EXECUTIVE COACH: Why Strong Women Burn Out at the Top, with Duygu Alptekin Gursu

Most women in leadership got there by working twice as hard as the men around them. And it's quietly destroying their health. In this conversation, Dr. Mira Brancu sits down with executive coach Duygu Alpteka Gursu, who spent nearly three decades climbing the corporate ladder at companies like Coca-Cola and Unilever before her body finally forced her to stop. Duygu shares the moment she realized the rules of leadership were never written for her, including the day a male colleague with less experience got promoted two grades above her immediately after returning from nine months of military service. She and Mira walk through the three career moments where most women either lean in or quietly check out. They get into the messy stuff nobody talks about at the office, like burnout recovery, motherhood penalties, and the menopause years that hit right when women are at the peak of their careers. If you've ever felt like you have to choose between your career and your well-being, this one is for you. Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, burnout, and women's leadership in the real world. Find our guest here:   / duygualptekingursu     / duygualptekingursu   Timestamps: 00:00 - The Hidden Crisis Behind Strong Female Leaders 03:00 - From 17 Job Applications to a Career-Defining Wake-Up Call 08:30 - Working Twice as Hard Just to Stay in the Game 13:05 - Transactional Leadership Skills 22:15 - “Why Are We Still Talking About This?” 34:20 - The 3 Career Phases That Make or Break Women Leaders 40:01 - The "Benevolent Sexism" Hiding in Promotion Policies (GOLDEN NUGGET) 47:30 - One Message Every Woman Needs to Hear Before She Quits #hardskills #mirabrancu