Why Hustle Culture Is Breaking You (And How to Fix It) | Jennie Blumenthal

October 16, 2025

Summary Keywords

Speakers

What if working harder isn’t actually working?

In this episode of Executive Connect, Jennie Blumenthal, former PwC partner, bestselling author of Corporate Rehab, and executive coach, shares how hustle culture is quietly breaking high performers and what to do instead.

Jennie reveals her story of leading a $200 million global business while burning out behind the scenes and how she created The REHAB Method to help leaders trade overwork for sustainable success. She explains how to balance productivity with rest, rewire your leadership mindset, and build empathy-driven cultures that outperform grind culture every time.

If you are a high-achieving professional ready to redefine success on your own terms, this conversation is your roadmap to thriving without burnout.

Chapters:

Jennie Blumenthal

(0:00) A myth that people believe is if I make time for the soft stuff of the empathy and listening and communicating, that is going to cost me the hard results. (0:09) It’s actually the opposite. (0:10) Right now, employee engagement is super, super low.

(0:14) 62% of employees are disengaged. (0:17) That is actually costing us $8.8 trillion globally in lost productivity. (0:23) What if you were able to shift a little bit within the way you lead or the way you incentivize your teams and actually cost?

Melissa

(0:29) Still trying to climb the corporate ladder, even though it’s clearly on fire. (0:34) Today’s guest, Jeannie Blumenthal, helps leaders trade burnout for breakthrough performance. (0:40) After 20 years in the executive fast lane, she slammed the brakes, rewrote the rules and built a playbook for thriving in the future of work.

(0:50) On today’s episode of the Executive Connect podcast, we dive into the rise of hustle culture, how to ditch it without ditching success, and what true leadership looks like in the world that’s finally waking up. (1:06) Welcome, Jeannie.

Jennie Blumenthal

(1:07) Thank you, Melissa. (1:08) I’m so excited to be here today and to speak with you, so thanks for having me.

Melissa

(1:13) Your path from leading corporate transformations to founding two businesses is truly inspirational. (1:20) What pushed you to take the leap and how did these experience reshape how you see leaders today?

Jennie Blumenthal

(1:28) Yes. (1:29) Okay, so my story really starts with how I learned the value of hard work, which was I was raised by two teachers on a Christmas tree farm, and so I think I was probably an entrepreneur from the start, but really learned the value of a good day’s work and taking care of the land and all that fun stuff. (1:47) And so when I launched into the real world, my sister and I both were trying to figure out how to navigate our careers without much of a roadmap beyond what our parents had been able to navigate within the education space.

(2:02) I wound up going in consulting, she wound up going into law, and so I dutifully climbed that corporate ladder and just put my head down and hustled harder, and ultimately what that meant was a lot of success in one dimension of my life. (2:15) I wound up becoming a partner with PwC, a global management consulting firm, and leading a $200 million business unit, 300 people all over the world doing growth strategy and digital transformations, and for the most part I loved it. (2:31) I really was enjoying being with my clients and coaching people and working through workshops, (2:36) but as I climbed higher and higher on that ladder, I began to feel this gnawing emptiness (2:42) in the pit of my stomach that maybe the next level would be the thing that actually (2:47) unlocks the 25th hour of the day, or maybe if I could just put my head down and hustle (2:52) even harder, I’ll get to this place where I feel peace, or I feel like it’s enough, (2:56) or I’ve arrived, and it really wasn’t working for me, but I didn’t have another playbook. (3:02) I didn’t really know what to do that would be any different, and so I got on those two to three planes a week, and I tried to schedule all my flights around bedtimes and get back in time to put my third and fifth grader to bed and sing a bedtime story, and then log on for one last email.

(3:19) Any working parent can probably relate to the shuffle that is working while parenting, and so I felt like there was another way, but I just couldn’t see it. (3:28) I couldn’t figure out how else I could really become this version of myself and really hit these high performance standards I held for myself. (3:36) I knew what I was capable of, but also melded in with this life that I wanted for the rest of the dimensions in my world.

(3:44) And so in my story, the pandemic hit. (3:48) I live in the mid-Atlantic in D.C., and so in our world, the schools were shut down for a time, and we at first were trying to figure out what to do next, but soon we all got a chance to rediscover each other in our own house, so we were doing puzzles and walks and playing tennis and all the things you can’t do when you’re on three flights a week. (4:09) And I thought, you know, maybe this is it.

(4:11) I figured it out. (4:12) I’m running this huge practice, and I’m on this huge upward trajectory to get the next big role, and I get this time with my kids. (4:19) Like, this is it.

(4:21) And that whole facade came crashing down one night when my then 10-year-old delivered dinner to me after a particularly long day. (4:30) And I said, you know, buddy, I know this has been so hard on everyone, but I’m also just really happy we’ve had all this time together. (4:37) And he looked at me and delivered this cheerful news that only your own child can tell you that’s the truth you need to hear.

(4:45) And he said, yeah, Mom, it’s been great. (4:48) I mean, you’ve been working, like, all day every day, but at least I get to see you on some of the weekends. (4:53) And that kind of broke something inside of me, and I think it was just this facade of I’m trying to be happy.

(5:01) I’m not actually happy. (5:02) And that kind of gave me the inspiration to say, what other ways could I lead myself? (5:07) How could I do this differently?

(5:09) And I’m a consultant. (5:10) I’ve been one for 20 years working in Fortune 500. (5:13) And so I said, I’ve got to figure out the root cause of this.

(5:16) And did I cause this, or was it the situation I was in? (5:19) And that really threw me into learning and unlearning what I thought leadership was and picking up all of these books of Brene Brown and Simon Sinek and all of these other leaders that I never had time for when I was just trying to skim the Wall Street Journal, and that really got to this place where I started sharing my story. (5:37) I had other people share theirs, and that became my first book, Corporate Rehab, Ditch the Hustle Culture, and Thrive Again.

(5:44) And it really was a journal to myself from 10 years before of what I would have done differently or any of the thousands of guys I coached through the partnership path of, hey, I wish someone had pulled me aside and said, here’s different ways to lead yourself, or here’s a process to go through to kind of recognize when Hustle Culture is running the show or when you’re making aligned decisions. (6:06) And that kind of reframed the way I think about leadership. (6:10) I think we all need to do some corporate rehab and just rehab what we think of as leadership because we just usually lead the way that we were led, and there’s room to really improve on that.

Melissa

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(6:41) And as a listener of the Executive Connect Podcast, you can get it completely free. (6:47) Just visit MoneyRipples.com forward slash secrets and enter the promo code EXEC. (6:57) Yeah, I love that.

(6:58) I think so many good things in there, but the corporate rehab really hit a nerve for me as a fellow hustler and traveling mom. (7:09) It really hit me head on when I started reading this book. (7:13) And so can you walk our listeners through that rehab process?

(7:17) What it looked like for you from kind of stuck to hustle mindset? (7:23) So I think a lot of times people think it’s just like this switch that we’re gonna like be so used to this hustle and then we’re gonna flip the switch and we’re just gonna go back to the knot hustle. (7:34) But the in between I guess is what I’ll call it.

(7:37) It takes time and kind of retraining. (7:40) I’ll think of it kind of like training for the Olympics. (7:44) It’s just, you can’t just unwind it.

(7:45) So maybe you can walk us through that rehab process a little bit more.

Jennie Blumenthal

(7:49) Absolutely. (7:49) And I’m actually glad you asked this too in the way you did because it bears repeating that both of us are hustlers. (7:56) We’re all hustlers, right?

(7:57) And whether you’re hustling to get that next goal in and close the contract or you’re hustling to get your kid or your dog out the door on time, like there is a time and a place for hustling. (8:08) And I believe in hard work and I believe in hustling. (8:12) What the distinction I make in the book is it’s different from hustle culture.

(8:16) When we’re on all the time and grinding is the only way through and you’re sleeping on the floor and it’s 24 seven and it’s a hundred miles an hour all the time. (8:24) There’s no breaks. (8:26) And the reason we make that distinction is because we all need to hustle and then rest, get the project in and then take a break before we try to deliver.

(8:36) And that’s because there are different processes within our brains and our bodies. (8:39) And so just like you were saying for an Olympic sport, Olympic athletes do not train seven days a week, 24 hours a day. (8:45) There is active recovery days.

(8:47) There are specific things that they do where they’re cross training. (8:50) And that’s because they are treating their muscles just the way we should treat our brain where there’s different parts of our bodies that need to be firing or resting at different times to get optimal performance. (9:02) And if any of us are athletes, our whole family’s athletes, so I can always relate to this, you know, who of us didn’t think, you know, where they were trying to train for a marathon and the, you know, the, the guidance is, we’ll walk up, you know, run two minutes and walk a minute and you think, no, no, I got to go even faster.

(9:17) But darn, if that’s not true, that when you build in that rest time or that recovery into a training process, you’re always going to get your better PR and it’s no different when we think about work. (9:28) So with that in mind, I started to go about what’s the way that if I were to counsel or coach the either 10 or five year version of myself from five or 10 years ago, how would I approach that? (9:40) And how would I think about doing it differently instead of just staying stuck and, you know, in the choices I made or what could have been different?

(9:47) And so I really pulled that together from everything I read is about 50 books, 100 podcasts and tried to distill that into something that would be easy for people to actually pick up and not so, not too, too taxing. (10:01) And so that’s really where the name corporate rehab came from. (10:04) I joked that I was detoxing for muscle culture, but rehab actually is a framework and it stands for R, which is recognize the context of your values and your decisions.

(10:15) E is evaluate some of the mindsets and patterns that you might be just doing on autopilot and you’ve never kind of questioned. (10:21) H is heal. (10:23) I found as I started to do a lot of my interviews that about 90% of the people I started asking about their experiences with hustle culture had some sort of physical representation of the stress and didn’t even put the two things together.

(10:36) In fact, one woman I interviewed said, I knew I had stress at work, but I didn’t think of that much of it until I realized I was throwing up every morning, but only between Monday and Friday, never on the weekends. (10:48) But it took her a while to realize that was connected to what she was doing Monday through Friday. (10:53) So there’s a lot of healing ways we can kind of step out of the stress that we’re exposed to on a daily basis.

(11:00) A, and the framework is arise and reconnect to the strengths and the things that actually made you excited about your job in the first place. (11:07) And then B stands for building new dimensions of your life and work that work better for you. (11:13) So that’s really what the rehab framework is.

(11:15) I’ve got, you know, keynotes and coaching pieces that kind of go walk people through that. (11:19) But the book is a really nice way to just kind of pick it up on an airplane. (11:23) And, you know, I call it a buffet, you know, look at all of the different exercises and different ways that you can kind of do pieces of the framework and do what works for you.

Melissa

(11:33) Yeah. (11:33) And I have to say, I’ll tell you a little secret. (11:37) When we met in Manhattan, I read the whole book in a sitting, like I just couldn’t put it down.

(11:42) But I think there’s so many things I want to unpack here, because I think one thing you said that we don’t realize until we step back and ask our body or ourselves, like what’s going on? (11:54) How is this correlated to that? (11:56) And it does take that step back.

(11:58) And I would say, you know, I have for myself mastered that hustle at work and hustle for my health. (12:05) Like I’m hustling across all the things, but I’m very mindful that weeks are going to be busy, but I have to schedule it. (12:14) Like for me, I know that I’ll just blaze through and power through and, you know, early to the plane and back home Friday and, you know, and blaze through and hustle through.

(12:23) But I do think having these checks and balances and processes that you’re talking about is so key because without the processes, we just continue to hustle. (12:34) It’s like, you know, when I get in the shower, I don’t think about, you know, shampooing my hair and then conditioning my hair. (12:40) It’s robotic.

(12:41) It’s programmed within me. (12:42) It’s the same with this hustle culture. (12:44) It’s programmed, you know, we’ve been trained.

(12:47) We’re Olympic athletes. (12:49) We’re corporate Olympic athletes. (12:51) But I want to unpack that a little bit because I do think, you know, I’ve had some of those aha moments where I’m like, oh, wow.

(13:01) See, here I thought I had it all together and then things pop up with my health the older I get. (13:06) And so I want to just kind of get some maybe insights on that because I do think the hustle is equally important. (13:15) You know, wealth and wellness go together.

(13:18) You’re growing your career, building wealth, but the wellness has to be something that’s programmed in, processed in. (13:27) And so I want to get kind of your thoughts on that part of it.

Jennie Blumenthal

(13:29) Well, the way I think about the heel and when I go into that piece in that chapter, it’s really across mind, body, and spirit because all of these work together, you know, so seamlessly in our bodies. (13:41) I like to think of it as like our bodies are these super computers, right? (13:44) And you can’t isolate the hardware from the software, maybe at the purchasing time, sure.

(13:49) But it becomes real hard to show like where where those two things, you know, don’t interact as you go through it. (13:54) And our bodies kind of work the same way. (13:57) Thought comes into our minds and we have a feeling that comes up and we react to it before we even aware of it.

(14:02) And if you actually slow down, you can start to intercept those different patterns. (14:07) But I like to think of that as something where sometimes it’s just catching ourselves in a mindset that no longer serves us. (14:14) You know, maybe we come from a place of we’ve got to hustle to make sure we have enough on the table or we’ve got to hustle because we want to prove to ourselves we can do it.

(14:23) We can get to that next level or whatever it might be. (14:25) And that gets us to a great place. (14:28) But sometimes, you know, a strength over use can become that weakness.

(14:31) And so it’s just a matter of trying to catch ourselves when we’re in that thinking. (14:36) I often hear a lot from my clients that it’s, you know, they’ll go into a presentation and suddenly they might as well be four years old in that presentation. (14:47) If the client starts yelling, they, you know, they’re shrinking or they’re yelling back and all of a sudden they kind of just go right back to a situation that, you know, they’re not actually in but their body thinks they are.

(14:58) So we joke about it that, you know, you can tell yourself the boss is actually not a bear that’s chasing you. (15:03) It’s not your dad. (15:04) You know, it’s just really just somebody who’s having their own emotional reaction.

(15:08) You can choose what kind of reaction you want to have in that moment. (15:11) But even just that thought of being able to choose, it can be really empowering to kind of heal that mindset. (15:18) And really what you’re doing and this is where I could geek out if we had more time.

(15:22) If you actually Google it, there’s pictures of like an actual nerve synapse firing. (15:28) And what happens is we’re rewiring our brains when we’re actually choosing that new thought. (15:35) The way I describe it to my kids is picture it like a ski slope and your mind is going to go down those well-worn tracks in the snow.

(15:44) If you don’t give it another track to go down, if you’re just heading downhill, your skis will find that groove, right? (15:50) But if you cut a new path, then you give yourself a chance to go down that. (15:54) And that’s really what we’re doing, which to me feels super hopeful.

(15:57) A lot of the neuroscience and research on that is relatively new only in the last like 10 years. (16:03) So it’s kind of exciting that we can choose and rewire some of that. (16:08) All of like the spirit pieces really kind of relate to the body as well, but a lot of that gets into whether you have a faith practice, whether it’s things that are connecting you to something bigger than yourself.

(16:20) So sometimes I relate it to just purpose, knowing that there’s a reason that you’re doing this job or connecting to what are the things that you get out of it that feel really purposeful to you. (16:30) And when we’re in a not so great place, it could just be like is there a moment in your day that actually brought you some energy? (16:36) And that’s enough.

(16:37) Just focusing on that instead of feeling kind of lost and the shuffle of all of the emails and everything else that are coming through is kind of enough to kind of anchor us in some sort of purpose. (16:49) And then the final piece is body. (16:51) So if we think about our bodies as the supercomputer, they’re hosting all of this, all these emotions, all these signals, and emotions are just energy in motion.

(17:01) So it’s literally trapped energy within yourself if you want to kind of think of it from a Reiki perspective. (17:07) Or I like to think of it. (17:09) I always go back to the factual because it’s helpful to meet people there.

(17:13) Our guts have just about half the amount of neurons that our brains do. (17:18) So when we say like my gut felt off or I just trust my gut, there’s a reason for that because there’s actually just as many or half those, just almost as many of those neurons in our gut, which means that our bodies are super connected all the way through. (17:33) That’s why a lot of people have theories that when we have poor indigestion or digestion issues, a lot of times there’s something else going on where there’s stress in our bodies.

(17:43) So anything you can do to get back in your body and not leave it at that time, meaning like doing breath work or just putting your hand on your heart or something where you can just kind of make sure that you’re grounding yourself. (17:54) One I really like to do for my clients who are in a board meeting when this happens is kind of put your hands together if you can see me or otherwise if you’re driving, I’m just touching my fingertips to each other. (18:04) Just do something like that to kind of activate yourself and kind of make sure that you’re checking in with your body instead of letting your mind race away with the thoughts, whatever you’re having of, oh, I’m going to fail this presentation or they’re never going to hire me or whatever else it is.

(18:17) Just try to get back in your body by making sure that you can kind of feel it.

Melissa

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(19:01) Yeah, 100%. (19:02) I think there’s so much there too and one of the things that I loved you mentioned is this fight-or-flight response. (19:10) When we’re in this hustler culture, travel culture, we’re responding to the flight or changing the gates or getting our rental car or getting an Uber or getting to the next location.

(19:20) So our body’s really living in this fight-or-flight all the time which, as you kind of alluded to, is so many things are secondary to that. (19:31) Our adrenal glands, if our bodies are constantly living as women in fight-or-flight, it’s going to fatigue our adrenals and everything kind of cascades from there. (19:41) So I love that you, something as simple as putting your hands together or breathing in for four seconds and breathing out for four seconds, it seems so basic.

(19:52) A lot of times people are like, oh, I know, I breathe in and out all the time. (19:56) But when you actually stop doing it and close the computer, turn your phone off and you do it, it’s amazing how your body naturally just calms and your shoulders come down and you’re more relaxed and you’re more clear to do the things you need to get done instead of keeping 80 tabs open in fight-or-flight all day. (20:16) So I love that you brought that up.

(20:18) And it kind of brings me to my next point I want to talk to you about. (20:22) I was one who used to believe that I had to be busy every single minute of the day driving to something wherever I was going. (20:32) But I do think there’s a big shift in the future of work and how to thrive in the workplace today because it’s very much, in my opinion, evolving.

(20:44) Hybrid models are evolving. (20:47) Missions, company missions are evolving. (20:50) And companies are putting their people first and really focusing on that.

(20:55) So I want to get your thoughts on what do you believe leaders really need to do differently to thrive in the future of work today?

Jennie Blumenthal

(21:05) Yes, I love this topic because I think there’s so much riches in there that it’ll continue to evolve but there’s so much that we can even just pick up right now. (21:15) So I think against that backdrop, I think one piece to kind of highlight that I always like to go into is kind of this recognition that we’re in workplaces for the most part that were built for an industrial revolution era where we’re making widgets and things and some of us still make widgets and things. (21:32) But we really focused on products and so we have a punch card and a time sheet and all of the things and a conveyor belt and all of the things when we made products.

(21:41) It’s only the 1980s, 90s where we had really services at scale where you have professional services and sure there were shops and something smaller but that’s really the rise of these larger service businesses where the value you were providing was service. (21:57) We’re heading towards this knowledge age or intelligence age is what we’re calling it now where it’s going to be a mix of products and services but the end result of value we’re going to create is outcomes. (22:11) And when I think about that it’s we’re getting to a place where clients, yes there still will be people selling products but we might get to a place where people are saying I don’t care how you make it and whether it’s a product or a service or AI does this or five humans touch it like I want my experience delivered in this way at this cost.

(22:31) And so when I think about that (22:33) if we are a leader (22:34) who is in kind of a command (22:36) and control (22:36) or there has to be a hierarchy (22:39) or anything (22:39) that’s kind of built (22:41) from some of the past ages (22:44) that we went through (22:46) we’re having to go (22:47) through this kind of (22:48) unlearning process (22:49) and say does that still serve us (22:52) in the intelligence age (22:53) in the business that I do (22:55) in this moment in time (22:56) in this dot on the map or not (22:58) and that’s something (22:59) that only each of the leaders (23:01) can answer (23:01) but there’s no one answer (23:03) for all of that (23:03) depending on sector (23:04) and all kinds of things.

(23:07) But I like to start there because I think it really depends on what you’re doing how you create value in the world what types of things are expected of you from your customers. (23:17) But given that (23:18) there’s unlearning (23:19) and then learning right (23:20) we have to unlearn (23:21) some of the ways we let ourselves (23:22) and then we have to think about (23:24) how is technology changing this (23:26) how will AI (23:27) make some of those (23:28) differences (23:29) or are there different ways (23:30) we can lead that (23:31) a lot of the latest research (23:33) is showing that (23:33) in some industries (23:35) there will be (23:37) crowdsourced products (23:38) where it doesn’t matter (23:40) whether we’re in the same company (23:41) we’re all collaborating (23:42) on one idea (23:42) and then getting that product (23:44) to market on (23:44) a technology platform for example (23:46) as a very different org structure (23:48) and a very different way (23:50) of incentivizing people (23:51) than what we used (23:52) in the 1990s (23:53) for the knowledge age (23:54) for example. (23:56) So at the unlearning and the relearning or the picking up new learning is kind of priority number one.

(24:01) I think the second is (24:03) thinking about balancing (24:04) being and doing (24:06) or productivity and innovation (24:08) whatever labels you want to call it (24:10) that’s a really big shift to make (24:13) and if you’re trying to set aside (24:14) hustle culture (24:15) from running the show all the time (24:17) you might be in the doing (24:18) you know we’re going to do all the things (24:20) this was me (24:20) I’m going to do all the things that work (24:22) and I’m going to get everything done (24:23) I’m going to close the deal (24:24) I’m going to fly to Vegas (24:25) and help my guys close their deals (24:26) and then I’m going to fly home (24:28) and I’m going to do everything in the house (24:29) then I’m going to get the lunches (24:30) and the you know it was doing (24:32) all the time (24:34) and I say that was just you know (24:36) an enormous amount of compassion (24:37) for myself (24:38) because it was exhausting (24:39) and I didn’t even know it (24:41) or recognize it (24:42) or acknowledge it (24:44) but it was all doing (24:45) and so now it’s (24:46) how do I balance the doing (24:48) and the being (24:48) how do I think about (24:50) maybe it’s even in micro moments (24:52) in my day (24:53) of building in time (24:54) to actually (24:55) not have to be productive (24:57) but let my brain go offline (24:58) in a minute (24:59) and ironically (25:00) and not ironically (25:02) but by design (25:03) but what seems ironic (25:05) is those are the times (25:06) when we’re the most creative (25:07) because it’s a different process (25:08) that’s allowed to come forward (25:10) when we’re not in the doing (25:12) and if you don’t believe me (25:13) then I’d ask you to really question (25:15) whether you haven’t had a great idea (25:17) in the shower (25:17) or while you’re on a run (25:19) or some place (25:20) or while you’re cooking (25:21) some place where you haven’t been able (25:23) to do or produce (25:24) in the same way (25:25) and suddenly (25:26) oh this great (25:26) you know this problem (25:27) you’ve been working through (25:28) suddenly this great idea (25:29) comes to you (25:30) it’s because this process (25:32) of the doing (25:32) has stepped back for a moment (25:34) and we’re allowed to be a little bit (25:35) and that’s really where the space (25:37) of being able to thrive (25:38) as a leader (25:39) you know lets you (25:40) kind of balance those (25:41) those two things (25:42) so those those are the main things (25:43) I would say is (25:44) really kind of balancing (25:46) the productivity (25:46) and the creativity (25:47) the being and the doing (25:48) and then being open (25:50) to kind of unlearn (25:51) and then relearn (25:52) the things that will need to thrive (25:53) in the future of work

Melissa

(25:54) Yeah I love that you said that (25:56) I totally echo (25:57) I have to just wow (25:59) lots of words here (26:00) but I agree (26:02) I think when we stop our brain (26:03) like sometimes I have the most brilliant ideas (26:05) with no radio on (26:06) driving in my car (26:07) looking well it’s such a beautiful day (26:08) and I’m like (26:09) oh I should do it this way (26:10) but it’s my brain is just not (26:12) where do I have to do next (26:14) where do I have to go (26:15) what kind of hustle do I need to get done (26:17) and so it’s so so true (26:19) I want to talk a little bit (26:21) about the growth zone (26:22) you’ve worked with so many (26:24) high performing executives (26:26) many of which are navigating (26:28) constant pressure (26:30) and constant change (26:31) and you’ve helped them (26:33) find their growth zone (26:34) so what exactly is the growth zone (26:36) and how do you help leaders find that (26:38) without burning out in the process

Jennie Blumenthal

(26:40) Yes so I love to talk about this (26:42) so within the corporate rehab perspective (26:44) it’s all about how to rehab (26:46) your relationship with hustle culture (26:48) and that’s really where the book’s (26:49) you know focus is on (26:51) but I thought as I went (26:52) and started to do workshops (26:53) and keynotes (26:54) and talking to more teams (26:56) I felt like how do I actually give them (26:58) something to what to do next right (27:00) so maybe for some people (27:01) they’re changing a role (27:02) some people left that job (27:03) took a new one (27:04) but for those of us who are saying (27:06) okay I can be in a different place (27:08) in a different role (27:09) but how do I actually operate at this place (27:12) on a consistent basis (27:13) and that’s really where the growth zone was born (27:15) and it’s my name for the process (27:18) that I founded (27:19) which is essentially (27:20) how do you keep your people (27:22) operating out of comfort (27:23) because we don’t want everybody (27:24) just being in this comfort zone (27:26) but not pushing so hard (27:27) that they’re then into overdrive (27:29) what if we could help them (27:30) be on that curve (27:31) that’s right in the middle (27:32) between that comfort zone (27:33) and the overdrive zone (27:35) and that’s really where the growth zone is (27:36) and so we work with folks (27:39) to have them take an assessment (27:40) and look at all of these different dimensions (27:42) and it’s a lot of the things (27:44) we talk about in the book (27:45) but it’s starting with a vision (27:47) for what they want (27:48) what are they trying to do (27:49) sometimes someone who’s saying (27:51) I want to go into a different industry (27:52) I want to get to that next level in my job (27:55) so what type of leap are you trying to make (27:57) and what does your vision look like for that (27:59) then we get into mindsets and habits (28:01) so what are the things (28:02) you might need to shift about that (28:04) are you still operating the same way you did (28:06) I know that was part of my story (28:07) is I was operating (28:09) you know I burned out in my job (28:10) when I was operating still (28:12) as kind of a new director (28:14) and having the same type of habits (28:16) trying to do something you know (28:18) as a partner (28:19) and it’s just not sustainable (28:20) you have to let certain things go (28:22) and pick up delegation (28:23) and but I didn’t have a perspective (28:25) of how to make all of those shifts (28:27) so it’s those types of mindsets and habits (28:29) have had to think about your time (28:30) and your energy (28:31) how to actually be practical (28:33) about how you use your time (28:34) and your energy from a calendar perspective (28:37) and then we get into things like resilience (28:39) because if you’re going to be hustling (28:41) and then taking your foot off the gas (28:43) and hustling again (28:44) and you know stress (28:45) is the number one underlying source of disease (28:48) in America at this point in time (28:49) and so how do we actually build resilience (28:51) and and think about ways (28:53) to shed all that cortisol (28:55) that our bodies are picking up (28:57) it sounds like you might be a runner (28:59) just like me (29:00) and I think I naturally chose that (29:01) that I’m going to run (29:02) because I can just shed all this cortisol (29:04) I didn’t know why I was doing it (29:06) but my body was craving it (29:07) but it really gives us a chance (29:09) to kind of get out all that cortisol (29:11) that we pick up during the week (29:12) and it’s a way to kind of reset (29:14) so things like that (29:15) to kind of just help us (29:16) you know think about what to do differently (29:18) and then we get into expansion (29:20) so if you do all of those things (29:22) then how can you actually expand (29:24) and make more impact (29:25) with the same amount of effort (29:28) that you’re putting forward (29:29) so it’s kind of working smarter (29:30) and not harder (29:31) and that’s really what we focus on (29:32) it’s pretty exciting to see (29:34) big companies and individual leaders (29:36) start to make these shifts (29:37) so that they can actually get more (29:39) and see higher ROI

Melissa

(29:40) yeah I love it (29:41) and it’s funny (29:42) I think of my day like a battery (29:44) I’m like where am I spending my energy (29:47) how am I spending my energy (29:49) and if we’re in high stress mode (29:51) all the time (29:52) it’s amazing how fast (29:53) that battery is depleted (29:56) it’s almost like (29:57) I feel sometimes it’ll deplete (29:58) you know half is fat (30:00) or double is fast (30:01) because we’re just constantly stressed (30:03) and our body’s like you know pivoting (30:06) and trying to keep up with our pace (30:08) and so we’re just all moving so fast (30:11) so I love that you mentioned (30:12) I think it’s such an important (30:13) awareness piece of realizing (30:15) where are you spending (30:16) your 168 hours in a week (30:19) are they in high stress situations (30:22) and if they are finding an outlet (30:25) whether it’s running (30:25) or it’s yoga (30:26) or it’s playing with your dog (30:28) or your kids (30:29) or whatever your outlet is (30:30) it’s amazing how fast you can regroup (30:35) and get back on the train (30:37) when you’ve had a couple moments of rest (30:40) so I want to kind of pivot (30:43) being somebody that’s always been (30:44) and driving revenue and strategy (30:46) and leading (30:47) I know everything for me (30:49) has always been (30:50) metrics, metrics, metrics (30:52) and I know many of our leaders (30:54) that listen to this podcast (30:56) they’re managing major teams (30:58) they’re driving revenue targets (31:01) what’s your advice (31:02) for those that are listening (31:04) on how to lead with authenticity (31:07) and values without falling behind (31:09) in their results

Jennie Blumenthal

(31:11) yes so one thing (31:14) I think that’s an interesting (31:15) it’s usually a myth that people believe (31:17) is if I make time for the soft stuff (31:19) of the empathy (31:20) and listening and communicating (31:22) that it’s going to cost me (31:24) the hard results (31:25) and I have news for you (31:26) it’s actually the opposite (31:28) and that’s because we don’t live (31:29) in this world of scarcity (31:31) where you know (31:31) if I do this thing (31:32) that feels like it’s taking up more time (31:34) then I will lose on this other side (31:36) both can be true (31:37) both can kind of coexist (31:38) and the studies that actually show (31:40) that when you use (31:42) other parts of your leadership (31:43) your results go even faster (31:45) so that’s kind of the good news (31:47) I’ll just I’ll hit that right up front (31:49) because I am definitely a metrics person as well (31:51) if you want to look at it (31:52) from a bottom line perspective (31:54) right now employee engagement (31:56) is super super low (31:58) 62% of employees are disengaged (32:01) and that is actually costing us (32:04) 8.8 trillion dollars (32:06) globally in lost productivity (32:08) so I just want to think about that (32:10) for a second (32:10) then we’re talking about (32:11) our individual metrics (32:12) but when you aggregate (32:14) when we’re burning everybody out (32:16) and we’re running really hard (32:17) and we’re losing them (32:18) or they’re quiet quitting (32:19) and just saying (32:20) I’m going to mail it in (32:21) and not actually do any more (32:22) than you’re asking me to (32:23) we’re leaving 8.8 trillion dollars (32:26) on the table (32:26) so what if you were able (32:28) to just shift a little bit (32:30) within the way you lead (32:31) or the way you incentivize your teams (32:33) and actually cost some of that back (32:34) and the other stat (32:36) that kind of always blows me away (32:37) is that we spend (32:38) ten thousand dollars (32:40) for every hundred thousand dollars (32:42) of salary on burnout (32:45) so just multiply that by (32:47) all of your different folks (32:49) that are leaving (32:49) and thinking about the fact (32:50) that like burnout is averaged (32:52) between 72 and 82% (32:54) over the last ten years (32:56) you’re leaving a lot of money (32:58) on the table (32:58) because you’re having to (32:59) those people leave (33:00) and then you’re having to fire (33:01) find new people (33:02) and someone’s double having (33:03) and then that person’s burning out (33:04) so all of that (33:05) when you think about (33:06) leading ourselves differently (33:08) there is a business case (33:09) I actually have a calculator (33:10) for this because I’ve (33:11) worked with a lot of CFOs (33:13) that want to see (33:13) what they can claw back (33:14) and they’re always shocked (33:15) when I give them the numbers (33:16) so there’s a business case (33:18) for doing it (33:18) so if you can kind of buy into that (33:21) from a rational perspective (33:22) that you’ll actually get more money (33:23) in your pocket (33:24) or more of a bottom line (33:25) then getting into the how (33:27) really comes down (33:28) to setting a super clear vision (33:30) for people (33:31) right now we’re swimming (33:33) in a lot of uncertainty (33:34) whether that’s markets (33:35) uncertainty (33:36) geopolitical uncertainty (33:37) people need these micro moments (33:40) of certainty (33:40) because maybe you can’t promise (33:42) everything (33:42) maybe you can’t promise (33:43) that there’s not going to be a layoff (33:45) or you can’t promise (33:46) that they’re going to get a bonus (33:47) or whatever it might be (33:48) but give them micro moments of certainty (33:50) and what I mean by that is (33:52) a clear vision of (33:53) here’s where we’re going (33:54) here’s what I need you to do (33:56) within that that growth trajectory (33:58) be really clear (33:59) about their role in that (34:01) and then feedback (34:02) that’s what we’re hearing (34:03) from every generation (34:04) is they want more and more feedback (34:06) and there’s really cool ways (34:07) to get creative with that (34:09) of doing office hours (34:10) or sending emails (34:11) that have kind of specific things (34:13) that you’re doing as a blast (34:14) as opposed to it being this time suck (34:17) but those are the things (34:18) that I would say (34:18) really help people feel like (34:20) they’re involved in your vision (34:22) and you’re bringing them along (34:24) but that you’re also empowering them (34:26) because it’s their career (34:27) at the end of the day (34:27) and you’re trying (34:28) not to play therapist (34:29) you’re trying to be a leader to them

Melissa

(34:31) yeah I love that (34:33) and I can’t remember (34:33) who said this Jenny (34:35) but I think it was (34:36) Brene Brown like clear as kind (34:38) and I really do believe (34:40) that that is you know as a leader (34:42) we all know we have to get stuff done (34:45) and being clear with your staff (34:47) on what those things are (34:49) and that they’re you know (34:50) they’re an important person (34:51) in that vehicle with you (34:53) and they you know (34:54) have a seat in that vehicle (34:55) and you need their help (34:56) I think it’s very helpful (34:58) in building teams (34:59) and teams that work well together (35:02) I think when they don’t have that (35:03) you know it’s easier (35:04) for people to say okay (35:05) it’s five I’m out of here (35:06) but if you’re all pulling (35:07) with the same clarity (35:09) and the same understanding (35:10) you know people will jump in (35:12) and help when it’s a late night (35:13) to get stuff done (35:15) because they know that it’s due (35:17) and so I think it’s such (35:18) an important point (35:19) I love that you brought that up (35:21) now I want to get kind of (35:22) any thoughts (35:23) or anything that we may have missed (35:26) that you want to share (35:27) with our listeners (35:28) before we close up

Jennie Blumenthal

(35:29) I would just say you know (35:31) for the longest time business (35:35) to give me some of these answers (35:37) and I thought (35:38) if I could just find someone (35:39) who’s you know (35:40) 10 years ahead of me (35:41) or two levels up (35:42) who like has the answer (35:44) and I just want to give you (35:45) kind of the permission (35:46) and the encouragement (35:47) that you have the answer (35:49) there’s right now (35:50) there’s something within you (35:51) that says maybe (35:52) I could try it this way (35:53) and there is no one right answer (35:55) but those answers (35:56) are already within you (35:57) there’s no special outside person (36:00) who’s going to come deliver that (36:01) you have to kind of do that work (36:03) to say (36:03) let me think about (36:04) what those things could be (36:05) how could I apply them?

(36:07) I hope the book helps (36:08) you’re always (36:09) it’s always worth picking up (36:10) to see if that helps be a guide (36:12) and then I do private coaching (36:13) and workshops for teens (36:15) to kind of go through a lot of these (36:17) and I’m always happy (36:18) to have that conversation (36:19) so feel free to reach out (36:21) but I’m just cheering you on (36:22) I’m confident and hopeful (36:24) that if all of us do this work (36:26) we can all rehab (36:27) the way that we lead (36:28) in the future of work

Melissa

(36:29) hundred percent (36:31) it’s such (36:31) you’re such a breath of fresh air (36:33) in today’s overworked world (36:36) and so for anybody (36:37) that wants to start (36:38) their corporate rehab (36:41) where can they find your book (36:42) and how is it best for them (36:44) to connect with you?

Jennie Blumenthal

(36:46) Yeah definitely follow me (36:47) on LinkedIn (36:47) I try to do as much education (36:49) and put as many tips out there (36:51) and it inspire as much as I can (36:52) so feel free to find me there (36:54) at Jenny Blumenthal (36:55) and then you can always go (36:57) to the website (36:57) which is www.corporate-rehab.com (37:02) and I’ve got all my keynotes (37:03) and workshops (37:04) and group coaching there (37:05) so feel free to find me (37:07) either place (37:08) and I really look forward (37:09) to staying connected (37:10) I’m always interested to hear (37:12) how the book lands with folks (37:13) and I like to think (37:15) that I hold up a mirror (37:16) to the things (37:16) that they already know (37:17) within them (37:18) but got covered over (37:19) with timelines (37:20) and hustle culture (37:21) and so I’m proud of you (37:22) for even listening to this (37:24) and starting to think about (37:25) you know ways (37:26) that you could start this work (37:27) in whatever phase (37:28) that works for you

Melissa

(37:29) I love it (37:30) her book’s fantastic (37:31) I know I’ve highlighted it (37:33) I’ve gone through it (37:34) and I’ve reread some of the areas (37:35) that I need to do (37:37) a little bit better on myself (37:38) so thank you so much (37:41) for being here today (37:42) Jeannie (37:43) and sharing your knowledge (37:44) and wisdom (37:44) and time with our listeners (37:46) and that’s (37:47) the Executive Connect podcast