The CEO of Everything Doesn’t Burn Out. She Delegates, Drinks Water, and Says “No” Like a Pro.

tommcvay
3 days ago
3 min read

by Carli A. McVay | April 2025

"You Time" Starts Now...Read On!

Let’s get one thing straight: Being the CEO of Everything is not for the faint of heart… or the poorly hydrated. You’re not just running a business. You’re running a schedule, a team, a household, a mission, your group chat, and—if you’re anything like me—probably also trying to remember if you fed the dog this morning.

And while everyone else is glorifying hustle culture, you and I both know:

We’re done being the emergency contact for chaos.

So here’s what’s coming up for the women I coach, the businesses I help grow, and—let’s be honest—what I’ve had to remind myself of more than once while reheating my herbal tea for the third time today.

Energy Isn’t Woo—It’s Survival (And Also, Science)

You don’t need a wellness retreat in Bali to fix your burnout (although let’s not rule it out).What you do need is to stop treating your body like an unpaid intern.

Here’s what I’m teaching—and living:

You have Red, Yellow, and Green energy zones—know them like your calendar
If your entire week is Red Zone, it’s not your fault you cried in the Trader Joe’s parking lot
Recovery isn’t a reward. It’s the strategy.

Listen, if the most powerful women in the world need rest days… then so do you.

Let’s Talk Alignment (AKA: You’re Doing Too Much)

Say it with me: “I am not a buffet! ” You are not available for everyone to take what they want and leave you with crumbs.

Here’s what the actual CEOs of Everything are doing:

Saying no without a footnote or a novel
Scheduling white space like it’s a board meeting
Checking every opportunity against this one question: “Is this aligned with my peace, my power, or my profit?”

If not? It’s a no. (Say it again for the people in the back.)

Boundaries Are Hot (Try One & Feel Like a Boss)

You know what’s not hot? Being emotionally bankrupt by Thursday.

Here’s what’s breaking us:

Decisions based on guilt instead of goals
Feeling like we have to protect and promote everyone at once
Trying to lead, nurture, scale, and host the dinner party with homemade vinaigrette

So here’s your permission slip: Say no. Be unavailable. Let them think you’re too much—then go be even more.

Where to Focus Now (Stop Crying into Your Laptop)

Let’s trade the burnout badge for a systems strategy, shall we?

If you're scaling your empire—or just trying to get through next week with less screaming in your head—start here as a Top 5:

System Integrations – Everything talking to everything (except you at 11 PM)
Process Mapping – AKA: write it down so you don’t have to explain it for the 12th time
Automation – Because repeating yourself is not a personality trait
People Strategy – Hire. Outsource. Let go. Get help. (Yes, even if you can do it yourself.)
Power Circles – Rooms that stretch you, not stress you