Jill Vyn thought she was the mortar holding everything together. Then the nonprofit she co-founded collapsed, her body started breaking down, and she had no choice but to look in the mirror. This conversation is the kind that makes you pause mid-listen and think, "Oh. That's me."
A former nonprofit co-founder and now a leadership and burnout coach, Jill shares what happened after her co-founder passed away and she spent a year and a half holding the entire organization together on her own. When it finally closed, she describes it as "a ton of bricks" falling, followed by a wave of shame, guilt, and the unavoidable realization that how she was showing up professionally was identical to how she was showing up personally: people-pleasing, over-functioning, avoiding conflict, and running on empty.
What makes this episode stand out is that Jill does not stop at the professional burnout. She goes back further, to parental burnout, standing in her kitchen feeling like she was about to collapse, wearing a mask so heavy she describes it as her "insides not matching her outsides." The turning point was not her own breakdown. It was watching her seven-year-old daughter and fast-forwarding to what life would look like if nothing changed. That moment cracked something open.
Jill also opens up about what happened earlier this year when her body started refusing to cooperate: depression, anxiety, physical symptoms she had never experienced, and the realization that she was in the middle of a perfect storm of menopause, empty nesting, seasonal affective disorder, and business growth all at once. Her doctor told her, "Life's too short to not feel good." That line landed. She paused, got support, and found that slowing down did not stop things from moving forward. It actually created flow. This is an episode about what it really takes to stop before the crash, and what it looks like when you finally do.
What You'll Hear
✔️Jill describes the moment the nonprofit she co-founded closed and why the relief she expected never came.
✔️She shares the question she posed in a recent workshop that stopped a participant cold: "Who am I when I'm not producing?"
✔️Jill walks through the five-step pattern Laura identified live in the conversation, from recognizing the push to learning it is safe to slow down.
✔️She explains why "steady does not mean stagnant," using the image of a boulder in a river that holds its ground while everything rushes past.
"Life's too short to not feel good."
- Jill Vyn's doctor, shared by Jill Vyn
If this episode hit close to home, do not wait for your own crash moment. Here are two ways to take the next step:
Book a free 20-minute clarity call: https://www.leadintact.com/freeclaritycall
Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter: https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career
Links and Resources
Jill Vyn's website: https://www.jillvyn.com/
Jill Vyn on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JillVynCoaching
Jill Vyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillvyn/
Jill Vyn on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillblakemorevyn/
Jill Vyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillvyn/
The Pivot Point Podcast: https://www.leadintact.com/the-pivot-point-podcast
Lead Intact YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@leadintact
Lead Intact Freebies: https://www.leadintact.com/freebies