Author: Claire Edwards

In our burnout series, we go beyond the idea that burnout is just about long hours, and confront it for what it is: a state of exhaustion that impacts how you think, work, feel and live. In this fourth and final chapter, we examine how burnout can present itself and what to do when you or your team are experiencing it.

It’s no secret that burnout predominantly impacts those with a heavy workload, but it’s not as simple as being too busy. Burnout is an all-encompassing state of exhaustion that can arise after prolonged stress. It can result from accumulated factors like not feeling recognized or valued, struggling to set boundaries or not having your boundaries respected, having too much to manage and the inability to gain control.

Dr. Valerie Taylor is the department head of psychiatry at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. She researches links between mental illness and the body, and she knows how serious the repercussions of burnout can be. Burnout can impact your coping skills and ability to think clearly and can even take away the joy you get from your work. It can also pose significant health problems, like headaches and sleep and intestinal issues.

Burnout disproportionately affects women, and some female leaders face burnout because of the ongoing pressure of leading a team, rising above professional barriers placed against women and, oftentimes, taking on the majority of unpaid domestic work. Taylor explains how it’s easy to make yourself the last priority when you’re a senior-level professional, yet it’s critical to put yourself first, especially when you sense burnout coming on.

For leaders dealing with burnout 

Often, some of the pressure senior-level women feel is their own perception — they may not feel like they can take a holiday, occasionally leave work early or even mute their phone during non-working hours because they think it will be perceived negatively. Taylor says having trusted mentors is important so that you can ask how it might be viewed if you take time for yourself.

She says most mentors will probably tell you that not everyone works on weekends and “the people who are able to avoid burnout are able to do so because they can [take time away from work].”

Look at your team and the people supporting you, and find ways to delegate tasks. Be firm with whatever work-life balance works for you and ensure you make time for the things most important to you. “Working hard and being successful takes effort, but so does prioritizing yourself. People need to give themselves the same priorities and the same level of importance that they give to other things,” says Taylor.

What to do when your team is struggling  

As a leader, it’s important to notice when your team may be struggling with burnout and adjust the systems that lead them to burn out. Look internally at the small things, like how often you send out work emails and at what time, and the bigger things, like your company’s work-life balance expectations. Reflect on whether there are inclusive opportunities or resources for your staff to use when they feel frustrated.

“People don’t need work-social activities. They need to connect with themselves and their families sometimes. But they also need to be able to share frustrations if they think that they’re not being recognized,” says Taylor.

Ultimately, people need to know prioritizing themselves is important. They need to see their leaders modeling this behaviour and that their workplace encourages everyone to do this.

To keep up with more conversations on burnout and its impact on women in business, become an Axis member.  

Join Axis Connects’ CEO, Nuvyn Peters, and executive director, Alexandra Stante, as they explore what it means to be a leader in our new weekly podcast, Quiet Part Out Loud. This week’s inaugural episode features powerhouse entrepreneur Manjit Minhas.

At Axis Connects, we’re on a mission to help advance women in the workplace, and talking about the real stuff is how we normalize the imperfections of a career journey. Our new podcast, Quiet Part Out Loud, does just that — it sparks conversations about the self-doubt, tough decisions, big wins and bigger failures that come on the journey to  leadership.

We’re shining the spotlight on the leadership stories that often stay in the  shadows. “We started this podcast because we both had experiences in leadership where we were thinking, ‘Am I just crazy, or are we all just  pretending?’” says Stante.

“This podcast is all about peeling back the layers of what’s going on behind the scenes,” adds Peters. “No fluff, no corporate jargon — just the real stuff we all need to hear.”

Our goal with Quiet Part Out Loud is to normalize the messy, imperfect and deeply human side of leadership, especially for women navigating spaces that weren’t built with them in mind.

Powerhouse Guests

In episode one, we invite Manjit Minhas, entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den star, to sit down with us and pull back the curtain on her impressive career in business.

Minhas is the 2023 Calgary Influential Women in Business winner of the Small & Medium Enterprise Award. She’s a trailblazer in Canada’s beer and liquor industry, having co-founded a $220 million brewing empire, part owner of Edmonton’s professional basketball team and one of the investors on the hit TV show Dragons’ Den.

But her journey to success has been anything but linear, and she’s even redefined success a few times along the way. In Quiet Part Out Loud, Minhas shares the ups and downs of her journey and snippets of inspiration that have helped her and can hopefully help you, too.

Minhas explains why she still gets nervous (and how it’s a good thing) and why she always looks forward. She shares her belief in the power of self- valuation and feedback, her favourite books and the qualities of people who inspire her.

Episode one offers listeners a look inside the journey of a multi-million dollar company CEO and how Minhas has trusted her gut and had the persistence to get to where she is today. Our unscripted and candid conversation with Minhas sets the tone for the stories we will tell on Quiet Part Out Loud: the unfiltered journeys of women who lead and challenge the status quo.

Why now?

Diversity in the workplace is as important as ever, and helping propel women in business is an integral part of creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive work environments.

Quiet Part Out Loud aims to make leadership feel more real, relatable and accessible — not just for women but for anyone who’s felt like an outsider trying to lead from the inside. We want to amplify the voices of bold, curious and unconventional leaders and foster a community of mid-to senior-career professionals hungry for some straight-up real talk about what it  means to lead.

There is no such thing as a “perfect leader,” and by showing the behind- the-scenes thinking, mistakes, pivots and unspoken truths that shape seemingly “perfect” careers, we hope to inspire more women to step into their greatest potential.

Listen to episode one, out now.

Axis Connects is proud to partner with InterGen and Board Ready Women to accelerate gender diversity in leadership and drive real, systemic change in Calgary’s business and tech sectors. Together, we’re opening doors, building networks, and championing the advancement of women into executive and board roles.

Read the full announcement below and learn how this powerful collaboration is shaping a more inclusive future. ⬇️

Here, we look at the lived experiences of successful women and the secret to how they balance it all. Spoiler alert: they don’t do it alone.

Women continue to make strides in the workplace, representing more board seats and C-suite positions, but it’s important to note that they are not getting there alone. For every woman climbing the professional ladder, there is a support system helping hold it down.

Women continue to carry the load of unpaid work, like childcare, cooking and cleaning, and it’s difficult to balance home and work-life responsibilities, let alone executive or C-suite tasks. According to Statistics Canada, the inclusion of women in leadership roles leads to better results and economic benefits, but the professional challenges women face are much greater when they do it alone — a support system is critical to helping women advance professionally. In fact, choosing your spouse can be one of the most important business decisions.

When someone helps carry the responsibilities of unpaid work, like a non-birthing parent taking parental leave or friends helping with after-school pick-up, women can turn more energy toward their professional leadership responsibilities. Ensuring you surround yourself with the right people — whether they be mentors, friends or family — can influence your success at work by alleviating some of the barriers women face in career advancement.

Here, three Calgary Influential Women in Business award winners share how their unique support systems have been integral to their successful careers.

Jennifer Massig is the CEO of MAGNA Engineering services. She’s also a single mom. Massig says there’s no way she could have accomplished what she has done without the support of friends, co-workers and mentors.

“This strong foundation of incredible people includes my amazing friends who are raising families at the same time as me and were always available to watch my toddlers and elementary-aged kids when I had an important meeting or appointment. But also the incredible group of women that I work with who always provided support when I had to balance sick kids and a full-time job. They checked on me when I was looking overwhelmed and offered to do school drop-off and pick-up when I was tied up at work.”

“Lastly, I have always had a strong group of mentors. When I say mentors, I mean those who are blazing the trail ahead of me, those who are in the mire with me and we can connect on our shared experience, and also those coming along behind me, who I am honoured to share my experiences with.”

For Shelley Powell, the key to juggling her responsibilities is accepting help. Plus, the Senior Vice President of Operational Improvement Support Services at Suncor Energy says it’s more fun to do it together anyways.

“I certainly would not have been successful without a strong support system around me, but that started with the willingness to accept the support being offered. My partner has always been my biggest cheerleader, but he also did more than his share of driving to hockey practice, taking the dog for a walk and cooking dinner — all of the things that can seem overwhelming at the end of the day.”

“It has also been critical for my own mental well-being to find a group of trusted friends. A group where I am just Shelley and not an executive title. Life has a tendency to just slow down, and things come into perspective when you are with a group of friends that you trust completely.”

This years Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Hilary Foulkes, said she hasn’t always been the best example of managing her hectic work life with support systems, and she paid the price having needed to take a few years as a consequence of neglecting a health issue.

“It was the earlier part of my career, with little control over my schedule and limited financial means, and a workplace with no accommodation, that was the most challenging. For a period, we hired a daytime nanny, which provided relief, but after becoming a single mom, I thought I couldn’t justify the costs.

“My recommendation is: Do not be a hero. Ditch the guilt. Pick a good partner. Pay for whatever you can off-load, and if earlier in your career, look at it as an investment and not a cost.”

“Good stay-at-home mom friends always gave me first ‘dibs’ on volunteer slots, and I was a competitive squash player, so my self-care and socialization could be done in 45-minute slices! I am happy to say all three of my daughters have learned how not to do it!”

Last week, Axis Connects saw nearly 1,300 people gather for a dazzling evening of recognition at our annual Calgary Influential Women in Business Awards. Our sixth and largest ever CIWB Awards gala saw guests come dressed to impress and raise a glass for the people in our city driving change in Calgary’s business landscape.

The evening celebrated impact, leadership and influence and called for ongoing progress toward gender equity in the workplace.

“We’re not done,” said Axis Connects co-founder Heather Culbert in her opening remarks. “Leadership still needs more women, the C-suite still needs more leaders, and equity still needs all hands on deck.”

“What really matters is the momentum, the shift, the groundswell. Women are rising, and organizations are realizing it’s not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.”

Culbert explained that our mission at Axis Connects is simple: we’re about elevating women, enabling board access and influencing the systems that create lasting equity. We know systemic shifts only happen when we all work toward change, and last week’s gala served as an inspiring reminder of the incredible group of people working on shaping a brighter and more equitable future in business.

Celebrating this year’s bold and brilliant women and allies in business

As this year’s six honourees were presented with their awards they offered words of wisdom, advice and insight into their inspiring journeys. The honourees’ speeches followed similar themes of the courage it takes to be bold and exceptional, the importance of a strong support team, the kindness and heart it takes to be a good leader, and optimism for the future of women in business.

Allison Grafton, President of Rockwood Custom Homes and winner of the Small/Medium Enterprise Award, kicked off the evening with a dynamic speech urging women to believe in themselves and to remember that success is not always a personal achievement but that it’s often due to the remarkable people that you’ve chosen to be a part of your journey.

Sue Tomney, CEO of YW Calgary and winner of the Social Enterprise Award, reminded us to take a moment to recognize the incredible things and progress happening.

Alison Jackson, Managing Partner of EY and winner of the Professional Services Award, embodied the phrase she often says, “To be exceptional, you need to be willing to be the exception.”

Shelley Powell, Senior Vice President of Operational Improvement & Support Services at Suncor Energy, moved the room during her acceptance speech for the Large Entreprise Award. As she stood on stage, she recalled James Keller’s quote, “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle,” and took a moment to acknowledge everyone in the room.

“For any of the candles in the room waiting to be lit, I want you to sit up, lean in, and let me share my light with you now. Let this be your start, let this be your middle, let it be the final push to the end, let it be whatever you need it to be, wherever you are at. Light your candle, and let this be your moment as well,” she said.

Retired CEO of Keyera Corp., David Smith, is this year’s Male Champion Award. He emphasized the need to advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, now more than ever, and how diversity in leadership is good for business.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Hilary Foulkes took the stage and captivated the audience in her acceptance speech, reflecting on the span of her career. Now an independent board director, Foulkes spoke of the progress she has seen for women throughout her four-and-a-half-decade career but stressed that we still have work to do and that diversity in leadership will make us better.

“A leader has both the courage to make tough decisions and the humility to listen. She is not necessarily setting out to be a leader, but she becomes one with the quality of her actions and the integrity of her intent. Leadership is in all of us — it comes in bold corporate moves and in small impactful deeds: a thank you, encouragement, speaking up for someone else. In this age of rage, acts of kindness cost us nothing and are remarkably influential,” she said.

“Our collective progress can not be taken for granted, and we are witnessing this before our very eyes. So, grab your shoes — steel-toed boots, sneakers, stilettos — be bold and surround yourself with really good people and keep building the career that you want on your own terms, and I know you’ll fuel an influential and rewarding life.”

To nominate an influential woman who champions equity in business for the 2026 CIWB Awards, visit axisconnects.com/ciwb-awards.

Canada established its maternity leave in 1971. In 1990, it introduced a parental leave, allowing non-birthing parents the option of parental benefits. Today, Canada offers a 15-week maternity leave plus a 40-week parental leave, which can be extended to 69 weeks. 

According to UNICEF, “Canada ranks 19 out of 41 wealthy countries regarding parental leave given to mothers.” It’s clear we have work left to do, and despite parental leave, women still face the motherhood penalty. 

The motherhood penalty consists of the professional repercussions women face when they have children. Mothers make less than men and women without children are less likely to be promoted and face challenges when they return to work. 

According to a 2021 report from VersaFi, a Canadian non-profit that helps women in finance accelerate, a lack of support for women can be critical. The report states, “Upon returning to work from parental leave, women are six times more likely than men to seriously consider quitting their jobs and twice as likely than men to experience decreased job satisfaction.” Many mothers returning to work experience a lack of formal support, and some feel a changed perception of their competence. 

The report also found that women are four times more concerned than men that a longer parental leave would delay their career advancement. Employees on leave may not receive updates on company changes, promotion opportunities or internal job postings, putting them at a disadvantage. When a non-birthing parent takes parental leave, it can help women get back to work sooner, with a smoother transition. 

Certain leave factors, like pay top-ups, depend on your workplace — an important element to take into account when scouting out jobs, and for employers, an important thing to consider when it comes to helping women advance within your organization. 

Some suggestions for employers to help mothers return to work. Some suggestions include keeping communication lines open during their leave, offering more flexibility, counselling services and return-to-work coaching upon their return, implementing childcare subsidies or advocating to accelerate universal funding and more. 

The obstacles women face after taking maternity leave contribute to the wage gap and women’s underrepresentation in senior-level roles. It’s critical to understand that non-birthing parents taking a portion of the parental leave (when it works for the family) and employers making changes to support working mothers are significant steps on the continued journey toward gender equity in the workplace.