You’re Not Burned Out. You’re Just Afraid to Stop People-Pleasing.

This isn’t support. It’s self-sabotage dressed as generosity.

TL;DR

You’re not overwhelmed because you’re too busy.

You’re overwhelmed because you’ve made yourself available to everyone.

That’s not noble. That’s broken.

I call it relationship debt—and it’s wrecking your creative edge.

Burned out from saying yes to everyone?

You keep telling yourself it’s just a busy season. That things will calm down after this launch, after this collab, after you help with that one more thing. But they never do. Your calendar stays packed. Your DMs stay full. And you’re exhausted.

Here’s what’s actually happening: You’re not burned out from working too hard. You’re burned out from being available to everyone. Every obligation you’ve said yes to. Every collaboration you’re still entertaining out of guilt. Every “quick call” that steals your deep work time.

That’s not community building. That’s relationship debt—and it’s killing your creative edge.

Let me show you where you’re leaking energy.

Stop calling it “community building.”

It’s obligation. Plain and simple.

You promote everyone’s launch. You answer every DM. You show up to every group chat. You say yes when you want to say no. And you wonder why your own work is stalled.

The truth? You’ve become your own bottleneck.

Let’s break it down.

You’re leaking energy from five places:

1. The Perpetual DM Trap

Every message you ignore still takes up brain space. Guilt is not a growth strategy.

2. The Obligation Overdraft

Still entertaining collaborations that should’ve ended years ago? That’s not loyalty. That’s fear of letting go.

3. The Energy Emergency Loan

That “quick call” you said yes to? It just stole your deep work window. That’s not connection—it’s theft.

4. The Social Media Mortgage

You’re maintaining 100 online relationships. For what? The algorithm? You haven’t had a real conversation in weeks.

5. The Reciprocity Trap

You're still carrying emotional debt for a favour from 2021. Newsflash: they're not keeping score. You are.

But let’s be honest...

• "I don’t want to seem cold." You already seem tired. Choose.

• "But I’ve built a brand around being accessible." So you’re proud of being perpetually drained?

• "They might stop supporting me." Good. Filter out the energy vampires.

Here’s how I help clients shut the leaks and get their edge back:

Step 1: The Reality Check
Audit every relationship for ROI. If it costs more than it creates? Cut it.

Step 2: The Permission Protocol
Make a list of expired connections. Write the goodbye email. Or don’t. Just let them go.

Step 3: The Sustainability System
Create rhythms. Use templates. Set rules. Make access earned—not assumed.

Thriving creators don’t manage more relationships. They manage fewer, with precision.

Do this in the next 24 hours:

Kill one obligation that’s draining you.

Decline the invite.

Exit the group chat.

Archive the thread.

Start small—but start.

Ask yourself:

Will you be another creator too polite to protect your purpose?

Or the one who finally makes the cut?

You don’t need more energy. You need fewer leaks.

With courage & conviction