At some point, being everything became the cost of being included.

And for many women of color, busyness stopped being a schedule problem — and became a survival strategy.

In this episode of The Climb Podcast, Felicia Smith takes an honest look at how we got here, what it’s really costing us, and what it looks like to stop performing busyness and start leading with intention.

Because your legacy will not be how busy you were.

It will be the impact you made.

What You Will Learn

• Why busyness became a badge of honor — and why that’s a trap
• The three hidden costs of busyness: the meeting tax, the worthiness trap, and the leadership gap
• Why saying yes to everything can feel like survival — even when it’s costing you
• How to audit your calendar as a reflection of what you’ve been taught matters
• How to define the work that only YOU can do
• Why protecting one hour of focused time can change how you lead
• How to stop performing busyness and start leading with intention

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to the Her Climb Podcast

02:00 – The Forbes Article That Started This Conversation

05:30 – How Busyness Became a Badge of Honor

08:45 – Somebody Should Have Told Me: I Said Yes to Everything

13:00 – Truth Is: Busyness Is Costing You More Than Your Time

15:20 – The Meeting Tax

18:40 – The Worthiness Trap

22:10 – The Leadership Gap

25:30 – Another Rung Mended: 3 Ways to Reclaim Your Time

27:00 – Step 1: Audit Your Calendar

32:15 – Step 2: Define Your Real Work

37:40 – Step 3: Block One Hour

42:00 – Final Thought: Stop Performing Busyness, Start Leading with Intention

🔗 Stay Connected with The Climb

🌐 https://the-climb.org

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📣 If This Episode Resonated

Share it with a woman who needs permission to slow down and lead differently.

Because we are not just climbing careers — we are building ladders.