From Burnout to Breakthrough: How I Rebuilt My Life After Walking Away from a 6-Figure Career and My Pension
Christy Rutherford left a successful Coast Guard career due to toxic leadership and burnout. She faced deeper burnout, financial loss, and depression after resigning from her position. Rutherford rebuilt her life and now helps other leaders recover from burnout and achieve success. I started my career in the US Coast Guard as a college sophomore in 1996. After graduating, I was stationed on a ship in Charleston, South Carolina, chasing drug runners in the Caribbean. I transitioned into crisis management and moved four times over the next 12 years. I responded to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and worked on Capitol Hill as a congressional fellow for the late Congressman Elijah Cummings in 2007. I loved my career and learned from some exceptional leaders. I also had the misfortune of surviving a few toxic ones. I was one of 50 Black women officers out of nearly 50,000, and I felt my competence was questioned regularly. I worked 80 hours weekly to prove myself....