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The Silent Game High-Achieving Women Play When Ambition Wears Heels

You know, getting the job isn’t the flex.

Excelling at it in front of the people who didn’t think you would? Now that’s a different game. And babe, I was nailing every scene.

I walked in. Not quietly. Not meekly. I walked in like you owned the carpet and had it monogrammed. From the outside? I was “that girl”. From the inside? I was a full-blown Wi-Fi-connected empire in heels and SPF.

At least… that’s how it looked. As they say, “Never let them see you sweat” but they also didn’t say how much dry shampoo it would take. Early signs of burnout start from all the praise you can get.

Let’s just take a moment for that calendar. Color-coded like it could trigger my therapist. Double-booked just for the drama. Back-to-backs like I was collecting Infinity Stones. “Watch out, Thanos — I am fully scheduled.”

I said “yes” so often, Gmail should have sent me wellness checks. I was on every invite, every thread, every doc, every last-minute fire-drill-Slack-spiral like I was in the Hunger Games of corporate performance (And I volunteered, everytime).

BUT that’s was the strategy. Say yes to everything. Be in every room. Do the work then some more. Outperform, outlast, outshine until they have no choice but to take you seriously.

And success looked good on me. I wore it well. My planner looked like it wanted to fight me.

My coffee was cold but lipstick was warm. Inbox is melting and yet? I was still winning.

Because when people asked, “How does she do it?” They don’t realize: I was not doing it for fun. I was doing it to win a war they never knew they started. The war every high achieving woman knows too well.

But let’s be honest, it didn’t start with the glow-up. It started with the whispers. You hear them. Or worse you FEEL them.

You know the ones. Classics! “She must be the boss’s favorite, nobody climbs that fast.” Delivered with that smug little smile. The kind that’s supposed to make it sound like a joke, so you can’t call it out. They think it’s harmless. That’s the ambitious woman mindset in the wild not just chasing success, but surviving the silent tests taht come with it.

The bar’s not low in these places. It’s buried deep. And here’s the thing burnout warning signs aren’t always loud. They hide in the checkmarks, in the meetings, in the applause. If you’ve read this far that means you can relate. Maybe not to everything but something. I’ve lived it this BDW.

I was the girl who built a brand out of being booked. I thought discipline was divine, that emotional exhaustion meant I was doing something right. I filled my days with purpose or what I called purpose and deep down, I hoped someone would notice how hard I was working.

And they did. The praise came. The approval showed up. The applause got louder. But somewhere in that chaos of recognition… I forgot my own pace. That’s a trap every high-achieving women can fall into. Running on empty because success feels like oxygen. If you want to know how it all started. CLICK ME.

What happened next is a story for another day. But Right now, this isn’t just about me. It’s about us. Cause all the success in the world means nothing if you wake up mentally exhausted and unsure why you even started. Or worse end up walking away from it not because you want to because you’ve got nothing left to give.

Disclamer: For Sharp People Only. Finf out if you have Early signs of Burnout.

Some chicken out halfway. Some stop at “good enough.” But you? You’re here which means you either won the crown, or you’re already wearing it. Let’s see if you can keep it straight on your head.

Below is your Clue Tracker sly little envelopes, each hiding a truth most people miss about themselves.
The catch? Only the sharp ones crack them all. The average will skim. Smart ones will connect the dots. But the dangerous ones? They use it.

So go on. Match what you uncover below, count your checkmarks, and see where you really stand. Just don’t get too comfortable… once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Someone else needs to read this. Click a screenshot and send it to the girl who doesn’t just survive the 9-to-5 — she weaponizes it. Or the ones who are still struggling.
Tag @ChicGeekofficial and spread the gospel.

Clue 1 – “The First Spark”
What’s the earliest memory you have of someone doubting you?
Teacher? Boss? That one cousin who thinks LinkedIn is “Facebook for nerds”?
And tell me… what petty little vow did you make in your head that day?

Clue 2 – “The Voldemort Word”
When you say “yes” to something, is it because you really want to…
or because you treat “no” like Voldemort Name That Must Not Be Said?

Clue 3 – “The Invisible Chair”
You’re left out of a meeting. Do you enjoy the free time… or suddenly morph into a CIA agent, rehearsing how you’re going to “just pop in” so they remember you exist?

Clue 4 – “The Amazon Door Grab”
Opportunity knocks. Do you open the door with excitement…
or snatch it open like Amazon just dropped off the last package on Earth?

Clue 5 – “Compliment Kryptonite”

Compliments: Do you collect them like art…or brush them off like lint, because obviously, you still haven’t done enough?

Clue 6 – “The Dazzle Shield”
Do you need to be impressive to feel safe? Like if you’re not dazzling, you’re… disposable?

Clue 7 – “The Netflix Buffer”

When you slow down, does it feel like taking a break… or like Netflix buffering during the good part? When you stop, does it feel like peace… or like disappearing into a group chat you muted by accident?

Clue 8 – “The Empty Stage”
Final boss level: If nobody was watching — no claps, no likes, no approving nods from the peanut gallery. Would you still be doing this?

So… how many clues have your name on them? Count them. Ready? Let’s see where you really stand.
By now, you’ve probably learned a thing or two about yourself. If, and only if, you played this straight with yourself.
Maybe you saw yourself in a door or two. Maybe you wandered back to a few old moments. Maybe you even smirked when it all started feeling a little too obvious.

But here’s the catch: knowing the clues is just half the game. The real play? Counting how many of them have your name all over them.

That’s where the scoreboard comes in. And I have already prepared that for you. Match your number to your title. It’s your crown, your badge of honor, or your glitter-wrapped red flag. Either way, you’ve earned it.

And if you’re staring at your title thinking, “Okay… but what the hell does that mean?”don’t worry. I’ve got the tea.

The Untouchable : You’re running the game, not the other way around. Burnout barely knows your name and that’s how you like it. But don’t let overconfidence creep in; even the untouchable can get tagged. Schedule a real rest day it’s your insurance policy.

The Hustle Juggler : You’ve got 12 balls in the air, 3 cups of coffee in your bloodstream, and a to-do list that thinks it’s your boss. You’re making it look good but the cracks are there if you know where to look. Pick one ball to drop this week. On purpose.

The Flame Flirt : You’ve been getting a little too cozy with burnout like, texting it at 2 AM and pretending you’re “just friends.” The heat feels good now, but everyone knows how this ends. Cool off before it costs you the crown.

Burnout Royalty : You’re not just at burnout’s party. You’re hosting it, wearing the crown, and handing out champagne. Looks fabulous from the outside, but you know the hangover’s coming. Slip out early the champagne’s not worth the hangover.

“If this hit you in the gut, you’re who we write for. Tell us your stories Join the Chic Geek list — style, sharpness, and no sugar-coating.”

Look at you. Puzzle cracked, dots connected. Who knew with just a few of your answers truth will be staring you right in the face. If it made you wince, laugh nervously, or scroll back pretending you didn’t. Congrats, you just spotted the early signs of burnout without me even saying it. If most of them did? Babe… you might already be on a first-name basis with it. And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Damn… that’s me” welcome to the club, sweetie. We’ve got matching blazers, red lipstick, and enough caffeine to power a small city. Because here’s the truth I didn’t tell you before you started playing detective: half of what you’ve been calling “drive” or “discipline” is just survival in couture. Trauma in a killer outfit.

Maybe it started with the smug smirk of a teacher who swore girls can’t do math (classic confidence kill).” While you were already running mental laps around his calculator skills. Maybe it was the college professor who mistook your ripped jeans for a ripped work ethic. Maybe it was Raj from IT, leaning in to “save” you from tech like he’s knight in shining HDMI. Or maybe it was the project they took off your desk “for your own good” but still graded you on anyway. These aren’t just comments. They’re chisels. Each one sculpting you into the kind of woman who has to be undeniable.

And for some of you, it didn’t even take the digs. You were forged in the glow of overdue notices and whispered bill talks before you even put the bag down after school and you promised yourself: not me. Not ever. Or a few “I built my empire by never sleeping” hero speeches from the old guard, and suddenly the early signs of burnout feel like badges of honor. But here’s the thing: you’ve just done the puzzle. You know better now. The truth is, the high-achieving mindset doesn’t have to mean sprinting toward every finish line. Not every battle is worth fighting. Some are just echoes from a past you don’t need to keep reliving. Either way? Same sneakers. Same exhaustion. Same crash.

I’m not telling you to stop. I’m not even telling you to slow down. But I am telling you this—if your why isn’t yours anymore, the win won’t feel like a win when you get there. And if your throat feels tight right now? That’s not weakness. That’s your mask cracking. That’s your mirror slipping. It’s the next version of you knocking. The one who’s learned that high-achiever burnout isn’t a trophy. It’s the receipt for running on empty in heels. READ HERE

But for now? You’ve solved the puzzle. You know exactly where you stand. And this version of you? She’s not quite done yet. Is she?

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