Transforming From Work Addiction to Wellbeing: My Journey to Setting Boundaries and Achieving Balance

So many six-figure female coaches and consultants are reaching out to understand more about how to set boundaries, and I’m working on answering each and every one of them! I heard from a lot of people the reasons and stories of why they have had a hard time setting boundaries. Well, keep reading because I have a free resource I want to share with you that will help you with that. But first, let me tell you a little more about me and my journey. From a work addict to a wellbeing coach.

I am MaryBeth Hyland and ever since I started setting healthy boundaries, I’ve been able to shed the constant cycle of burnout, overwhelm and not-enoughness and step into my authentic power making a greater impact than I ever imagined.

It’s been over a decade since I began this journey and today I reach thousands of established high-achieving coaches and consultants each month and change the lives of thousands of people across the world.

I’ve coached 100s of stressed-out entrepreneurs and executives in nearly every industry, facilitated over 300 workshops, delivered 50+ keynote addresses, and am a worldwide best-selling author on how to give yourself permission to be human.

And I’ve been recognized as the youngest and fastest woman to be inducted into the prestigious Circle of Excellence.

 I’ve spoken on stages alongside health and wellbeing gurus like Deepak Chopra, been interviewed on every major tv network, earned dozens of awards, worked with household name clients like Netflix, UPS, and WPO, and am now a thought leader in the wellness industry.

 I currently have over 40,000 high achievers from all over the world engaging in my work to gain more freedom, ease, and energy with their lifestyle at work, home, and within…

And I absolutely love seeing them evolve and thrive!

 But, It Wasn’t Always Like This…

 I personally understand what it’s like to wake up every day feeling exhausted and thinking it’s always going to be a grind… to have a dream of having a business and homelife that reflects my true values but question whether or not that’s possible to do while also paying my bills. Who was I? A work addict.

I thought that I always had to struggle and suffer in order to achieve anything worthwhile.

My faraway dream of living a life of simplicity that attracted my soulmate clients and invigorated my energy all while prioritizing my connection to family, friends, and community outside of work. 

 But no matter many coaching, training, or certification programs I went through, I still found my inner voice screaming at me that it wasn’t enough and therefore I wasn’t enough. I needed to work harder, be more impressive, and say yes to everything that came my way.

 I always wanted to be a successful entrepreneur… but after years of busting my butt, and working myself to the bone, I realized that there was no number of accolades or public recognitions that were more important than feeling like a success on the inside.

To be able to sleep through the night and not be startled awake at 3 am by my racing thoughts of imposter syndrome and never-ending to-do lists.

To stop morphing who I was, holding back on my authentic self in order to make other people comfortable and hopefully want to work with me.

 I wanted to be able to prioritize what truly mattered (over soul-sucking client work and toxic needy relationships) and have faith that I could set healthy boundaries that would be worth it in the end.

 And with that, I wanted to create a lifestyle for myself and my family that we loved.

 But that wasn’t my reality.

 And maybe it’s not yours either…

Have you ever woken up in the morning, immediately grabbed your phone, started your comparison scrolling, and thought – wow, I thought things would be easier by now?

I thought…

I wouldn’t have to hustle so much by now…

I’d have more time with my family…

I wouldn’t feel so lonely…

I’d be a healthier entrepreneur by now…

Well if you have, you’re not alone.

When I first started out trying to build my business, my work addiction mode was in full force.

I prioritized meeting with as many people as possible around the clock which left me drained and not being able to sleep every night.

I was constantly beating myself up in my head about what a loser I was for not being further ahead.

And I even had moments of suicidal ideation because I hadn’t felt like I had any control over my destiny.

 Pretty intense right?

It seemed so overwhelming at the start… I was so lost in what I thought I was supposed to do – what networking events to attend, which certifications I should get, and who I should invest my energy in…

I didn’t know when I should say heck yes, or hell no!

Without any real compass or guardrails for what I truly wanted, I thought, maybe I should just give up, get a job and hope things get easier.

Maybe I just don’t have what it takes, or maybe I’m not cut out for it or maybe I’m not enough…

I didn’t come from money, I didn’t have tools or role models for what a healthy work-life balance looked like.

Everyone around me made the “hustle life” seem like the standard expectation for what was required to be “successful”. And I was entitled if I thought otherwise.

I thought maybe I don’t have education or enough expertise.

But the more I sought out and studied conscious, healthy leaders who were embodying their values and having global success, those who I wanted to aspire to be like, it hit me.

They were approaching their lives in an entirely different way. Not like my work addict ways…

And I’m not talking like a silver bullet or short-term hack kind of way…

I’m talking about…

A Whole Different Way Of Building A Business And Life….

Their entire approach and mindset towards their lives were so drastically different from mine.

I was operating from a place of fear and scarcity as a work addict.

I took every gig that paid, said “yes” even if I didn’t feel the client was aligned or the scope was aligned with my beliefs, and constantly put myself into situations where I felt unworthy and devalued for what I truly had to offer.

Not to mention the price it was paying on my family since I was constantly filled with stress, anxiety and sleepless nights – unconsciously projecting my fear onto them and forgetting why I even started my business in the first place.

And I realized it was because I didn’t know there was ANOTHER CHOICE.

I felt so overwhelmed by wanting to “get it all right” that I forgot that my well-being was a part of what “right” looked like.

I wasn’t taking courageous actions in owning my power, because I was so caught up in doing what people wanted me to be doing, spinning my wheels and thinking that’s “just how it is.”

But when I started to think differently, I started approaching my life in an entirely different way too…

And when I started learning mindfulness tools and techniques that ignited more self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-care, that voice inside my head that was constantly pushing me harder (in the wrong direction!) started to lower its volume. And eventually, completely change its message.

I was worthy, powerful, and valuable right now.

And I had the tools to fall back on whenever and however I needed.

I made a promise to myself to become healthy inside and out and to allow my life and business to reflect my perfect imperfection every day.

And slowly I began to shift… 

No more overwhelming panic attacks or constant feelings of unworthiness from being a work addict.

I prioritize my well-being and give myself permission to be human every day.

My business revenue quadrupled in less than a year with dream clients respected my value.

I have now been able to live out our lifelong “retirement dream” in my 30s with an off-the-grid tiny home on our 100-acre mountainside ranch out west.

I get to impact the lives of tens of thousands of leaders.

And I even get to give back to local and global communities through my philanthropic donations and volunteer work.

Plus I get to do something that I love every day serving a global community who are dedicated to their journey to alignment too…

The reason I am sharing all this with you is because I want the same for you.

I don’t want you to have to go through the trial and error I had to 🙁 as a work addict.

You’re here reading now as an aspiring coach or consultant and you want more…

You know where you are and probably where you want to be…

But Do You Know How To Get There? 

Here is that free resource I mentioned. It is a blog post I wrote about 4 Reasons You Don’t Set Boundaries + How to Fix It.