Hi, I’m Lisa and I’m a recovering workaholic.
My story begins at ten years old. It’s the year my parents divorced and my childhood ended early.
As the oldest of four, I became the one who held it all together. My mom went back to work at 39 with a one-year-old and suddenly, I was helping raise my siblings, keeping the house running, and learning how to carry weight far heavier than any ten-year-old should.
We struggled. We were poor. I learned early that if I wanted stability and to escape the chaos with an overwhelming feeling of being “less than”, then I’d have to achieve my way out of it.
The Pursuit of Safety Through Success
College became my ticket out of poverty. I saw education as freedom. It was the doorway to a life where I’d never have to worry about money, security, or being underestimated again.
Achievement became my armor. Success became my safety net.
I worked hard, harder than anyone I knew. I worked jobs throughout high school and college while I pursued and obtained my college degree. An achievement as the first in my family to finish college. I rose in the leadership ranks, managing bigger and bigger teams, coaching, developing, executing and helping companies achieve big success.
For a while, it worked… until it didn’t. Underneath the accomplishments was a quiet fear that never went away.
I prioritized work and achievement over experiences with friends and family. I took vacations but always squeezed in a few hours of work before the day started or at the end of the day “just to check in with my teams” telling myself I had to stay on top of things because people at work needed me. On the weekends, I filled my time with projects, “catching up” and tackling chores. Deep down, I was afraid that if I slowed down, everything I’d built could come crashing down.
I felt that if I stepped off the treadmill, and let go, I’d end up right back where I started in those early days struggling, unseen, and not enough.
The Crash That Woke Me Up
But you can’t outrun fear forever.
What starts as a drive to achieve more and more eventually turns into empty batteries. I hit a wall, no longer excited, burnt out, a few broken relationships behind me, and a kind of mental fatigue that no vacation could fix.
I was functioning, but not living and not being present in the moments that mattered most. Performing, but not connecting. Succeeding, but not pausing to celebrate my success, just onto the next big thing which left me feeling empty.
That’s when I realized something profound: The same habits that once helped me survive were now keeping me from truly living.
I had to learn how to stop. How to breathe. How to just be.
The Power of Slowing Down
At first, slowing down felt like failure.
Rest felt wrong. Stillness felt lazy. But the more I practiced, the more I realized: slowing down wasn’t weakness, it was quiet strength.
When I gave myself permission to pause, I started to see more clearly. When I allowed space for silence, new ideas emerged. When I rested and took the time to think big, I didn’t fall behind, I was able to rise above.
That’s when everything shifted. I began to understand that performance isn’t about doing more. It’s about showing up with clarity, balance, and energy when it matters most.
And that’s the foundation of Awakening Performance.
Awakening Performance: From Overdrive to Clarity
Awakening Performance was born out of the realization that the path to greatness isn’t through constant motion, but through intentional presence.
It’s for leaders, professionals, and high achievers who’ve spent years running fast but still feel behind. It’s for the ones who know how to push and get results but are ready to learn how to pause.
Through mindfulness, reflection, and the G.E.A.R. framework, we help people reconnect with themselves to lead with calm clarity instead of chronic overdrive.
Because the truth is simple: You can’t outperform burnout. But you can awaken your performance.
Final Reflection
For much of my life, I believed my worth came from what I achieved.
Now I know my strength comes from how I show up for me, for my work, and for the people who matter most.
I’m still a work in progress. But today, I’m learning to do less but becoming more.
💡 Here’s to all the recovering workaholics learning that rest is not a reward. It’s a requirement for greatness.
📅 At Awakening Performance, we help leaders and professionals protect their bandwidth, reduce decision fatigue, and lead with clarity.
👉 Join our community or get on the waitlist for the next cohort to start your own awakening.
#AwakeningPerformance #MindfulLeadership #WorkLifeBalance #BurnoutRecovery #LeadershipClarity
