Never Ever Give Up Hope

Sara McElroy felt helpless and hopeless in her job. She felt trapped running on the hamster wheel in her CMO role. Even though it was taking a massive toll on her health and well-being, it was everything she thought she ever wanted.  But, she was in for a surprise. Sara McElroy is a former hustle culture devotee, ex-chief marketing officer, the Wall Street Journal’s poster girl for pandemic career burnout, and a two-time member of the Great Resignation: class of 2021 and 2022.      Following a stress-induced shingles diagnosis in early 2021, Sara decided to hit the reset button on her life; she quit her hard-won CMO job and trekked to Peru to reset her frayed nervous system. When she returned, she relocated from the buzzy metropolis of Atlanta to the beach in South Florida for a new job and a fresh start. But she once again encountered deeply ingrained cultural issues in her new role, and ultimately, she walked away again.    Finding herself in the company of millions of other women who also set unfulfi