Welcome to The Cost of the Climb. I’m Lauren Ellis.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever tried to journal their way through burnout — only to realize the system, not their self-care, was the real problem.

You can meditate. Unplug. Light the lavender candle. But if the job still demands your silence, your overwork, and your worth in exchange for “culture fit” — no wellness trend will save you.

Because this isn’t exhaustion.

It’s betrayal.

In this episode, we unpack three sharp, strategic ways to protect your energy in environments that were built to drain it — from stepping off the performance hamster wheel to naming the invisible cost out loud.

You’ll walk away with language, clarity, and tools to move differently — and the reminder you may need most:

You are not the problem.

And you don’t have to sacrifice yourself to systems that refuse to change.

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If this hit home, share it with someone who needs it.

Tag @thecostoftheclimb and tell us:

💬 What truth are you finally ready to name?

🎧 The Rules Were Made for Them

Hosted by Lauren Ellis | The Cost of the Climb

You followed the rules. You outperformed. You kept your head down, hoping the work would speak for itself.

But the game was never neutral. And the longer you try to win on their terms, the more it costs you.

In this powerful opening episode, Lauren Ellis unpacks the hidden curriculum of corporate culture — the unspoken rules, the performance theater, the politics of perception — and offers a bold new strategy for reclaiming your power without abandoning yourself.

You’ll learn how to:

• Spot the patterns that were never designed to include you

• Shift from survival mode to strategic positioning

• Build a new table instead of begging for a seat at theirs

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s your mirror, your wake-up call, and your strategy session — all in one.

Because the climb is real. But so are you.

🎙️ Listen, reflect, and reclaim.

What if success isn’t the summit — but the starting point of your undoing?

The Cost of the Climb is for high achievers who did everything “right” — and still feel wrong inside. Hosted by Lauren Ellis, a former corporate strategist turned truth-teller, this podcast unpacks what ambition really costs in a system built to burn you out.

Each episode is a reckoning: with the rules we were told to follow, the roles we were forced to play, and the peace we’ve been taught to postpone.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, Is this really what I worked so hard for?

You’re not broken — you’re waking up. And you don’t have to climb alone.

You didn’t end up exhausted by accident.

You followed the rules. You hit the targets. You became everything they said success should look like — and somewhere along the way, you lost track of you.

In this deeply personal and practical episode, Lauren Ellis invites you to take inventory of the hidden costs of high achievement. Not with shame — but with clarity.

✨ You’ll walk away with:

– 5 grounded strategies to climb without losing yourself

– A truth check on who your ambition is serving

– Permission to want more — without burning out to get it

This is the reset you didn’t know you needed.

🎧 Listen in, then preorder the book The Cost of the Climb at laurenellis.gumroad.com

#TheCostOfTheClimb #PodcastForHighAchievers #AmbitionWithoutBurnout #BurnoutRecovery #RewritingSuccess

In this powerful opening episode, Lauren Ellis strips away the performance mask and speaks directly to every high achiever who’s ever wondered, “Is this all there is?”

This isn’t another hustle sermon — it’s a wake-up call. A reminder that the cost of success isn’t just burnout… it’s betrayal.

Through raw truths and grounded hope, Lauren unpacks what it means to climb without losing yourself, why exhaustion isn’t a personal failure, and how you can start rewriting the rules — without walking away from your ambition.

Because you’re not broken. The system is.

And the clarity you’re craving? It’s not at the top — it’s in the reclaiming.

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🛎️ Subscribe now and preorder The Cost of the Climb at laurenellis.gumroad.com

🎧 Follow for new episodes that meet you at the intersection of ambition, exhaustion, and the truth no one told you about success.

You did everything right. You climbed the ladder. Earned the title. Got the team.

So why does it still feel like survival?

In this premiere episode, Lauren Ellis unpacks what corporate America doesn’t tell you: that success isn’t neutral — it’s coded, extracted, and often comes at a cost no one warned you about.

This isn’t just burnout. It’s betrayal.

Whether you’re on your way up or already at the top questioning everything, this is your invitation to name the cost — and reclaim the climb on your own terms.

📘 Preorder the book now: laurenellis.gumroad.com/l/ejksq