When Success Stops Feeling Like Success with Dr. Dawn Baker
What happens when you’ve done everything “right” — built the career, chased the achievements, followed the path you thought you were supposed to follow — and it still doesn’t feel right?
In this episode, Betsy sits down with Dr. Dawn Baker, board-certified anesthesiologist, lifestyle design coach, and author of Lean Out, for an honest conversation about redefining success and building a life that actually feels like yours.
Dawn shares how she went from chemical engineer to physician, and how a life-changing brain tumor diagnosis forced her to slow down and question the path she was working so hard to stay on. What followed wasn’t giving up on ambition — it was learning to define it differently.
Together, Betsy and Dawn unpack the “treadmill of achievement,” the warning signs of burnout, and why so many high-achieving women become better at accomplishing than knowing themselves. They talk about self-compassion, letting go of the endless “shoulds,” identifying your core values, auditing what drains and restores your energy, and giving yourself permission to pivot — even when your life looks successful on paper.
Dawn also shares what it means to “lean out”: not becoming less driven or walking away from everything you’ve built, but intentionally choosing where your time, energy, and ambition belong.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Is this still the life I want?” — this episode is your reminder that you don’t need to wait for burnout, a crisis, or anyone else’s permission to choose differently.
FREE FEEL BETTER SPRINT (7 DAYS)
https://admirable-cake-433.myflodesk.com/feelbetterin7days
JOIN THE WAITLIST, NOW WHAT: https://forms.gle/upoSwPQEu5vm1wYW6
Connect with Betsy:
Website: writeyourownstory.co
Email: betsy@writeyourownstory.co
Instagram: write_your_own_story_co Or betsyleo
Youtube:writeyourownstorypodcast