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Key Takeaways The exhaustion many Black women leaders feel doesn’t match their workload because they’re paying a hidden three-part leadership tax: the performative tax of managing perception, the weight of representation and the navigation tax of constantly reading the room.
Reclaiming energy starts with visibility, not overhaul — stop confusing presence with influence, protect recovery like a meeting, make one strategic cut and redirect that energy toward what actually moves you forward.
For a long time, I thought I was tired because I was working too much. That seemed like the obvious explanation. I held demanding leadership roles, managed complex projects, raised children and carried responsibilities that stretched far beyond any job description. Like many high-achieving Black women, I assumed exhaustion was simply the price of ambition.
Then I realized something important: I was carrying burdens that had very little to do with the work itself. I have spent more than 20 years studying this, across two longitudinal studies and more than 600 Black women leaders. I have also lived it. What the research names, my own body had already taught me.
Years ago, I found myself leaving meetings completely drained. It was strange — solving difficult problems or making important decisions usually energized me. It took me some reflection to understand that my exhaustion stemmed from the constant calculations I was running beneath the surface. How should I present this idea so it lands well? Have I spoken too much? Have I spoken too little? Who in this room needs reassurance before they can hear what I’m actually saying? Invisible labor like this takes its toll.
Many Black women leaders know exactly what that feels like. The work receives a title and a paycheck. The invisible labor rarely receives either.
How to identify the tax you’re paying
The tax shows up in three forms. The performative tax is the energy spent managing how you are perceived rather than doing the work. The weight of representation is the responsibility of carrying an entire demographic into every room. And the navigation tax is the constant reading of who is safe, what battle is worth fighting and when to code-switch. Most Black women leaders are paying all three at once — that is why the exhaustion does not match the workload.
I encourage leaders to pay attention to how they feel after specific meetings, projects and interactions. Ask yourself a simple question: How much actual work happened here compared to how much energy it required? I have left meetings completely exhausted, only to realize that very little was accomplished. The energy disappeared into navigating personalities, managing perceptions and carrying responsibilities that were never formally assigned.
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