Over the last couple of weeks, events were held all across Australia marking International Women’s Day.
Each year, the day is centred around a different theme. For 2026, the theme is Balance the Scales.
This year’s focus is about justice. The theme highlights the need for fair, inclusive and accessible systems so that every woman and girl can be safe, heard and able to shape her own future. It’s a call to continue addressing the structural barriers that still exist in our legal systems, policies and institutions.
Those are incredibly important conversations.
But when I reflect on themes like this, I also tend to bring the lens back to the space I work in every day: professional life and personal development.
As a career and leadership coach, my work sits inside the day-to-day experiences people have at work. The patterns that shape how we use our energy, how we show up in professional environments, and how we advocate for ourselves as our careers evolve.
So alongside the broader conversations happening across society, I like to ask a slightly different question:
Where might we be adding extra weight to the scales in our own lives without realising it?
Not intentionally, of course.
Most of the time these patterns develop because we’re trying to do the right thing. Fit into a new environment, be helpful, work hard, support the people around us.
But over time, certain habits can start to tip the balance in ways that drain our energy and slow down our progress.
There are three patterns I see again and again with high-performing professionals.
The first is wearing a mask at work.
When we enter a new environment, we naturally start observing the people around us. How they speak in meetings, what they talk about socially, what behaviour seems to be rewarded. And without even realising it, we start adjusting ourselves to suit.
Early in my engineering career, I convinced myself I needed to be interested in sports just to have something to talk about with the guys in the office. I even joined the work footy tipping (pause for laughter for anyone who knows me and how little I care about sports).
Looking back now it’s funny, but it was also a small example of something bigger. I was shaping myself to fit the environment rather than asking how I could contribute as myself.
And that’s where the invisible energy drain begins.
It starts with something small before we ultimately move into the territory of what to say, how to say it and how to behave, leading us to play a role that dilutes our personality.
When part of your attention is always focused on maintaining a version of yourself that is performative, that energy has to come from somewhere. Mental bandwidth that could be better spent thinking creatively, contributing ideas, or building meaningful relationships is instead spent monitoring what you say, how you sound, how you behave, the list goes on...
Over time, that habit chips away at our energy levels leaving us with a kind of exhaustion many people struggle to explain. And it dilutes our contributions because when we’re too preoccupied playing a role, we don’t have the required energy leftover for our creative brains to contribute in the amazing ways only we can.
I further unpack this topic and two other patterns I consistently see high achievers fall into in this week’s podcast episode 🎧“Balance the Scales: Three Ways to Reclaim Your Energy and Advocate for Yourself.”
If this topic resonates with you, listen to the episode on the RYL website, or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Take a moment this week to reflect on where your own energy is going.
Sometimes the most meaningful change begins with noticing a pattern that has been running in the background for years.
– Nat
PS Quick question for you, have you ever pretended to be interested in something at work just to fit in? We know mine was sports. Hit reply and tell me yours, I’d love to know.
PPS If this episode brings up questions about your own career direction or how to start advocating for yourself more confidently at work, you’re always welcome to reach out for a complimentary session. Sometimes a thoughtful discussion can bring a lot of clarity, book here.
