Four years ago, I moved from the US to Canada in the middle of the pandemic.
My husband and I left two thriving careers, a decade of friendships, and a home we loved behind to move to a city where I knew no one.
Strict lockdowns meant we were always home, not meeting anyone new.
Our Greencard kept getting delayed, with no sight of when we could move back to the US.
I started a business, which, after 9 months, still had zero clients.
When I started looking for jobs again, all I got was rejection.
I always trusted my superpower to be resilient.
I thought burnout happened only to other people.
I thought I could do it alone and didn’t need help.
I was too proud to accept it until it was too late.
I had no idea what burnout felt like.
Until I finally decided to pay attention.
I didn’t want to go to work.
I didn’t want to apply for another job.
I didn’t want to get on another sales call.
I didn’t want to play with my kids.
I didn’t want to talk to my husband.
I didn’t want to do another coffee chat.
I didn’t want to do anything.
I was so low on confidence that I couldn’t recognize the Richa I had known for 35 years.
Then, one day, I talked to my dad.
I spilled out the beans. I cried a lot.
He is one of the top doctors in India.
He told me what he never shared before.
That he struggled with burnout too.
He struggled with mental health too.
And what finally helped him was his decision to get help.
I doubled down on my superpower of resilience.
I realized there are no prizes for doing it alone.
I signed up with a personal trainer to prioritize my physical health.
I signed up with a coach to prioritize my mental health.
Within a few weeks of getting help things started turning around.
I picked up the broken pieces of my confidence and started stepping into my power again.
I realized that I am strong enough to continue staying in the game.
In a single month, I joined Amazon and signed my first $40k contract for my business.
Burnout is not a badge of honor, and it's okay to ask for help. I ignored the signs until it was too late, but getting help changed everything for me. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck in your career, apply for THE FEARLESS HIRE. Together, we’ll create a strategy to prioritize your well-being and reignite your career path.