Rise & Shine: The Thanksgiving that broke me (and what it taught me)

The Breaking Point

Eleven years ago, I woke up in a hotel room on Thanksgiving morning to complete chaos.

My phone was exploding. Black Friday files hadn't run correctly. VPs were calling in panic. Systems weren’t cooperating. Pricing was wrong. Everything that could go wrong, was going wrong.

And in the corner of that cramped hotel room? My 1-year-old burning up with a 104-degree fever.

I sat on that hotel floor and completely broke down. The walls were crashing in on both sides.

Not the pretty, single-tear kind of crying. The ugly, questioning-every-life-choice kind of sobbing.

I wanted to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head, snuggle my 1-year-old and wake up when it was all over.

That was the moment I realized: I had nothing left.

Not for my son who needed me.

Not for my family waiting at Thanksgiving dinner.

Not even for myself.

I'd given everything to a job that would replace me in two weeks if I dropped dead from the stress.

The Addiction Nobody Talks About

Before that breaking point, I wore exhaustion like a badge of honor.

• Checking emails during family dinners? "Just being responsive."

• Working every weekend? "That's what leaders do."

• Phone in hand while my kids played? "Just a quick Slack message."

I told myself I was climbing the ladder. Building a career. Being indispensable.

The truth? I was an addict.

My drug of choice wasn't substances—it was the false urgency of corporate chaos. The dopamine hit of being needed. The identity of being the one who "handled everything."

And like any addiction, it was stealing my life one "urgent" email at a time.

The Hard Truth About "Having It All"

Here's what nobody tells you about being an ambitious professional and a parent:

You CAN have it all. Just not all at ONCE. And definitely not all from the same energy bucket.

Think of your energy like a bank account. 

• Every email you answer at 9 PM? That's a withdrawal. 

• Every weekend you work? Another withdrawal. 

• Every family dinner interrupted by "urgent" calls? Withdrawal.

But here's the thing about this account: Your FAMILY pays the overdraft fees.

They get the exhausted, depleted, irritable version of you. The leftover scraps after your job has eaten the main course.

Creating Your Non-Negotiables

After that hotel room breakdown, I made three decisions that changed everything:

1.Energy Budgeting Is Real Budgeting

I started treating my energy like actual money. (Was I perfect? NO, but it was a start!) If work wanted extra hours, something else had to give and it wasn't going to be family time anymore.

2. Boundaries Are Not Suggestions

• Phone goes on the counter during dinner. Period.

• Weekends are for family unless it's a genuine emergency (spoiler: it hardly ever was).

• After 5 PM, I'm a mom and wife. Not a digital merchandiser.

3. Success Without Sanity Isn't Success

That promotion isn't worth it if you're too burned out to enjoy it. That raise means nothing if you're too exhausted to live your life.

The Plot Twist

Here's what happened after I set those boundaries:

• I got promoted anyway.

• My performance reviews stayed “Over and Above”.

• My team respected me more, not less.

Turns out, being constantly available doesn't make you valuable. It makes you a doormat.

Being strategic about your energy makes you a leader.

Your Reset Roadmap

With Thanksgiving approaching, here's how to reset without losing momentum:

This Week:

1. Identify your top 3 energy drains (be specific)

2. Choose ONE to eliminate completely

3. Communicate that boundary clearly (no apologies)

Added bonus This Week (Thanksgiving Week):

1. Put an actual out-of-office on (yes, even if you're not traveling)

2. Delete work apps from your phone for 4 days (you won't die, I promise)

3. Be fully present for one meal. Just one. Start there.

Moving Forward:

1. Create a "shutdown ritual" for your workday

2. Establish one sacred family time that work cannot touch

3. Track your energy like you track your time

The Bottom Line

That Thanksgiving breakdown in the hotel room? It saved my career by showing me my energy zones.

Not because it made me work harder. Because it made me work smarter.

Success doesn't require sacrifice of your sanity.

Ambition doesn't mean abandoning your life.

And being indispensable at work while being invisible at home isn't the flex you think it is.

This Thanksgiving, give yourself permission to be fully present. Your career will survive. Your family needs you to.

💛 You've got this,

Alyssa

P.S. - A Little Thanksgiving Sweetness 🍒

Speaking of family traditions, I have to share my grandma's famous Cherry Delight recipe. Every Thanksgiving, she used to make this, and my cousin and I had a system—she'd eat all the cherries (which I hated), and I'd eat that amazing cream cheese filling. Teamwork at its finest!

Grandma's Cherry Delight

CRUST:

• 7 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

• 3 tbsp granulated sugar

FILLING:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 8 oz Cool Whip

• 21 oz cherry pie filling

Instructions:

1. Melt butter, mix with graham crackers and sugar, press into 8x8 dish

2. Beat cream cheese until smooth, add powdered sugar and vanilla

3. Fold in Cool Whip gently

4. Spread over crust, top with cherry pie filling

5. Refrigerate overnight (patience is key!)

Make this and tag me in your photos! Nothing says "I've got my life together" like homemade dessert. 😉