INFO:

day in the life of a marketing manager living in los angeles, ca 💖 it’s been a minute since i’ve uploaded a vlog. there are a lot of reasons for that — some i’m not fully ready to share just yet. a mix of unexpected shifts that, in hindsight, had to happen. things that pushed me into a new chapter, whether i felt ready or not. something i’ve always struggled with is burnout. my first real experience with it hit hard. i thought pushing through, grinding nonstop, and just “sucking it up” would make it go away. i used to believe burnout was just about being overworked, not having a clear routine, or feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists. but now i’m realizing it’s deeper than that. burnout looks different for everyone. and we all have our own limits when it comes to managing work, life, hobbies, relationships, everything. my first burnout felt like waking up with anxiety every single day. not just stress — anxiety that lived in my body. not a lack of motivation, because i’ve always been a driven person. but more like... this fog. this heaviness. like “how am i possibly going to get through this day?” and the only thing that got me through was living for the weekends. i’d go to mental war monday through friday just to get those two days of peace. it wasn’t healthy, but at the time, it was survival. my second burnout was quieter. i didn’t even realize it was happening. i had gotten so used to the chaos that i just kept executing. finish the day. cross it off. go to sleep. repeat. i didn’t even question it until i was forced to step back and finally saw things clearly. that version of burnout felt worse. because i didn’t even have weekends to look forward to anymore — i had nothing to anchor me. if you asked me now if i’m burnt out, i’d probably say no. sure, i feel overwhelmed sometimes — juggling a million things is just part of the job — but i also believe highly capable people learn how to manage that. i believe a lot of it comes down to discipline. to awareness. looking back, maybe it wasn’t just me. maybe it was the environment. maybe it was the culture. maybe it was misalignment with the work i was doing. who knows. but i’ve learned it’s not always about understanding the “why” behind your burnout — it’s about noticing the signs early and doing something about it. maybe that’s asking for help. maybe that’s taking a random pto day to rest. maybe it’s just doing nothing for a while. whatever it is — your health has to come first. you can’t be your best when your body is at its worst. you can’t solve hard problems when you’re running on empty. you can’t be exceptional if you’re not even okay. most of you probably know by now, but i did start a new job. i’ve been onboarding, building, and doing a lot of fun new things. and it’s wild how just one decision — one change — can shift everything. i feel excited again. i feel clear. it’s a reminder that we have more power over our lives than we think. sometimes all it takes is one move to change your entire perspective. so if you’re feeling stuck, be gentle with yourself. you don’t have to stay somewhere that drains you — even if it feels familiar. you’re not as trapped as you might feel. sometimes staying is just the easier choice. no one else can rewrite your story for you, but the pen is in your hand. you’re more capable than you think. and it only takes one decision to start moving in a new direction. reading this back feels like a bit of a stream of consciousness, but if you made it to the end — thank you. i appreciate you being here. i’ll be back to posting vlogs soon once i settle into this new routine :) i’m always rooting for the both of us, xx cheers, ellen