The Hidden Cost of Leadership, and Why Rest Is Part of the Work

Our co-host partner Bianca Anderson, CEO of ProInspire, recently shared a deeply personal reflection that we believe every leader in our community should read.

Just before a conference, Bianca ended up in the emergency room with severe chest pain. She was diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining around the heart, and chronic stress was a contributing factor. Bianca wasn’t neglecting herself. She was exercising and, by most outside measures, “doing wellness right.” Her story makes something clear that many of us already feel in our bodies: the stress Black women leaders carry is structural, not a personal failing.

The numbers tell the same story. Bianca points to new data showing burnout is climbing across the sector:

• Nearly half of nonprofit CEOs now name burnout as a serious concern, a sharp jump from under a third just a year earlier (Center for Effective Philanthropy).

• Senior-level women are reporting their highest burnout in five years, with Black women leaders under especially heavy strain (McKinsey).

Bianca connects this to Dr. Arline Geronimus’s research on “weathering,” which shows how chronic exposure to racism wears on the body over time. In her words, it is a field that “extracts visionary labor without investing in the conditions that sustain” it.

Resilience isn’t the answer. Sustainability is. Our sector loves to celebrate Black women’s strength. But as Bianca reminds us, resilience should never be an excuse for preventable harm. Protecting the wellbeing of Black women leaders isn’t a luxury. It’s a strategy for making sure this work, and these leaders, last.

Bianca is honest that she’s still in the middle of her own unlearning. For her, that means:

• Asking for help earlier, before she’s depleted

• Bringing her board in sooner

• Leaning on peers who see the full picture

• Protecting rest as a baseline, not a reward for productivity Read more on the ProInspire blog.
  

This is why FFLF exists. Fellowship for Liberated Futures was built on the belief that Black women and femmes on the frontlines deserve to be well, and that rest, community, and care are part of how we build liberated futures.

Read Bianca’s full piece: The Hidden Cost of Leadership: Why Black Women Leaders Are Paying the Price

Share what’s working for you. ProInspire is collecting real-world examples of how leaders and organizations are interrupting chronic stress before it becomes a crisis. Take their short survey to share your story.

Need a moment to reset? Join our final Resilience Reset of 2026 on December 16. It’s free, virtual, and open to all.