Episode 33: Stop Losing Yourself While Taking Care of Everyone Else
In this episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway Three, Be Fully You, with an honest conversation about what it means to care for others without losing yourself in the process. She invites Dr. Jamie Burkhart to share how leadership, family, faith, and service shaped her understanding of boundaries, resentment, and self awareness.
Jamie reflects on the reality of raising a large family while simultaneously leading and serving in demanding educational leadership roles. She talks about how easy it became to overfunction, constantly give to others, and slowly disconnect from her own needs and identity. Over time, she realized that resentment was often a signal that something needed attention and recalibration.
Together, Justine and Jamie explore the shadow side of values like service, responsibility, and generosity. They discuss how keeping score damages relationships, why asking for help is so difficult for many high achievers, and the courage it takes to step back from roles or expectations that no longer align with who you want to be. Jamie also shares how retiring from one season of leadership created space to reconnect with herself, her family, and what matters most.
Throughout the episode, they return to the truth that authenticity is not about perfection. It is about honesty, boundaries, and learning to care for others without abandoning yourself along the way.
Key Takeaways
- Pathway Three, Be Fully You, requires honesty about your own needs and limits.
- Caring for others without boundaries can eventually lead to resentment.
- Values like service and generosity can have a shadow side when taken too far.
- Recognizing resentment is an important signal, not something to ignore.
- Asking for help takes courage and vulnerability.
- Leadership at work and leadership at home often impact one another deeply.
- Faith and self talk both shape how we care for ourselves and others.
- Keeping score in relationships creates disconnection and exhaustion.
- Seasons of life may require changing priorities and redefining identity.
- Authenticity means reclaiming who you are beyond what you do for everyone else.
About the Guest
Dr. Jamie Burkhart has spent more than three decades serving Missouri public schools through leadership, advocacy, and mentorship. A former rural superintendent, she now serves as the Director of Women in Leadership for the Missouri Association of School Administrators, where she supports and empowers female school leaders across the state.
Connect with Jamie:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamie.s.burkhart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieburkhart/
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