Overwhelmed, underpaid, over it

Transcript

Welcome to *Meaningful Work, Remarkable Life*. I’m your host, Brook McCarthy, a business coach, trainer, and speaker, coming to you from the unceded lands of the Cammeraygal people here in Sydney, Australia. In this podcast, we dive into the fascinating paradoxes of combining work and passion, the tension between financial goals and doing work you love, and the ways in which your work can feel like your life’s calling. We explore the dynamic intersections between the meanings we bring to our work and the deeper significance we derive from it.

Hello, and welcome to episode 36. Today, we’re diving into a topic that resonates with so many: feeling overwhelmed, underpaid, and just plain over it. There couldn’t be a better moment to discuss this, as we stand on the brink of the U.S. election. It feels as though the world is holding its breath, waiting to see which direction things will take. This waiting game, this “suspended animation,” mirrors the fatigue that often sets in for business owners at this time of year. November has a unique energy; it’s a transitional, almost magical month that ushers us toward the year’s end. For business owners, it’s often a challenging sprint, with warmer weather here in Australia urging us to be social while our to-do lists seem endless.

It’s a common feeling. Business owners I work with express this sense of overwhelm all the time. Having coached for over a decade, I’ve had countless conversations that reveal a recurring pattern: many people struggle to compartmentalize. When everything feels equally urgent, when every task screams for attention, it can be paralyzing. In this state, it’s easy to lose perspective and feel that you need a grand plan—a ten-year roadmap or a lofty bird’s-eye view. But here’s the thing: if you’re feeling this way, you don’t need the 10,000-foot view; what you need is to see the next small step.

When life feels out of control—when it feels like your clients or circumstances are dictating your every move—the solution might be simpler than you think. It might feel like you need a cabin in the woods for solitude or a drastic escape. But often, what’s more effective is a gentle approach: a series of small edits to create a little less of what overwhelms and a little more of what sustains you. Start with small boundaries. Perhaps one of the first things to edit out is the habit of letting other people’s priorities dictate yours. A common reminder I offer my clients: someone else’s lack of planning does not constitute your emergency.

It’s also important to keep moving, even if it feels slow. Just because others seem to be moving at a sprint doesn’t mean you need to match their pace. Answering “no, I’m not busy” when asked how you’re doing, even if your calendar is packed, can have a calming effect. It allows you to reclaim control over your narrative and reduces the pressure to live up to a frantic “busy” image that might not even serve you.

Another essential part of this conversation is money. Money and self-care are deeply intertwined, but this connection often goes unspoken. Money buys you the time and resources to care for yourself, to rest, to hire help when needed. It’s part of setting yourself up for sustainability, yet many people, even successful-seeming business owners, are making just enough to cover their expenses and salaries for their team. This is often not about your technical skill but about understanding how to create a business model that supports you as well as it supports others.

November, then, is a perfect time to start thinking about these questions. Not January, when everyone is attempting to reset all at once, but now. This is the moment to consider what adjustments you can make, even if it’s just the next small step. How can you make changes that allow your business to operate even when you’re not at full capacity? How can you set things up so that marketing, sales, and client care continue smoothly, even when you need to take a step back? This isn’t about a grand retreat to figure everything out but about gentle, consistent shifts that make your business robust and resilient.

I invite you to ponder these questions. If you have thoughts or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook. And if this episode has resonated with you or shifted the way you think about business, would you take a moment to leave a review? It’s a small gesture that helps other values-driven business owners find this show—a meaningful gift that I truly appreciate. Thank you for joining me, and I look forward to continuing the conversation with you.