The Leadership Hangover

The latest episode of Clover went live today, and this one is just me, naming something I think a lot of us are feeling, especially in December, but rarely talk about out loud.

In this episode, I unpack what I’ve been calling the leadership hangover. It’s not burnout or a breakdown. It’s that quieter, harder-to-explain exhaustion that shows up after a long year of leading, deciding, carrying responsibility, and being “on” for everyone else, even when things look good from the outside.

I talk about:

• Why leadership hangover often goes unnoticed when you’re still functioning and capable
• How emotional fatigue, decision fatigue, and constant responsibility actually show up day to day
• Why December amplifies this feeling; reflection, pressure, goals, gratitude, and zero time to exhale
• The guilt we carry when we’re exhausted but also proud of what we’ve built
• The different ways leadership hangover can look: numbness, irritability, avoidance, or emotional flatness
• Why this isn’t a personal failure, but a nervous system that’s been carrying a lot for a long time

Most importantly, I share what not to do right now — no panic, no reinvention, no aggressive goal-setting — and offer a gentler reframe. A leadership hangover isn’t a sign that something is wrong with you. It’s a signal that you’ve been leading, often quietly and competently, without much space to set the weight down.

If you’re ending the year tired in a way you can’t quite explain, this episode is your permission slip: you don’t need clarity yet, you don’t need to fix yourself, and you don’t need to end the year energized. You’re not behind, you’re human and you’ve been leading.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.