Who wants to be led by someone who’s burnt out? That’s the question I asked myself in 2024 – and why I kept pushing through and pretending I was fine. Until everything nearly broke. 

In part two of this interview, I’m back with psychologist and friend Sabina Read to unpack how I came out the other side of the hardest year of my professional life. 

We talk about what finally pulled me out of burnout, how I rebuilt trust inside Inventium, and the ripple effects of radical transparency. I also reflect on the shadow side of long tenure, the cost of silencing my instincts, and the surprising moment I knew our culture had truly shifted. 

If you’re leading a team, facing change, or quietly wondering if you’re the problem – this episode is for you. 

Sabina and I discuss: 

• The shift that helped me rebuild confidence after burnout 

• Why tenure can quietly sabotage growth and innovation 

• How I nearly missed a 7-figure opportunity (and what changed) 

• The difference between radical transparency and oversharing 

• What helped our team go from fractured to thriving 

• Why metrics matter – but they’re not enough 

• The cost of hiding how hard things really were 

Key Quotes 

• “Hope is not a strategy – but that’s what I was relying on.” 

• “If just one person doesn’t feel psychologically safe, that can do a lot of damage.” 

• “Radical transparency means being honest in a way that serves your team.” 

Connect with Sabina via her website, Instagram, or check out her podcast Human Cogs.