Stop Carrying Every Pack – The Dark Side of Scaling
Suzanne Rath is an executive health coach & speaker who gives people their vitality back. She does this through empowering them to take back just 20% more health for more purpose, productivity & prosperity.
You’re a capable mountaineer who sees a range that’s beautiful. You’re sure it’ll make a positive impact on someone or something if you climb it, so off you set. Long days. Shifting weather. All in pursuit of betterment, impact, legacy.
As the journey continues, there comes a point where you can’t go it alone. You hire other climbers to go with you. If you’re lucky, they’ll have experience, but what you really need is a range of people and skills for a good support crew. Early on, people absorb behaviours from you. You spend time training them on and off the mountain, even sending them to other mountaineering schools to learn new skills. You still carry the bulk of the load. After all, that’s what servant leadership looks like, right?
At the beginning, you give up a lot of your time, energy, and resources. And with your small team and your heavy pack, if someone forgets their food, tent, or way, you can easily pull another bar or jacket from yours. You reach your first small peak. Everyone celebrates. But there are more peaks ahead, and the weather keeps changing.
You’re climbing for something bigger than yourself. But slowly, you start to feel the straps cutting in. The higher you go, the thinner the air. Conversations shrink to logistics, and the joy of the climb fades into fatigue. You start to forget why you began in the first place.
You gather more people. By now, your core guides know the systems. They are managing the food, setting up camp, and keeping the lines. But every so often, you arrive to find no camp set, no food ready. Sometimes you spot small groups wandering toward crevasses. When you redirect them, instead of gratitude, you overhear murmurs about freedom and micromanagement.
New climbers join. They say they’re keen, but at mealtimes, they hang back. You’re frustrated. Why aren’t the experienced guides bringing them up to speed? You create videos, checklists, and written procedures. No one seems to read them. And at times, you wonder if anyone’s even aiming for the same summit anymore. This is how my founding and scaling journey has often felt. Has yours?
Founders are different. I work with leaders, founders, and high-performing women in male-dominated industries, people who are purposeful catalysts. And the truth is, without the right support systems, you can’t scale sustainably. That’s why my ENDURES™ framework exists, because when endurance fails, performance collapses. And those who play above the line and put in the work deserve to reach life’s ultimate summits, over and over again.
If you’re reading this and your shoulders ache, it’s time to ask, "What am I still carrying that someone else could hold?" and "What systems, habits, or mindsets do I need to shed to climb lighter?" The mountain isn’t going anywhere, but your energy might if you don’t stop and re-pack.
In my founder and business journey, I’ve been a high performer in both sustainable and unsustainable ways. Here’s how I use my ENDURES™ formula to help my clients achieve sustainable high performance. I’d love to know which one resonates most with you.
Envision: You know the old saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” We need to have a clear picture of our biggest vision. I work with people in many ways to achieve this, so that instead of hitting arbitrary goals that look good on paper, they achieve dreams that feel good.
Navigate: Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. The path to any peak begins with the first step in the right direction, so we need to work out what that is and take it.
Drive: It’s important to have the mindset, tools, and strategies to drive through the hard when we need to. Not all the time, but when it counts. From biohacking tools to building mental muscles to thrive, this is all a part of my work.
Use recovery: Olympic athletes often experience post-gold medal depression, and it’s the same for founders. Often, when the founders I work with achieve a big goal, they feel empty. I’ve certainly been there. One reason for this is that we’re mentally and physically exhausted. For ongoing high performance through life, we must learn how to use recovery as a strategy.
Refocus and reset: It’s very easy to get drawn off course, whether you’re leading a team or climbing a mountain. I work with my coaching clients to develop the tools to refocus and reset regularly, so that they end the day feeling fulfilled, not frazzled.
Elevate: Ever hit a goal and wondered, “What’s next?” It’s essential to have something to aim for in life. This section is about finding what matters to you and growing there.
Support systems: Throughout our lives, our capacity to achieve great things is influenced by the room we’re in. So we must regularly assess the support systems around us to help us thrive.
Whether this year has been great or you’ve felt like you’re grinding more than growing, now is the perfect time to start refocusing and resetting as you plan for 2026. I’m hosting a free online planning and strategy session on December 1st at 6 p.m. AEST. I’d love to see you there.
Read more from Suzanne Rath
Suzanne Rath, Executive Health Coach & Speaker
Suzanne Rath is a leader in the health and leadership field. A multi-award-winning Allied Health professional and health entrepreneur whose clinics are at the forefront of innovation and multi-disciplinary health care, her mission is to inspire a million people to take back control of their own health. Having thrived after a life-changing accident which sapped her vitality and later suffering leader burnout, Suzanne aims for participants in her programs to reclaim their vitality, becoming more purposeful, productive & prosperous through taking back control of just 20% more health.
