Creating Systems of the Future: Tech Start-Ups + Burnout
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to another episode of The Burnout Lab. Today we have a fantastic guest, April Hicke, a recovering corporate ladder climber, as well as co-founder and chief growth officer at Toast. April shares her experiences with burnout, from corporate challenges to the entrepreneurial world, and her passion for empowering women in the tech industry.
April’s Journey
April highlights two significant burnout periods in her life. Discovering that existing systems weren’t built for women, especially working moms, led her to leave her corporate career and branch out on her own. I strongly believe that we need more women led startups in the world to drive systemic change. The more startups we have, the more change we can create to ease the burden on the women coming after us.
Entrepreneurial Boundaries
As an entrepreneur, April shares her insights into setting and maintaining boundaries, a task that falls solely on the individual. Recognizing signs of burnout within yourself, such as anger or irritability as April shares, becomes crucial. In her book, Drop the Ball, Tiffiany Dufu emphasizes the importance of making a list of all the little things that are on our plate, and then seeing how many of these we can delegate to create some space for oneself.
Unique Challenges for Working Moms
There is a unique challenge to working moms that we call the invisible mother load. It’s this constant mental tally of family responsibilities, the burden of these micro-decisions, and the fact that nobody can take that mental load off us that adds layers to burnout for working moms. April shares with us her personal tips for coping.
Men Should Join the Conversation
We need more work from men to carry the load and jump into the conversation surrounding working moms and burnout. April and I discuss the fact that nothing will ever change in our current systems if men don't jump in and learn about these things. At the end of the day, men still dominate these spaces, specifically for women in tech, so they need to know what’s happening on the other side.
The Power of Me Too
“There’s a lot of power in simply saying ‘Me too.’” - April
I completely agree with April’s statement. So many people have messaged me and said they have felt so seen in these podcasts. They didn’t know other people felt this way, and they have been so encouraged. I’m overwhelmed by the responses and grateful for the opportunity to help people feel seen and known where they’re at.
Conclusion
A huge thank you to April for making time in her extremely busy schedule to be here and share her tips and tricks, and her stories with us. Being honest with each other, and authentic with how we show up is one of the most important things we can do.
If you found this helpful, don’t forget to subscribe, comment, or share the podcast, and be sure to follow April and head on over to Toast so you can stay up to speed on all the wonderful things they are doing.
Until next time, remember to live your life lit! 🔥