Why Women Leaders Are Burning Out and Leaving

September 28, 2026

For every one woman who becomes a director, two leave. Women's representation at the VP and C-suite level has been stuck at around 30 percent for years, and it is not because women aren't getting there. It's because once they arrive, too many decide it isn't worth staying.

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Episode Summary

I burned out in 2021, and earlier this year I felt those same warning signs creeping back in. In this episode, I break down why so many women leave senior leadership right after they get there, and what actually prevents it. Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter

For every one woman who becomes a director, two leave. Women's representation at the VP and C-suite level has been stuck at around 30 percent for years, and it is not because women aren't getting there. It's because once they arrive, too many decide it isn't worth staying

I know this firsthand. At the end of 2021, I hit a wall I had never experienced before: crying every day, disengaged, convinced I was losing my mind. It took me almost a year to feel like myself again. And earlier this year, I noticed those same warning signs creeping back in, so this topic is personal, not theoretical

In this episode, I break down why women are leaving senior leadership right when they get there, what's actually driving it, and what I did differently the second time around to catch it before it became a crisis again.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • The three root causes behind burnout at the senior level, and why working fewer hours isn't automatically the fix
  • Why an invisible caregiving load, plus midlife changes like perimenopause, quietly compound the pressure on women executives specifically
  • The daily, non-negotiable habits I use to catch burnout before it becomes a crisis, not a once-a-year trip to Mexico
  • Why not feeling aligned causes more burnout than people realize, and how I used an energizing versus de-energizing list to find mine
  • The support audit I recommend before you take on, or stay in, a senior role
RESOURCES MENTIONED

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Curious what it’s like to work together? Send me a DM on LinkedIn or Instagram (Katy McFee) and tell me what you are working toward and we can take it from there.

Remember, there’s room for all of us at the table.

Hi, I’m Katy McFee
A former VP and EVP who knows how hard it is to break into executive leadership. After years of feeling stuck, I figured it out and now, as a certified executive coach, I help other women do the same. I’ve supported hundreds in landing the promotions they deserve with strategies that make success achievable, without the years of trial and error.