What happens when you achieve success, do everything you thought you were supposed to do, and still feel exhausted or empty?

On this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Dr. Laura Schwindt, a former practicing dentist and practice owner who experienced severe burnout after years of growth, responsibility, and constantly doing more.

Laura shares how burnout changed the direction of her life and helped her discover that sustainable performance is about more than having the right strategies and systems. It also requires learning how to manage your energy, reconnect with what matters, and build the capacity to handle the demands of leadership.

Laura spent more than 20 years practicing dentistry and built her own dental practice from the ground up. As the practice grew, she hired more people, expanded, invested in equipment, and continued learning. But doing more eventually left her spread too thin.

A conversation with one of her favorite patients helped Laura recognize that something needed to change. She began working with a life coach, an experience she describes as transformative. That journey eventually led Laura to become an embodied leadership and heroic performance coach herself.

Today, Laura helps dentists, organizations, and other high-capacity leaders move away from cognitive overdrive and toward more grounded and sustainable performance.

Nick and Laura discuss why successful people can reach their goals and still feel like something is missing. Laura explains the importance of reconnecting with your personal “North Star” instead of measuring your life only by outside definitions of success.

They also explore how small daily choices compound over time. Laura encourages leaders to think about three areas: energy, work, and love or connection. Instead of always asking what else needs to be added, she suggests asking what can be removed.

Sometimes the most powerful step forward is doing less.

Laura also shares the value of conducting an “energy audit” by asking what gave you energy today, what drained it, and what you can change tomorrow.

The conversation is a reminder that success does not have to come at the cost of your energy, relationships, or ability to enjoy the life you are building.