Burnt Out to Lit Up

5Hang in There: Leading Through the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Firestorm

“I’m exhausted from managing everyone’s emotions!”

On a crisp autumn day, five women of color, all executives, gathered around a dinner table in a New York City restaurant. These dinners had been a treasured ritual for over a decade, serving as a refuge through the ups and downs of our careers, including periods of burnout and triumph. This evening, we were celebrating a birthday and, in keeping with our tradition, we exchanged stories ranging from managing the challenges of raising children from middle school to college, leading teams, and our concerns about the tumultuous state of the world.

As one of four seasoned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) experts shared this comment, there was a collective, knowing nod around the table. “It’s truly draining,” another voiced, capturing a sentiment we all understood and silently acknowledged with another round of empathetic nods.

We had all ventured into our fields fueled by the ambition of shaping more inclusive and equitable workplaces than the ones we first experienced. We were bound by our shared career journeys through predominantly white, male-dominated corporate landscapes, where feelings of being undervalued were common, and adapting to others’ comfort often meant suppressing our voices and protecting our well-being. Each of us had repeatedly assumed the challenging role of voicing hard truths, familiar with the difficulties confronting ...