We’ve glamorised burnout for far too long.

That “career girly” image – early wake-ups, 10-hour workdays, inbox zero, oat latte in hand – looks impressive on Instagram. But behind the aesthetic is a reality a lot of us know too well: exhaustion, guilt around rest, and the constant pressure to do more.

This blog post is for anyone who’s ever felt like they were working hard but somehow still not doing enough (hi, it’s me!).

What Hustle Culture Doesn’t Tell You

The hustle mentality sells you a dream: the idea that if you just keep going, just keep pushing, it’ll all pay off. But what it rarely shows is the cost, mentally, emotionally, even physically.

Productivity becomes a measure of worth. Days off feel like failure, constantly checking your inbox even on holiday. And slowly, you start to lose the reason you started working toward anything in the first place.

I’ve been there. Ticking off goals and still feeling behind. Overcommitting, overthinking, overworking… all to keep up with a version of success that didn’t actually reflect what I wanted.

The Rise of Soft Power & Slow Success

What changed? I’ve stopped trying to win at a game I didn’t want to play anymore.

Soft power, for me, means working with intention, not urgency. It’s about knowing when to say yes, and when to protect your time. It’s leading with value, not volume.

Slow success isn’t laziness. It’s what happens when you stop rushing and start building things that actually last. Projects you’re proud of. Routines you can sustain. A life you actually enjoy living.

You Can Still Be Driven — Just Differently

There’s a huge difference between being ambitious and being overwhelmed.

You can still be driven and have boundaries. You can still care deeply about your career and log off at 5pm. You can still be creative, curious, career-focused without needing to burn out to prove anything.

Working hard isn’t the problem. The problem is when you work so hard you forget why you started, or who you are outside of it.

The Real Flex: Boundaries, Joy, and Balance

Success doesn’t have to look like 70-hour weeks and back-to-back meetings.

It can look like:
– Saying no without guilt
– Taking real breaks (not just scrolling)
– Working in a way that suits you, not just the algorithm
– Choosing quality over quantity
– Knowing when “good enough” is actually enough

Rest is not a reward. It’s part of the process.

Why This Matters, Especially for Women

For a lot of women, the pressure to prove yourself never switches off. Whether it’s being likeable, efficient, ambitious, or “doing it all,” the expectations are constant, and unrealistic.

The idea of choosing a slower, more balanced approach can feel radical. But it shouldn’t be.

Because the truth is: you don’t need to be exhausted to be taken seriously. You don’t need to be everything to everyone to be valuable. And you don’t need to prove your worth through how much you can carry.

Redefining Success on Your Terms

Success isn’t about how much you can fit into a day.
It’s about how aligned your life feels when you’re not performing.

Deinfluencing the hustle doesn’t mean giving up, it means opting out of a system that was never built with your wellbeing in mind.

You can still be a career girly.
You can still be ambitious.
But you get to define what that actually looks like.

No more burnout. No more performative productivity. Just work that matters, done in a way that works for you.

Take it from someone who has been here more times than she can count (and who’s only been in the career world for two years!).