Hormones, Brain Fog, and Burnout: Why Women’s Mental Health Needs to Be On The Agenda

Walk into almost any leadership meeting today, and you’ll hear talk about innovation, engagement, and productivity. Organizations are laser‑focused on building high‑performing teams and hitting ambitious goals.

But there’s a quieter conversation happening—often in whispers, often behind closed doors—among many of the women who lead those very teams.

They’re asking themselves: Why can’t I think straight lately? Why am I so exhausted, no matter how hard I try? And why does no one seem to notice me struggling?

These aren’t isolated questions. They point to a deeper issue that too often goes unspoken in our workplaces: women’s mental health and how hormonal changes, brain fog, and burnout impact their ability to lead.

The Reality Behind the Title

For decades, women have fought for space in leadership—earning advanced degrees, breaking barriers, and proving themselves over and over again. Many of them now lead departments, oversee budgets, and drive innovation in their organizations. On the surface, they look like they’ve mastered the balance between professional success and personal well‑being.

But beneath that polished exterior, a different story often unfolds.

Take, for example, a senior director in her mid‑forties. Her calendar is packed with back‑to‑back meetings, and her team depends on her clarity and decisiveness to move projects forward. She’s always been sharp, known for anticipating problems before they arise. Lately, though, she’s noticed something unsettling: halfway through a critical presentation, she loses her train of thought. Simple words evade her. She rereads emails three times before sending them, worried she’s forgotten something.

At first, she chalks it up to stress. After all, she’s also caring for aging parents and shuttling her kids to extracurriculars in the evenings. But as the weeks turn into months, the fog doesn’t lift. She starts to quietly wonder: Is something wrong with me? Am I losing my edge?

Then there’s the vice president in her early fifties—once known for her boundless energy—who now wakes up at 3 a.m. most nights, drenched in sweat and unable to get back to sleep. She powers through the next day with caffeine and sheer will, but inside, she feels herself unraveling.

These aren’t isolated experiences. They’re part of the often‑invisible terrain of perimenopause and other hormonal shifts that can span years and is marked by fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone that affect mood, memory, sleep, and overall cognitive function. Brain fog, sudden anxiety, and emotional swings can show up without warning, right in the middle of a career peak.

And it’s not just midlife transitions.

• A new mother returning from maternity leave might be grappling with postpartum anxiety or depression while trying to reestablish herself as a reliable leader.

• A woman in her 20s or 30s might be managing endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome - conditions that bring their own cycles of fatigue, pain, and cognitive disruption.

The common thread? These experiences often go unacknowledged in workplaces that expect linear performance, day in and day out, without regard for the biological realities that shape half the workforce.

In many environments, there’s little room to say, “I’m struggling,” without fear of being seen as less capable. So women do what they’ve been conditioned to do: they push through. They over‑prepare for meetings to compensate for memory lapses. They burn the candle at both ends to make up for energy dips. They wear their resilience like armor until the weight of it becomes too much to carry alone.

Why It Matters in the Workplace

When a woman in leadership begins to quietly struggle with brain fog, emotional swings, or sheer exhaustion, it doesn’t just affect her, it ripples through her team, her department, and ultimately the organization’s bottom line.

Leadership is not just about delivering quarterly reports or hitting KPIs; it’s about being present, making sound decisions, and inspiring others. When hormonal shifts and the mental health challenges that often accompany them go unrecognized, even the most capable leaders can find themselves second‑guessing their judgment or withdrawing from the very people who rely on them.

Consider this:

• A manager who used to speak up with bold, innovative ideas might suddenly feel uncertain and stop contributing in meetings.

• A director known for her open‑door policy might begin to isolate, not because she doesn’t care, but because she’s simply overwhelmed and trying to conserve what little energy she has.

• A vice president, struggling with chronic fatigue, might delay strategic decisions or delegate without providing clear guidance, leaving her team confused and stalled.

These subtle shifts can lead to cascading effects - lower morale among team members, missed opportunities for innovation, and, over time, a decline in organizational performance. And because these challenges often go unspoken, they’re rarely addressed in ways that support the leader or her team.

It also matters because of retention. According to McKinsey & Company’s 2022 Women in the Workplace report, women leaders are leaving their companies at the highest rate ever recorded - and at significantly higher rates than their male counterparts - often citing burnout, lack of flexibility, and unsupportive cultures as key drivers. When organizations fail to recognize and address the intersection of women’s mental health and leadership, they risk losing some of their most experienced, high‑performing talent, often at the very moment those women are at the height of their expertise and influence.

Women are leaving their companies at the highest rate ever recorded because of burnout and unsupportive work cultures.

Furthermore, when women leaders silently struggle, it sends a message—intended or not—to the rest of the workforce: This is what success costs. It perpetuates a culture where overextension and quiet suffering are normalized, rather than creating an environment where well‑being is woven into the fabric of high performance.

On the other hand, organizations that prioritize women’s mental health - acknowledging the realities of hormonal changes, stress, and burnout - position themselves to thrive. They retain leaders who feel valued and supported. They cultivate teams that are engaged and inspired. And they send a powerful signal that the health of their people is just as important as the health of their balance sheet.

The Burnout Spiral

This isn’t just about individual career choices or personal resilience; it’s about the systems and expectations that set the stage for burnout. When women in leadership consistently face environments that undervalue their well‑being, the result isn’t simply fatigue, it’s a gradual, often invisible unraveling of their capacity to thrive.

The spiral often begins quietly. A woman leader may take on just a bit more because she doesn’t want to let her team down. She stays late to finish a proposal or skips lunch to squeeze in one more meeting. These moments, on their own, seem harmless, even admirable. But over time, they accumulate.

What makes this even more insidious is how deeply this “push through” mentality has been woven into our collective understanding of success, especially for women in leadership. We celebrate the late nights, the full calendars, the leader who “does it all” without complaint. It’s been normalized to the point where exhaustion isn’t just tolerated it’s often treated as a badge of honor.

For many women, the unspoken message is clear: if you want to lead, you have to prove that you can endure more, give more, and sacrifice more than anyone else. This expectation isn’t just external; it becomes internalized. Leaders convince themselves that needing rest is weakness, that setting boundaries is selfish, that caring for their own well‑being can wait until after everyone else is taken care of.

And here’s the most dangerous part: because so many women have been conditioned to push through and “handle it all,” the warning signs are often dismissed as just part of the job. By the time the burnout spiral is recognized, the impact is already deep, both for the leader herself and for the organization that depends on her vision and influence.

But here’s the hard truth and the invitation for all of us to reconsider: what if this “cost of success” we’ve accepted is actually undermining the very success we’re working so hard to achieve? What if the ability to step back, to replenish, and to say “enough” is not a sign of falling short but a sign of wisdom and sustainable leadership?

Burnout is not inevitable. But preventing it requires both personal and organizational commitment: spaces where self‑care is valued as a leadership strategy, and cultures where boundaries, flexibility, and well‑being are woven into the fabric of how work gets done.

Changing the Narrative: Reframing Self‑Care as a Strategic Imperative

For far too long, self‑care has been treated as a personal indulgence - something you do after hours, if there’s time left over, and if you’re not already too exhausted. In many organizations, there’s an unspoken expectation that women, particularly those in leadership, will simply “handle it all.” They will juggle heavy workloads, show up in every meeting, mentor others, absorb organizational change, and somehow still carry the bulk of invisible labor at home.

But what if we stopped seeing self‑care as a perk and started recognizing it as a pillar of performance? What if the conversations in boardrooms and leadership meetings acknowledged that protecting the mental health of your leaders is not only ethical but also essential to sustaining high‑functioning teams and long‑term organizational success?

Forward‑thinking organizations are beginning to recognize this. They’re creating space for conversations about brain fog, hormonal health, and burnout - not as side notes, but as integral to leadership development and workforce sustainability. They’re asking: How can we make it safe for women to talk about what they’re experiencing? What kind of support structures can we build so they don’t have to carry this alone?

And the answers don’t have to be complicated. It can start with simple, powerful shifts like bringing in workshops that address stress management and energy optimization. Offering flexibility in how and when work gets done. Equipping managers to lead with empathy instead of judgment. These actions send a clear message: We see you. We value you. And we’re willing to invest in your well‑being as a strategic priority.

Reframing self‑care in this way requires a cultural shift from celebrating overwork and “powering through,” to actively modeling and supporting practices that promote clarity, energy, and resilience. When organizations make this shift, they tell their women leaders: We value your capacity, your creativity, and your well‑being as integral to our mission.

This isn’t about special treatment. It’s about acknowledging biological realities, systemic pressures, and the fact that burned‑out leaders don’t lead well. When you change the narrative, you give women permission, and tangible support, to lead in ways that are sustainable, humane, and deeply effective. That shift is not just good for individual leaders, it’s a strategic imperative for the entire organization.

If you’re in a position to shape culture, whether you’re an executive, an HR leader, or a decision‑maker in your organization this is your moment to lead differently.

Look beyond the metrics for a moment and see the human beings behind them. Ask yourself: What would it look like if we created an environment where women didn’t have to choose between their health and their leadership?

When you prioritize women’s mental health, you don’t just help them thrive you strengthen your organization’s foundation. You retain institutional knowledge. You foster loyalty. You unlock the kind of innovation and collaboration that only happens when people feel fully supported.

Let this be your reminder: Your well-being is not optional.

Hormonal changes, brain fog, and burnout aren’t weaknesses. They’re human experiences that deserve understanding and support. When organizations ignore them, they pay the price in lost talent and untapped potential. When they address them, they gain leaders who are not only capable but deeply engaged, resilient, and ready to drive the future forward.

The intersection of hormones, brain fog, and burnout isn’t a personal flaw or a private struggle to quietly endure—it’s a reality of life that deserves attention. When organizations and leaders acknowledge these factors and take meaningful steps to address them, they unlock not only healthier, more sustainable careers for women but also stronger, more innovative, and more resilient teams.

If you are a woman in leadership, let this be your reminder: your well‑being is not optional. It is a critical part of your ability to lead, influence, and thrive. And if you are in a position to shape workplace culture, consider the ripple effect that investing in women’s mental health and self‑care can have on your entire organization.

It’s time to put women’s mental health on your agenda. Because when women thrive, your entire organization thrives.

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Ready to bring conversations about women’s mental health and sustainable leadership into your organization? I’d love to help. Let’s explore how workshops or programs tailored to your team can support your leaders in thriving—not just surviving. Schedule a complimentary consultation with me here