Selling your company isn’t always a flex. Sometimes the bravest exit is walking away. If you’re “fine” but your body is screaming, this episode is for you. In this episode of The Exit Whisperer, Carrie sits down with Roslyn McLarty, co-founder of The GIST, who left a fast-growing, funded company when burnout stopped being a vibe and started being a warning sign.

We get into the unsexy truth founders don’t post: the eye twitch, the dread, the “take a long weekend” advice that solves nothing, and the moment you realize it’s not just hard — it’s misaligned. Roslyn breaks down what burnout actually is (a chronically activated nervous system), how to tell “push through” from “get out,” and why chasing outcomes (revenue, valuation, the headline) is the fastest route to losing yourself.

02:19 Meet Roslyn McLarty

04:18 Building The GIST From Scratch

05:08 Why Fundraising Was an Uphill Battle

07:24 Role Misalignment: The Silent Burnout Trigger

12:41 Hitting Burnout — And Finally Stopping

19:56 The Inner Critic That Won’t Shut Up

20:16 How Burnout Warps Business Decisions

21:22 The Emotional Whiplash of Leaving Your Company

22:19 Processing Grief, Relief, and Identity Loss

24:25 Finding Alignment After the Exit

26:16 Rebuilding Without Burning Out Again

29:50 How to Recognize and Regulate Burnout

33:44 What Every Founder Needs to Hear