CEO’s Burnout: Reclaiming Life After Building a Business

Imagine building a multimillion-dollar company from the ground up, securing major contracts, and earning the respect of your peers. Sounds like the ultimate success story, right? But what if, in the relentless pursuit of that success, you started losing yourself? That’s the stark reality one CEO faced in a predominantly male and white industry.

The Grind in a Male-Dominated Industry

Jackie B. Grice, CEO of J. Diamond, Inc. (dba Agape Travel and Tours), reflects on her journey building a comprehensive transportation company. The charter bus, shuttle, and black car industry is notoriously tough, especially for women of color. Grice recounts navigating rooms where her authority was questioned, often being overlooked in favor of her husband, despite her pivotal role in strategic decisions and contract negotiations.

The pressure to be ‘exceptional’ and ‘undeniable’ is a familiar burden for many Black women in leadership. Grice internalized this, becoming the person who could handle everything. This constant state of ‘handling it’ came at a steep personal cost, a cost she didn’t fully acknowledge until the world, and her business, came to a standstill in 2020.

Finding Stillness Amidst the Chaos

The silence of the pandemic’s early days forced Grice to confront a truth she had been too busy to face: she was utterly depleted. Spiritually and emotionally hollowed out, she realized that in her drive to succeed and gain respect in an industry that didn’t readily offer it to women like her, she had quietly abandoned herself. The success felt hollow when measured against the personal toll.

A pivotal moment came when her pastor advised her to spend two days in silent journaling, completely disconnected from her phone and work. Initially uncomfortable, her mind desperately sought tasks and problems to manage. But in that stillness, something shifted. She heard a voice, not of pressure or expectation, but of clarity—a divine message about the woman behind the business, not just the CEO.

He told me there was more. More than the performance, more than the production, more than the version of strength I had been performing for a world that had made it very clear that I had to work twice as hard to be considered half as credible. — Jackie B. Grice

The Structural Weight on Black Women Leaders

This profound experience under a tree in her yard led Grice to understand that her burnout wasn’t just personal; it was structural. Black women often carry an immense weight—managing companies, perceptions, and the unspoken pressure to be flawlessly excellent. They absorb exclusions, manage grief, run operations, raise families, and lead communities, often with little left for themselves.

Conversations with other high-achieving Black women revealed a shared pattern: a mastery of ‘performing’ wellness while feeling guilty about resting. Grice realized that success doesn’t shield you from burnout; for those who fought hard to get into the room, the drive to stop doesn’t always kick in once they arrive.

Building a Space for Sustaining Strength

This realization sparked a new mission: creating a space for women like her. She founded Soul Sabbatical, a movement dedicated to helping high-achieving women step away from constant productivity to find clarity, purpose, and rest. It’s rooted in the belief that true strength sustains, rather than depletes, but it requires self-care with the same dedication given to others.

Grice didn’t abandon her ambition or her business. Instead, she shifted from surviving to sustaining, from performing to truly living. The change wasn’t forged in a boardroom, but in the quiet stillness under a tree, listening to her own soul and her faith. She learned that you can’t pour from an empty vessel, and the most radical act for a Black woman in leadership is to declare her wholeness non-negotiable.