Rachael Stark has spent most of her adult life in public service. Nine years in the Army National Guard, public safety policy, reserve police work, law enforcement spouse. She got really good at showing up, staying capable, and keeping everything moving. She also got really good at functioning when she was not actually fine. And for a long time she did not know those were two different things.
In this episode Rachael talks about the identity crisis that came from leaving her role at the Medical Examiner's Office, what it is teaching her now as she prepares to transition out of the Army, and why people in high responsibility roles are often the last ones to admit when something is wrong. She also talks about sustaining a TBI a couple of years ago and how that forced her to look honestly at what she had been calling okay.
This is a conversation about identity, transitions, burnout, and what it actually means to know who you are when the role that defined you is no longer part of your everyday life. And it is for every woman who has ever kept everything moving on the outside while quietly wondering if she is actually okay on the inside.
Topics covered: identity and work, big life transitions, burnout in high performance roles, first responder wellness, military transition, functioning vs being okay, women and identity, losing a job that defined you, Rachael Stark Media, before we get it right podcast
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