My client cries with frustration, she has spent yet another period of annual leave laid low with a virus, exhausted and unable to do “all of the things”. We examine what has lead to this point and identify just how busy she has been, how much she has been doing to meet other’s needs and how this is just the norm for her. She’s a “doer” and keeping busy is her modus operandi, everyone is always telling her “You’re amazing, I don’t know how you do it!”. She says all she needs is a holiday, and then she’ll be fine.

She goes to work every day with the intention of doing her best, she frequently misses breaks, regularly covers shifts at short notice and rarely calls in sick, preferring to push through rather than let people down.

She has several projects on the go at any one time. She’s planning a surprise birthday party for her partner, organising a sleepover for the kids next weekend and is in the process of renovating the house next door so that she can help her elderly parents more by moving them closer.

Her house is spotless, her children eat nutritious, home-cooked food and she regularly attends the gym to keep in good form. She believes that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

How does this resonate with you? Are you exhausted just reading that? Perhaps it sounds painfully familiar? You’re not alone.

My client is in the archetype of Superwoman. If it sounds like she can’t be real, its because she isn’t! But that doesn’t mean I haven’t met women like her (or even been her in the past, let’s be honest!).

Superwoman sets incredibly high standards for herself. She runs on adrenaline and the approval of others. When we stay in this archetype for too long, we can experience exhaustion, burnout and relationship breakdown. For so many of us, we have never known any other way. When we are spinning so many plates, we are often only one significant life event away from dropping them all. I don’t want that to happen to you.

What if I told you that there was another way? That you could still achieve success, still help as many people and still feel satisfied but without running on adrenaline? That you could achieve calm and balance at the same time?

As a One of Many women’s coach I support women in healthcare to step back from Superwoman and discover other ways of being that are more sustainable in the long term. We work with archetypes (patterns of behaviour) that are more empowering and utilise our natural strengths as women. I, and thousands of other women, have found these tools to be life-changing.

To discuss working with me or to access the Women’s PowerTypesTM profile to see where your archetype strengths and growth opportunities lie, send me a message. I would be happy to support you to step into a fulfilling and balanced life without drama.