#62 The Truth About Work, Burnout, and Success | Meghan French Dunbar

“Success” isn’t always what it seems — especially when the cost is burnout, misalignment, and a broken workplace culture.

Meghan French Dunbar is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author of This Isn’t Working: How Working Women Can Overcome Stress, Guilt, and Overload to Find True Success. As the co-founder and former CEO of Conscious Company Magazine, Meghan interviewed over 1,000 of the world’s most values-driven business leaders, only to find herself facing the very burnout she was trying to solve.

In this episode, Meghan and Jean unpack the systemic causes of burnout and why it’s not an individual failure but a cultural one. They explore how shifting from shareholder supremacy to stakeholder capitalism can create healthier organizations, and why authentic leadership — not assimilation — is the key to building workplaces where people truly thrive.

We talk about:
🔹 Why burnout is a systemic issue, not a personal weakness
🔹 How misalignment with your values accelerates exhaustion and stress
🔹 Why women face harsher performance reviews and steeper leadership hurdles than men
🔹 The role of small businesses in reshaping capitalism
🔹 Why leaders impact employee mental health as much as a spouse
🔹 The danger of assimilated leadership and the power of authenticity
🔹 Simple but powerful leadership practices that build cultures of appreciation
🔹 How redefining success creates healthier leaders, families, and companies

Whether you’re a CEO, an emerging leader, or simply trying to navigate the demands of modern work, this conversation will challenge your view of success — and give you a path toward something healthier and more sustainable.

Quotes from the Episode:
💬 "Burnout isn’t a personal failure — it’s a systemic problem."
💬 "Leaders impact mental health as much as a spouse does."
💬 "Our jobs are actually killing us."
💬 "The woman who is even marginally productive in this system is a warrior."

Actionable Takeaways:
✅ Align your personal values with your workplace to prevent burnout
✅ Build a culture of appreciation through regular, specific feedback
✅ Protect your boundaries (and model them for your team)
✅ Practice authentic leadership instead of assimilating into toxic norms
✅ Remember: business is the largest aggregator of human potential — use it for good

Resources from this episode:
→ Learn more about Meghan: https://www.meghanfrenchdunbar.com 
→ Book: This Isn’t Working: https://www.meghanfrenchdunbar.com/book 
→Connect with Meghan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanfrenchdunbar/ 

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🎧 For more conversations on leadership, culture, and building companies that last, visit www.jeanmoncrieff.com