For a long time, hustle worked for me.

Early mornings. Late nights. Saying yes before I felt ready. Carrying more than my share. Hustle felt responsible. It felt like commitment. And in the early stages, it absolutely worked.

There are still seasons where it does.

Effort scales until it doesn’t.

What I didn’t expect was how quietly that shift would happen. Hustle doesn’t suddenly fail. It slowly starts to create exhaustion and frustration instead of momentum. You’re still showing up and doing what you’ve always done, but the return feels smaller. The days feel heavier. And if you’re not careful, that can start to mess with your confidence.

That’s usually when leaders begin to feel like they’re failing.

We wear hustle like a badge of honor until we can’t sustain it anymore. And when exhaustion shows up, we don’t treat it as information. We treat it as a personal shortcoming. We assume we’ve lost our edge instead of recognizing that the season has changed.

In the beginning, hustle isn’t just helpful. It’s necessary. When things are small and close, effort creates momentum. You can see the direct impact of every extra hour you put in. The business responds immediately to your energy.

And even now, there are moments where hustle is still required. Launches. Transitions. Hard weeks. Times when you need to dig in and carry more for a short period of time.

But hustle was never meant to be the long-term strategy.

At a certain point, the business grows beyond what effort alone can support. You’re no longer just working harder. You’re holding more. More decisions. More people. More complexity. And hustle, which once moved things forward, starts to create friction instead of progress.

That’s when exhaustion sets in. And frustration follows close behind.

Not because you’re doing it wrong, but because the strategy that got you here isn’t meant to carry you forward forever.

This took me time to understand: hustle isn’t bad. It’s seasonal.

There are seasons where leaning into it makes sense. And there are seasons where continuing to hustle past its usefulness starts to cost more than it creates.

When that shift happens, the business isn’t asking for more effort. It’s asking for more intention underneath the effort. More clarity. More structure. More support than one person can carry alone.

Letting go of hustle as the primary strategy can feel uncomfortable, especially if it’s been tied to your identity as a leader. It can feel like slowing down or letting up, even when what you’re really doing is building something more sustainable.

The thought I’ll leave you with is this:
If you’re feeling exhausted and frustrated in a season where hustle used to work, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It may simply mean you’re being asked to lead differently.

Not every phase of growth requires the same kind of effort. Knowing which season you’re in might be one of the most important leadership skills there is.

I’m rooting for you,
With love and encouragement,
Beth