The Recalibration

#96 Why You Feel Like You Have to Do It All


Listen Later

Always the one holding it all? Over-responsibility can look like leadership—but it’s often a signal of misalignment. Discover how to lead from trust, not control, and reclaim clarity without dropping what matters most.

You’re carrying the meeting, the household, the decision-making, the mood of the room — and you’ve convinced yourself that’s just what good leaders do.

But what if that weight you’re carrying isn’t leadership — it’s misalignment?

In today’s episode, we’re exposing the hidden cost of over-responsibility.
High-capacity humans like you don’t carry too much because they can’t delegate — they carry too much because they’ve built an identity around holding it all together. And the nervous system follows.

Julie Holly shares a personal story of trying to control not just her schedule, but the emotions and energy of those around her. That kind of control doesn’t come from ego — it comes from a nervous system wired for safety and an identity wired for performance.

But there’s another way: one that doesn’t demand silent depletion, but leads from alignment, trust, and clarity.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

  • Why over-functioning often feels like the only safe option
  • The internal roles we adopt that fuse responsibility with self-worth
  • Nervous system symptoms that signal you’re carrying too much
  • A clear path back to leadership that doesn’t cost your peace

You’ll also hear a story about Jocko Willink, and how true extreme ownership isn’t doing it all — it’s knowing what to release so your team can rise. (Julie will link a few of his books in the show notes.)

Today’s Micro Recalibration

Ask yourself: “What am I carrying right now that no one asked me to hold?”
 Then: “What would it look like to lead with trust instead of control in that area?”

Team Extension:
Invite your team to finish this sentence:

“One thing I could release if I trusted the process more is…”

If you're tired of holding everything together, this episode will remind you:
 You weren’t meant to carry it all. You were meant to lead from identity.


RESOURCES:

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink 

Leadership Strategy and Tactics by Jocko Willink

Explore Identity-Level Recalibration
Join the next Friday Recalibration Live experience

→ Take your listening deeper! Subscribe to The Weekly Recalibration Companion to receive reflections and extensions to each week's podcast episodes.

Follow Julie Holly on LinkedIn for more recalibration insights

Schedule a conversation with Julie to see if The Recalibration is a fit for you

Download the Misalignment Audit

Subscribe to the weekly newsletter

Books to read (Tidy categories on Amazon- I've read/listened to each recommended title.)

One link to all things





...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The RecalibrationBy Julie Holly

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

183 ratings


More shows like The Recalibration

View all
The Best Ever CRE Show by Joe Fairless

The Best Ever CRE Show

992 Listeners

REAL AF with Andy Frisella by Andy Frisella

REAL AF with Andy Frisella

32,750 Listeners

Oprah's Super Soul by Oprah

Oprah's Super Soul

31,838 Listeners

Redefining Wealth with Patrice Washington by Patrice Washington

Redefining Wealth with Patrice Washington

1,532 Listeners

John Mark Comer Teachings by Practicing the Way

John Mark Comer Teachings

1,802 Listeners

Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl by Jon Seidl

Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl

20 Listeners