I just read a founder's burnout confession on LinkedIn.
700 days of 18-hour workdays. Revenue up 166%. Turning away clients she would've "killed to work with" a year ago.
Her solution?
Hire a President with 10-20 years experience to "operationalize her vision."
Everyone's analyzing her business problem: systems, delegation, hiring strategy.
I see something completely different.
I'm a certified brand strategist trained to use Myers-Briggs with executives and boards for shadow diagnosis, not team dynamics.
Plus 20 years of drug addiction recovery taught me to spot patterns people can't see in themselves.
She doesn't need a President.
She needs a Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO - a profession I reverse engineered because it didn't exist.
Let me show you the burnout signs everyone's missing, and what you actually need to fix them.
Everyone talks about obvious burnout signs:
Those are symptoms of symptoms.
Here are the burnout signs everyone misses - because they look like business decisions:
What she said:
"The truth: I have a pattern. I hire people I want to save. People who 'just need a chance.'"
What everyone hears: Bad hiring strategy
What I hear: Codependency
The Freudian slip: "I want to save"
That's not hiring language. That's rescue language.
Translation: "I need to save people to feel valuable."
When you hire people to rescue them, you're not building a team. You're creating a codependent system where you feel worthy through their need for you.
This isn't a hiring problem. This is a shadow problem.
And hiring a President won't fix it. You'll just find new people to save at higher salaries.
What she said:
"I've worked 18-hour days for over 700 days. My nervous system is done."
What everyone hears: Workload problem
What I hear: Adrenaline addiction
20 years of addiction recovery taught me this pattern intimately.
When you work 18-hour days not because the work demands it, but because you can't stop, you're running from something.
The question you're avoiding: "Am I valuable if I'm not producing?"
So you produce constantly to avoid answering.
That's not productivity. That's adrenaline-based survival masquerading as leadership.
This isn't a workload problem. This is a shadow problem.
And hiring a President to "take things off your plate" won't fix it. You'll fill the freed-up time with more work because the pattern is internal, not external.
What she said:
"Business is almost too good right now. Revenue is up 166%. That's nearly 3X."
What everyone hears: Success problem (good problem to have)
What I hear: Self-worth deficit
When revenue triples but exhaustion increases, you're undercharging and overdelivering.
Why?
Because you don't believe you're valuable enough to charge what you're actually worth.
So you overdeliver to prove your value. Then resent clients for "demanding too much."
The Freudian slip in her post: "I can't afford high-level talent."
That's not about money. That's about worthiness.
Translation: "I don't believe I'm WORTHY of high-level talent."
This isn't a pricing problem. This is a shadow problem.
And hiring a President won't fix self-worth. You'll just prove your value by overdelivering to the President too.
What she said:
"People call me a machine. They're right. I am precise. I am intense. I am a scalpel."
What everyone hears: Strong work ethic
What I hear: Identity built on performance
When your identity is "I'm a machine," what happens when you stop producing?
You disappear.
That's terrifying. So you never stop.
The shadow pattern: "I am what I produce."
This is why founders burn out AFTER success. Revenue up 166% should feel like relief. Instead it feels like pressure to prove it wasn't luck.
This isn't an intensity problem. This is a shadow problem.
And hiring a President won't change your identity. You'll just be a machine managing a President.
What she said:
"No one teaches you this part of being a founder."
What everyone hears: Knowledge gap
What I hear: Denial
In recovery, we have an acronym: DENIAL = Don't Even kNow I Am Lying
"No one teaches you this" is denial language for "I don't know what I'm doing and I'm afraid to admit it."
The shadow truth:
She knows exactly what the problem is. She wrote it in her post:
She's not lacking knowledge. She's avoiding the truth she already knows.
This isn't a knowledge problem. This is a shadow problem.
And hiring a President to "teach her" won't work. The truth she needs isn't external.
Everyone's telling her:
All of that is tactical optimization on a broken foundation.
It's like rearranging furniture in a house with no foundation.
The house is still collapsing. You're just moving the furniture around before it does.
Here's what I learned from 25 years of Fortune 500 survival:
When Navistar was collapsing, we didn't hire more executives. We built Executive Information Systems that turned chaos into clarity.
When Wisconsin Voices had their brand hijacked, we didn't hire PR firms. We rebuilt their identity from internal/external/spiritual dimensions.
The pattern: Fix foundation first. Then tactics work.
Here's why most consulting fails:
They assess from ONE domain:
CMO: "You need better marketing systems"
CTO: "You need better technology"
Executive Coach: "You need better leadership skills"
Therapist: "You need to work on your psychology"
All true. All incomplete.
This founder's problem exists across FOUR layers:
The question: What actually needs systematization vs what's shadow-driven chaos?
From 25 years in IT and Fortune 500, I can see:
Most CTOs would build her more systems. That's not the problem.
The question: What's authentic positioning vs approval-seeking people-pleasing?
From crisis-to-revenue positioning work:
Most CMOs would optimize her marketing. That's not the problem.
The question: What's her REAL identity vs what she THINKS she should be?
From Level C Brand Strategist certification (which started with Myers-Briggs):
Most brand strategists would rebrand her externally. That's not the problem.
The question: What unconscious patterns are driving her decisions?
From 20 years addiction recovery + Carl Jung shadow work:
Most therapists would work on her psychology but miss how it shows up in business decisions.
The problem: Her burnout exists across all four layers.
Traditional solution: Hire four different consultants:
Cost: $50K-100K/month minimum
Problem: They don't talk to each other
Result: Optimized tactics on broken foundation
The Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO solution:
One professional who assesses across all four layers:
Me.
I reverse engineered this profession because it didn't exist.
My background integrates what business separates:
IT: 16 years old programming, IBM training, 25 years Fortune 500
Marketing: Crisis-to-revenue positioning, widget warfare
Brand Strategy: Level C certified, Myers-Briggs trained for executives
Psychology: 20 years addiction recovery, Carl Jung shadow work
Nobody else combines all four.
That's not positioning. That's lived experience.
I personally hit this wall at age 40.
Subconscious need to be loved → Chose partners who could fill that void → Relationships failed → Wondered why I kept choosing "wrong people"
Recovery revealed: I wasn't choosing wrong people. I was choosing FROM wrong motivation.
That's the exact pattern this founder faces:
Need external validation → Hire people to save → Undercharge to be liked → Overdeliver to prove worth → Burn out → Think "better talent" will fix it
It won't.
Because the problem isn't external. It's internal.
When I work with a burned-out founder or executive:
Her slip: "I can't afford high-level talent"
Surface: Budget constraint
Shadow: "I don't believe I'm WORTHY of high-level talent"
20 years recovery taught me to hear what's NOT being said.
That's not a hiring problem. That's self-worth.
Level C Brand Strategist certification STARTED with Myers-Briggs.
Why? You can't build authentic brand on unconscious shadow.
Based on her language, she's likely ENFJ or INFJ:
ENFJ shadow: Need to save people to feel valuable (codependency)
INFJ shadow: Need to be liked, undercharge to stay likeable
Her Ghost In The Darkness: "If I charge full value, people won't like me"
Every Myers-Briggs type has a ghost. A pitfall that destroys you if you can't see it.
I map them because I had to map my own to survive recovery.
From 20 years addiction recovery, I recognize:
Codependency shows up as: "I hire people I want to save"
Adrenaline addiction shows up as: "I'm a machine, I'm intense"
Denial shows up as: "No one teaches you this part"
External solutions shows up as: "I need a President to operationalize"
These aren't business problems. These are shadow patterns revealed in business language.
IT question: What needs systems vs what's chaos from unclear identity?
Marketing question: What's authentic positioning vs approval-seeking?
Brand question: Who is she really vs who does she think she should be?
Most consultants pick one lens. I assess across all three.
The question only a Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO can answer:
"Is this a technical problem, strategic problem, identity problem, or shadow problem?"
Her answer: All four.
Traditional consulting: Four different professionals, no coordination
Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO: One assessment across all four layers, integrated solution
Not a President. This:
What we do:
Deliverable: Clear understanding of what's shadow vs what's business
Cost: Included in Hybrid Fractional retainer
Outcome: She stops hiring people to save, stops proving worth through overwork
What we do:
Deliverable: Authentic brand strategy built on conscious foundation
Cost: Included in Hybrid Fractional retainer
Outcome: She charges what she's worth, attracts independent talent, boundaries clear
What we do:
Deliverable: Scalable systems without scalable burnout
Cost: Included in Hybrid Fractional retainer
Outcome: Chaos becomes clarity, she works 8-hour days not 18, revenue continues growing
What we do:
Deliverable: Sustainable scaling because foundation stays clean
Cost: Ongoing Hybrid Fractional retainer
Outcome: No burnout relapse at higher revenue
Hiring a President:
Salary: $200K-300K/year
Equity: 2-5%
Revenue share: Negotiable
Total cost: $300K-500K/year minimum
Plus: They don't fix shadow patterns, so burnout continues at higher payroll
Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO:
Retainer: $10K-15K/month ($120K-180K/year)
Equity: Optional (if you want alignment)
Revenue share: Not needed
Plus: Fixes foundation so systems actually work
The math:
President: $300K+ for tactical execution on broken foundation
Hybrid Fractional: $150K for foundation fix + strategic execution
Difference: $150K saved + burnout actually fixed
Why can I do this when others can't?
INTJ cognitive architecture (2.1% of population) reverse engineers success.
Examples:
Me: Reverse engineered the profession that integrates IT + Marketing + Brand + Psychology
The pattern: INTJ sees what's missing, synthesizes the solution, creates framework others can follow.
I didn't just learn four domains. I reverse engineered how they integrate into a NEW PROFESSION.
According to Jung: "The universe works FOR you, not AGAINST you."
My age 40 crisis taught me about codependency.
My addiction taught me shadow work.
My Fortune 500 survival taught me systems under chaos.
My brand strategy training taught me Myers-Briggs assessment.
The universe gave me all four experiences to create the profession that integrates all four.
That's not accident. That's INTJ reverse engineering life itself.
At C-suite advisory level, I'm not "have it your way."
This is not Burger King.
You either:
Or we don't work together.
Because I won't build strategy on top of unconscious patterns. That's malpractice.
The founders who work with me:
If that's you, we should talk.
If you want someone to validate your plan to hire a President, hire someone else.
Are you showing these signs?
☐ You hire people you want to "save" or who "just need a chance"
☐ You work 18-hour days not because work demands it, but because you can't stop
☐ Revenue is up but you're more exhausted than ever
☐ You call yourself a "machine" and wear intensity like a badge
☐ You blame circumstances: "No one teaches you this part"
☐ You think hiring executives will fix your exhaustion
☐ You undercharge and overdeliver to prove your value
☐ You can't afford "high-level talent" (Freudian slip for "don't feel worthy")
☐ Team members quit after feedback (they know their work could be automated)
☐ You're building a company based on what success "should" look like, not what you actually want
If you checked 3+: You don't have a business problem. You have a shadow problem.
If you checked 5+: You need a Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO, not a President.
If you checked 7+: The burnout will continue until you fix the foundation.
Step 1: Recognize This Isn't A Hiring Problem
Hiring a President, better talent, or more executives won't fix shadow patterns.
You'll just create expensive codependency at scale.
Step 2: Assess Across All Four Layers
Step 3: Work With Someone Who Can Integrate All Four
Not four different consultants. One professional who assesses across all layers.
That's the Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO.
A profession I reverse engineered because founders like her needed it and it didn't exist.
This framework isn't theory. It's proven:
Navistar (Fortune 500 Collapse):
Created Executive Information System for C-Suite during crisis. Widget warfare turned collapse into competitive advantage.
Wisconsin Voices (Brand Hijacking):
Three-dimensional rebranding (external/internal/spiritual) after identity theft. Restored brand without legal war.
This Burned-Out Founder:
Complete Jungian shadow analysis revealing codependency, adrenaline addiction, self-worth deficit, denial patterns.
Each required integration across all four layers.
That's what Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO does.
If you're a burned-out founder thinking "I need better talent/systems/strategy":
Ask first:
"What shadow pattern am I running from that makes me think hiring/systems/strategy will fix this?"
Because here's what 45 years of lived experience taught me:
Professionals who aspire to greatness get derailed by patterns they can't see.
You can't build empire on unconscious shadow.
Myers-Briggs reveals the pattern.
Recovery wisdom fixes it.
Brand strategy makes it authentic.
Executive systems make it scalable.
That's integration.
That's why Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO works when traditional consulting fails.
Not because I'm a better marketer or technologist.
Because I diagnose shadow problems, not just business problems.
And I do it from lived experience, not academic theory.
If you're showing 3+ burnout signs from the checklist:
You don't need a President. You need assessment across all four layers.
Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO retainer:
$10K-15K/month
Includes:
Not for everyone.
Only for founders ready to:
At C-suite level, this is not "have it your way."
This is not Burger King.
You do shadow work first. Or we don't work together.
Contact: [Your email/contact form]
— Charles K Davis
Certified Brand Strategist | Hybrid Fractional CMO/CTO | Cebu, Philippines
Trained To Use Myers-Briggs With Executives And Boards
20 Years Recovery Wisdom | 25 Years Fortune 500 Survival | Carl Jung Integration
I reverse engineered the profession that integrates what business separated
P.S. If you're thinking "this sounds like therapy, not business strategy," you're proving my point. The separation between psychology and strategy is why you're burned out. Integration is uncomfortable. It's also the only thing that works. Not for everyone. Only for leaders ready to see their Ghosts In The Darkness.
P.P.S. The commenter in the post will hire her President. In 18 months, she'll be burned out again managing executives doing the same work she's doing now, just at higher salary. Because she'll solve the wrong problem. When she's ready to fix the foundation, she knows where to find me.
Fractional CMO & CTO | Empowering $1M-$10M manufacturers, logistics, service, and retail leaders to transform brand crisis into revenue engines. While others panic, my clients thrive.
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