Ep 03: Leading without Losing Yourself

Your Permission to Pause

In this episode, we will be exploring the concept known as the "helper's high” and examining its double-edged sword on our well-being and leadership effectiveness.

The good feeling we get from helping others is scientifically backed by the release of hormones like oxytocin and dopamine, which bolster our mood and overall health. But what happens when the desire to help leads us down a path of stress and burnout? When does altruistic helping become a burden on us and our teams?

We'll explore how habitual patterns of helping can become detrimental, creating a dynamic where leaders, especially women, often end up depleting themselves to meet others' needs, a condition worsened during the stress of the lockdowns.

Remember, helping others doesn't mean you have to abandon yourself. Stay tuned as we navigate through the complexities of leadership and learn when to press pause on the compulsion to constantly save the day.

Here are the Highlights:

03:54 Female leaders' nurturing qualities can lead to burnout.

10:17 Support team without taking on their responsibilities.

12:51 Reflective listening helps see things differently.

16:44 Re-evaluate support and foster independence in your team.

21:07 Be aware of and adjust your energy.

22:21 Think before committing; redefine the help and support you offer.

Meet your host Jo Cowlin

Jo Cowlin keeps it real.

Some people might like to call her ‘a motivational people development expert’ but Jo would rather you didn’t.

Jo is a no-nonsense, straight-talking northerner

She is also a transformational coach, facilitator and game changer. She has a passion for results and is dedicated to helping leaders realise their aspirations without compromising their wellbeing.

She dares individuals to be different by eliminating corporate BS, life coaching, and hand-holding, and instead encourages breaking through barriers to gain clarity and step into personal power for a life without limits. She specialises in taking individuals out of their comfort zones, uncovering obstacles, and reigniting their zest for life, bringing back excitement, purpose, and magic in all areas.

Passionate about learning and growth, she is dedicated to delivering results, drawing from her own experiences of overcoming corporate burnout, overwhelm, and a lack of direction. She turned this all around, and created a way forward that brought the balance that she needed to thrive no matter what life threw at her. She is acutely aware of how stress without strategies that help you thrive, not just survive can chip away at your self-esteem and self-worth. Resilience and a proactive approach to mental wellbeing is at the core of all of her work which is predominantly aimed at helping leaders and their teams refocus, regroup and rapidly adjust to change. With a background in pharmaceutical leadership and expertise across various sectors, she offers coaching and leadership programs tailored to individual and organisational needs.

When Jo isn’t transforming company cultures, you’ll find her managing her 3 teenage girls’ busy social calendars. She’s a dab hand in the kitchen and true to form, loves to keep her food real. And if she isn’t doing either of those you will find her out in nature walking her dog or lifting a barbell in the gym.

Find out more about Jo here: https://jocowlin.com/

Connect with Jo:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocowlin/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-cowlin/

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk