust Tax Investigation has helped you recognize yourself in these conversations, I'd love to invite you to the next step. Join comedian, keynote speaker, and playwright Merit Kahn and me for Rewrite Your Story —a full-day leadership workshop followed by Merit's inspiring and hilarious one-woman show, Optimistic Personality Disorder™ . Together we'll explore the stories that shape how we lead, define success, carry responsibility, and experience burnout. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of the story you've been living—and the opportunity to intentionally choose one that creates healthier leadership, stronger relationships, and sustainable success. Because the story that helped create your success... doesn't have to define how you lead next. ️ Reserve your seat: https://RewriteYourStoryEvent.com Follow the Investigation This episode is part of our special five-week series exploring why capable, caring, high-performing people burn out—and what leaders and organizations can do differently. Week 1: When Success Becomes a Trap Week 2: Why Does This Happen? Week 3: Why Organizations Create It Week 4: How We Break the Cycle Connect with Natalie Luke, PhD https://www.unceilingzone.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalielukephdbcmas/ ️ Subscribe to UnCeiling You on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

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  Episode #79

  Your Work Doesn't Speak for Itself: Why High Performers Get Stuck While Others Get Promoted

  Aug 2, 202643 minS5

  Week 3 of The Trust Tax Investigation Most high performers believe one thing: If I do great work, people will notice. It sounds reasonable. It feels fair. For many of us, it became part of our identity. Work hard. Deliver results. Keep saying yes. Be the person everyone can count on. Eventually, someone will recognize your contribution. But what if that story isn't true? In this episode of The Trust Tax Investigation , I sit down with executive coach and former Chief Talent Officer Courtney Intersimone , who has been in the room where executive succession decisions are actually made. Not the meeting after the meeting. The meeting where leaders decide who gets promoted—and who doesn't. What Courtney reveals challenges one of the biggest beliefs many high performers carry. Your work doesn't speak for itself. Organizations don't simply promote the people who produce the best results. They promote the people leaders believe can create value in the future. That means visibility, relationships, positioning, and demonstrating your potential all matter alongside performance. For many high achievers, this creates an invisible cycle. They respond to a lack of recognition by working even harder. They take on more responsibility. Become increasingly indispensable. Wait for someone to notice. When the recognition doesn't come, they work even harder. Over time, that story becomes expensive. Not only because promotions may never come. But because constantly proving your value quietly becomes the path to burnout. In this episode you'll discover: Why "your work speaks for itself" is one of the most expensive career myths. The difference between being valuable and being positioned . Why being indispensable can sometimes delay advancement. How relationships and visibility influence promotion decisions. How identity can become the invisible ceiling above your career. Why lack of recognition often leads high performers to overwork instead of reposition. A practical exercise to identify the people who influence your next opportunity. The Trust Tax Investigation This episode reveals another way the Trust Tax quietly grows. Not because organizations intentionally overlook talented people. But because many high performers keep living by a story that no longer serves them: "If I just work harder, eventually someone will notice." Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. Either way, continuing to prove your worth by carrying more responsibility comes at a cost. The Trust Tax isn't simply about working too much. It's the invisible price we pay when the stories that helped create our success continue driving our decisions long after they've stopped serving us. Connect with Courtney Intersimone Learn more about Courtney's work: Website: https://courtneyintersimone.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyintersimone/ Rewrite Your Story October 15, 2026 • Walsh College • Troy, Michigan If The Trust Tax Investigation has helped you recognize yourself in these conversations, I'd love to invite you to the next step. Rewrite Your Story is a full-day interactive leadership workshop followed by Merit Kahn's inspiring and hilarious one-woman comedy show, Optimistic Personality Disorder™ . Together we'll explore the stories that shape how we lead, define success, carry responsibility, and experience burnout. You'll leave with a new understanding of what has been driving your leadership—and the opportunity to intentionally choose a story that creates healthier leadership, stronger relationships, and sustainable success. Because the story that helped create your success... doesn't have to define how you lead next. ️ Reserve your seat: https://RewriteYourStoryEvent.com Continue the Investigation This episode is part of our special five-week series: Week 1: When Success Becomes a Trap Week 2: Why Does This Happen? Week 3: Why Organizations Create It Week 4: How We Break the Cycle Connect with Natalie Luke, PhD Website: https://www.unceilingzone.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalieluke/ ️ Subscribe to UnCeiling You on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com

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