Support Without Solving: Stop Carrying It All as a Leader
Serial fixers often experience leadership burnout which quietly shows up as emotional over-responsibility, exhaustion, and feeling like everything depends on you. You care deeply about your people. You want to be supportive, responsive, and present. But somewhere along the way, that helpfulness starts to feel heavy.
Being helpful shouldn't drain you.You weren't meant to carry everything. And pretending you can could be what's breaking you.
In this episode of Impact With Ease, Blake Schofield sits down with psychotherapist and corporate mental wellness expert Leah Marone to explore why so many leaders feel responsible for everything. You'll learn how to lead in a way that supports others without carrying it all yourself.
Episode Highlights
Why Leaders End Up Carrying Everything
[06:34] - How empathy and competence turn into over-responsibility
[09:20] - The unspoken pressure leaders feel to "hold it all together"
[11:31] - Why this pattern is so common in high-performing leaders
The Hidden Cost of Being the Helper
[13:56] - How solving for others actually increases exhaustion
[16:20] - Why teams become dependent instead of empowered
[17:26] - The emotional labor leaders rarely name out loud
Support Without Solving: What Changes
[18:58] - The difference between being supportive and being responsible
[20:22] - How validation builds trust without taking ownership
[22:20] - What leaders can do instead of fixing
Helping Teams Build Confidence and Ownership
[27:04] - Why discomfort is part of growth for teams
[28:04] - How leaders unintentionally block development
[31:44] - Simple shifts that create capability instead of dependence
Leading with Boundaries That Actually Work
[34:38] - Internal boundaries that reduce emotional load
[37:10] - How to stay caring without carrying everything
[42:27] - Why presence matters more than perfect answers
The Power of Micro-Resets
[48:48] - Using daily transitions as opportunities to release stress
[47:28] - How small shifts compound into significant change
[51:28] - Building the muscle of being present without being perfect
Powerful Quotes
"Support doesn't mean solving. It means creating space for someone to build their own confidence." – Leah Marone
"It's the thing that helped you feel successful and loved and a sense of belonging. And then it is the thing that becomes cycles of burnout, overwhelm, over-responsibility, worrying about everyone else's feelings while dishonoring your own." – Blake Schofield
"People have to have our ownership, we have to hear ourselves, it has to get pocketed away internally for us to be able then to activate." – Leah Marone
"You cannot receive when your hands are full. Life is always going to give you something that's unexpected. And when you are so busy and so full that you don't have space for that, then it makes it really hard to manage your emotions, to help deal with and manage other people's emotions, to be present to the greater opportunities." – Blake Schofield
Resources Mentioned
Drained at the end of the day & want more presence in your life? In just 5 minutes, learn your unique burnout type™ & how to restore your energy, fulfillment & peace at www.impactwithease.com/burnout-type
The Fastest Path to Clarity, Confidence & Your Next Level of Success: executive coaching for leaders navigating layered challenges. Whether you're burned out, standing at a crossroads, or simply know you're meant for more—you don't have to figure it out alone. Go to impactwithease.com/coaching to apply!
Ready to Future-Proof Your Leadership? Let's explore what's possible for your team. Whether you're navigating rapid growth, culture change, or quiet disengagement…we can help with our high-touch, root-cause focused solutions that are designed to help grow resilient, aligned & empowered leaders who navigate uncertainty with confidence and create impact without burning out, go to https://impactwithease.com/corporate-training-consulting/
