Notes From the Wild Edge: When You’re Not Burnt Out — Just Misaligned

A lot of founders tell me they’re burnt out.

And sometimes that’s true.

But more often, what I see is something else entirely.

They’re still functioning. Still showing up. Still delivering. Still carrying responsibility well.

But underneath it all, there’s a dull friction.

Decisions take longer. Confidence wobbles in unexpected places. The work feels heavier than it used to. And the question that won’t go away is a quiet one:

“Why does this feel harder than it should?”

That isn’t burnout.

It’s misalignment.

Burnout is exhaustion. Misalignment is dissonance.

It’s the feeling of living and leading slightly out of rhythm with who you’ve become.

And here’s the part that often surprises people:

Misalignment doesn’t announce itself loudly. It doesn’t arrive with a breakdown. It shows up as toleration.

You tolerate meetings you’ve outgrown. You tolerate ways of working that no longer fit. You tolerate decisions that feel “fine” but not true.

Until one day, your system starts pushing back.

Not dramatically. Just persistently.

Most leaders respond by pushing harder. More thinking. More effort. More discipline.

But misalignment isn’t solved with effort.

It’s resolved with honesty.

The kind of honesty that’s hard to access when you’re surrounded by noise, expectation, and pace.

This is why clarity so often returns when leaders step out of their usual environment.

Not because nature is magical. But because it removes the pressure to perform.

Out there, there’s nothing to prove. Nothing to optimise. Nothing to keep up.

And in that space, leaders don’t suddenly become smarter.

They become more truthful.

They hear themselves again.

If you’re reading this and recognising that quiet friction - not exhaustion, but outgrowing - it might be time to stop asking how to cope better…

…and start asking what wants to change.

You don’t need to decide anything today.

But you might want to stop tolerating what your body already knows isn’t aligned.

If this resonated, you’re welcome to reply to this note or message me directly. These conversations matter more than they’re often given credit for.