Where Does It Hurt? The Unsolved Health Crisis of Successful Women

You’re the boss (or on your way). You have “team,” or “family,” or both — you have people relying on you. They see your success. They know you have what they want. You’re making bank. You’re a woman leading her way in a man’s world, forging her own path.

So… where does it hurt?

The Silent Epidemic

According to Deloitte’s Women at Work 2023 Global Report, 46% of women report feeling burned out, with women in leadership positions experiencing even higher rates. McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2023 study similarly found that 43% of women leaders are burned out, compared to 31% of men at their level.

You’re supposed to have it all together. Yet the data shows successful women are disproportionately experiencing:

Chronic fatigue syndrome, which affects women at four times the rate of men, according to the CDC

Autoimmune conditions, with the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association reporting that an astounding 78% of autoimmune patients are women

Chronic stress – the American Psychological Association says that women are twice as likely as men to experience severe stress and anxiety

Digestive issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which Johns Hopkins Medicine notes women are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to experience

Chronic pain conditions – the  CDC says women are more likely to experience multiple chronic pain conditions simultaneously

The Body Keeps the Score

The medical community is finally catching up to what many women have known intuitively: our bodies store our stories. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s groundbreaking research, published in “The Body Keeps the Score,” demonstrates how trauma and chronic stress physically alter both brain structure and system functioning.

Harvard Medical School research shows that chronic stress triggers a cascade of physical changes: elevated cortisol levels, increased inflammation, and compromised immune function. The Journal of Neuroscience found in a 2023 study that chronic stress actually changes how our genes express themselves, particularly in regions controlling stress response. Hey, at least there are now studies.  Women for decades have been putting up with “It’s all in your head, sweetie.” It turns out, it’s not.

The Hidden Cost of Success

The irony is: you’re making your money and doing all this work so you can be free. Time free. Money free. Not so you can lock yourself up in a bigger cage of physical symptoms and chronic conditions.

If this landed for you, there’s more to the story. Next week, we’ll explore the groundbreaking science that explains what’s really happening in your body – and why it’s not “all in your head.” Hit reply and let me know where your body has been trying to get your attention.

Love,
Halle