She had a PhD, MBA, and global career, but burnout made her rethink everything. Now she says, 'Real resilience is choosing rest'

Michelle Machado’s résumé reads like a dream: a PhD, an MBA, and leadership roles across universities in Canada, the UK, Australia, and Hong Kong. To the outside world, she was the embodiment of success — a powerful academic leader and devoted mother. Yet, behind the accolades, Machado faced a silent struggle.

In an essay for Business Insider, she revealed the hidden toll her relentless pursuit of achievement took on her mental and emotional well-being. Moving with her family across four countries in five years, balancing leadership responsibilities with raising two young children, she found herself trapped by expectations — most of all, her own.

“I was silently drowning in expectations,” Machado wrote. Anxiety, restlessness, and exhaustion crept into her daily life, leaving her wondering if she could sustain the pace. Despite feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, she kept performing, believing that was what strong women did.

The Myth of Resilience: Redefining What It Means to Be Strong
Machado challenges the popular idea that resilience means pushing harder and grinding through fatigue. Her turning point came when she realized that real strength lies in wisdom — the ability to choose what to carry and when to let go.

She explains, “Real resilience is about choosing rest, boundaries, and values before the world forces those choices on you.” This meant stepping away from titles and status, and most importantly, refusing to model silent burnout for her daughters.

Giving herself permission to pause was difficult, but transformative. It allowed her to rebuild her life and career from a place of purpose, not mere performance.

A New Approach to Success
Today, Machado shares her experience and research through coaching, speaking engagements, and neuroscience-based programs. She helps professionals, especially women, escape the trap of measuring self-worth by productivity alone.

According to Machado, awareness is the first step toward meaningful change. She urges people to notice how they feel, recognize when they say “yes” but mean “no,” and identify destructive patterns.

She advocates treating personal energy like a budget — if something costs peace, it is too expensive. Resilience, she says, is not about doing more but knowing when to rest.

Her advice is clear: “Set your boundaries before reaching a breaking point. Don’t wait for permission to protect your peace.” Presence matters more than performance, and success must be redefined to include wellbeing and self-compassion.

Presence Over Performance
In a recent LinkedIn post, Machado reflected on how quickly people move from one achievement to the next without savoring the moment. “We celebrate ambition but often forget to value presence,” she wrote.

She calls for a shift in mindset where success is about being alive and present for what you’ve built, rather than rushing to check the next box.

“If you’ve ever reached a high point and felt disconnected, pause,” she urges. “This job you prayed for, this home you built, this version of you that once felt like a dream — you are living it now.”

Machado nearly two decades of experience across eight universities worldwide have deepened her passion for mindset work. As a speaker, and mentor, Machado empowers individuals and organizations to transform stress into success and cultivate resilience.