Why Good Leaders Are Quitting (And We’re Letting It Happen) with Melissa Doman | 410

Leadership is supposed to be a privilege… so why does it feel like a slow burn to the ground?

In this raw, unfiltered continuation of the leadership mental health conversation, Nicole Kalil sits down again with organizational psychologist and workplace mental health expert Melissa Doman to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes of leadership today — and why the good ones are dangerously close to walking away.

Because here’s the truth no one wants to admit: we expect leaders to be everything — strong, empathetic, decisive, available, perfect — with no room for human error. And then we wonder why burnout is skyrocketing and leadership pipelines are drying up.

This episode goes beyond surface-level advice and into the uncomfortable reality:

• Leaders are human (shocking, we know)

• Unrealistic expectations are breaking them

• And we all play a role in either making it better… or making it worse

Melissa brings both expertise and real talk to the table — from leadership archetypes (hello, frustrated martyr) to the “sea otter” model of healthy leadership (yes, it’s a thing and yes, you want it). Together, they challenge the outdated narratives, call out toxic expectations, and offer a radically simple starting point: act like leaders are people.

Because if we don’t figure this out? The good leaders won’t stay. And what’s left… is not a future anyone wants.

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Connect with Melissa:

Website:https://www.melissadoman.com/

Book:https://www.amazon.com/Cornered-Office-Leadership-Mental-Health/dp/139435035X 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/thewanderingmel/

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadoman1/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• What Happens When Leadership Becomes Unsustainable: Leader Mental Health with Melissa Doman | 403
• Leadership Unblocked (The Hidden Beliefs Sabotaging Your Ability To Lead) with Muriel M. Wilkins | 367
• What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses with Mita Mallick | 351

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