When Hustling Harder Isn’t the Only Way
Stepping back for a moment can be a leap forward
We’ve all heard it: You can have it all - if you just work hard enough.
Yes, without doubt, hard work matters. A lot. There’s incredible value in perseverance, diligence, and putting in the time. Hustling can take you places.
Until it doesn’t.
Burnout is real. If you’re ever experienced the emotional, physical, or mental exhaustion that comes with excessive stress, you won’t want to revisit it.
Sometimes the most strategic move isn’t pushing through - it’s pulling back.
And surprisingly? That pause might actually play a part in helping you move your career forward.
The surprising upside of opting out
A study by Knowles & Mainiero (2021) in Administrative Sciences explored the career paths of women who had taken breaks - whether by choice, due to burnout, caregiving needs, or to escape the toxicity and pressures of workplace discrimination. What the researchers found challenges the dominant narrative about ambition.
These women reported that they didn’t find themselves returning to the workforce ready to "lean in harder." Instead, they returned clearer, more confident, and more intentional.
Many found they weren’t just aiming for a title anymore, or what they thought they “should” be striving for. They were looking for alignment. In the process of stepping back, they found they were able to tune in to themselves more.
As one reflected:
“After stepping away, I finally realised I wasn’t chasing a title - I was chasing alignment. Balance isn’t something you find. It’s something you create by choosing differently.”
Not always a choice - and not always welcome
Of course, these breaks weren’t always planned. Some women described opting out as a forced decision - brought on by systemic barriers, discrimination, or feeling unsupported in their workplaces.
And when they returned? They often faced new challenges: pay inequities, a lack of meaningful work, and difficulties with coming back to their prior role or industry.
As a result, rather than return to the same path, many made the decision to pivot. They shifted into community-based roles, entrepreneurial ventures, or careers that they felt better reflected their values.
The career “detour” that leads to more
For many of the women in this study, despite the challenges faced, these so-called detours didn’t derail their careers. Instead, they re-entered the workforce feeling recalibrated and more confident in making choices that aligned with who they were. And, as a result, potential derailment turned into a redefinition of success. The participants of the study wanted to prioritise building careers that worked with their lives, not against them.
“I thought stepping off the ladder would end my career. But it gave me the clarity to return on my own terms - and with more confidence.”
“The ‘ideal worker’ myth nearly broke me. Balance gave me my voice back.”
At The Empiria Project, this hits home. Because I believe that growth doesn’t always look like more, faster, or higher. Sometimes it looks like pause, reflect, realign. An important element here is one’s openness to taking the space to reassess what is most important to them.
The quiet revolution: careers built on balance
Knowles & Mainiero’s study affirms what many women already know deep down: choosing balance doesn’t mean that you have to opt out of progress - it can redefine what that the process looks and feels like for you.
Balance doesn’t have to be a barrier to career success. It can be the foundation for it.
References
Knowles, Jennifer & Mainiero, Lisa A. (2021).
Authentic Talent Development in Women Leaders Who Opted Out: Discovering Authenticity, Balance, and Challenge through the Kaleidoscope Career Model. Administrative Sciences, 11(2): 60.
