What if some of the career decisions you think you’re consciously making are actually being made from stress?

One more project.
One more late night.
One more yes when you really wanted to say no.

For high performers, pushing through can become so normal that exhaustion starts to feel like evidence that you’re successful.

My guest today, Paula Houlihan, knows that experience personally.

After spending 15 years in the high-pressure insurance industry, including working as a senior claims specialist, chronic workplace stress eventually led to a serious health crisis. Paula says she was diagnosed one stage away from adrenal crisis and ultimately needed significant time to focus on her health.

Today, Paula is an executive coach, keynote speaker, author, and creator of the Choice Mastery Model. Her book, Hijacked, explores how stress can affect the way we think, react, prioritize, and make decisions.

In our conversation, we talk about:
✔ The burnout warning signs high performers often rationalize or overlook
✔ Why exhaustion can start feeling like part of the success formula
✔ What happens when you become emotionally detached from work you once enjoyed
✔ Why “this is only temporary” can keep you stuck in unhealthy patterns
✔ The hidden no that comes with every yes
✔ Why boundaries can trigger guilt
✔ How beliefs about what you “should” do influence your choices
✔ What Paula calls living in “Shouldtopia”
✔ How stress and the nervous system can affect your decisions
✔ Paula’s Power Pause and why creating space before reacting matters
✔ Why pushing through and working harder don’t automatically make your value visible
✔ The connection between self-advocacy, leadership, and career growth
✔ A simple exercise for recognizing where your time and energy are actually going

One of the questions I hope you’ll leave this conversation asking is: Are the choices I’m making under pressure supporting the career and life I actually want to build?

Because your career should support the life you want to build, not require you to sacrifice yourself to prove you’re capable.

🔗 Connect With Paula Houlihan https://paulahoulihan.com

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