On this episode of The Gen Mess with Tess, Tess is joined by Jenny Calcoen, CEO and founder of Inner Earthquake LLC, former executive, and private coach to high-achieving women navigating burnout, grief, and major life transitions.
Jenny shares her own “inner earthquake” - the moment when outward success no longer matched inner truth - and how a life-altering diagnosis forced her to confront the cost of living according to expectations rather than values. Together, Tess and Jenny explore what happens when achievement masks disconnection, why burnout is often an identity crisis rather than a workload problem, and how leaders can recognize the early cracks before they become breaking points.
This conversation offers powerful insights for HR leaders, executives, and people managers navigating retention challenges, disengagement, and leadership fatigue. It reframes burnout not as a failure of resilience, but as a signal that both personal and organizational systems are misaligned.
If you’re responsible for developing leaders, shaping culture, or supporting high performers who look “fine” on paper but feel depleted inside, this episode offers a crucial lens for understanding what’s really happening beneath the surface.
Resource by Jenny Calcoen: "The Boundary Whisperer" is available as a translation tool for internal signals, or for people who know something is off but don't quite have the language yet so they can simply practice boundary literacy. Here it is - https://chatgpt.com/g/g-688fdd4aa33c8191b5503765ba20cee8-the-boundary-whisperer
00:01 – Welcome to The Gen Mess with Tess
00:52 – Jenny Calcoen’s story: success, identity, and the first “inner earthquake”
01:32 – When illness becomes a wake-up call
02:38 – Rebuilding life… while unknowingly repeating old patterns
04:30 – Burnout as an identity crisis, not a performance issue
06:45 – Why high achievers ignore early warning signs
09:10 – The danger of living by expectations instead of values
11:40 – What leaders misunderstand about burnout and resilience
14:20 – How HR and managers can spot “quiet breaking points”
17:10 – Supporting transitions without pathologizing employees
20:00 – Redefining success in leadership and work
22:40 – Final reflections: listening before the earthquake hits
Follow for weekly episodes, and be sure to visit tessbrigham.com to learn more about Tess's work as a licensed therapist and certified coach.
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