We don’t talk enough about what success really does to you.
We celebrate the launches, the milestones, the money. But we ignore the part that comes after. The part where you’re lying on your couch the next day, scrolling mindlessly, wondering why you feel so off when everything looks right.
This is what I call the invisible toll of success. And if you’re feeling it too? You’re not broken. You’re just human. And high-achieving as hell.
Dopamine is stealing your energy
Let’s get straight to it: most of us are addicted to stimulation.
Every sale notification, every story view, every client message triggers dopamine: the brain chemical that gets released when your system expects a reward. But here’s what most people don’t know:
Dopamine doesn’t just spike when you get a result. It spikes when you expect one.
That means checking your stats, refreshing your feed, waiting for DMs… your brain lights up even before anything actually happens.
As entrepreneurs, this creates a dangerous cycle:
- Work hard
- Anticipate results
- Hit the dopamine high
- Crash
- Repeat with more hustle or more scrolling
That used to be me. Again and again. And I didn’t understand why I felt so emotionally low after big wins.
Why I felt sad after my most successful launches
I remember finishing a high-performing launch. The numbers were great. People were celebrating me.
And the next day?
I felt empty. Depleted. Kind of… lost.
At first, I thought something was wrong with me. But I eventually realized it wasn’t me. It was a post-launch-dopamine crash.
Your brain is on overdrive during a launch. Constantly anticipating the next sale, the next Stripe ping, the next comment. You're sharp, focused, and wired. And when it stops?
Crash. Sadness. Doubt. Zero energy.
Now I know to expect it. And to plan for recovery the same way I plan for sales.
That means:
- Booking a massage the day after a launch (and throughout a big launch week with many live calls)
- Forcing myself to be offline regularly
- Letting myself feel low without judging it
The moment I realized Instagram was a problem
Here’s the part that hit me hard.
I noticed I was using Instagram like a reward. Every time I completed a hard task, I’d scroll. After coaching calls. During quiet moments. Inbetween meetings.
It became a reflex.
And it made me feel worse.
For the first time in years, I started comparing myself to my competition. I’d get jealous. I’d feel left out. I’d wonder if I was doing enough, being enough, achieving enough. And the more I scrolled, the more anxious I got.
That’s when I realized I wasn’t just using my phone. I was using dopamine. Or rather: it was using me.
How I broke the cycle (without quitting social)
Look: I didn’t delete Instagram. I run a business online and I love what this platform can achieve for my community and for myself. But I did have to create boundaries and retrain my brain.
Here’s what helped:
- App blockers
I use Opal to lock me out of apps from 8 pm to 8:45 am and all throughout my weekend. I don’t override it anymore. My brain needs the break. - Offline mornings
I don’t open my phone during my morning routine. I move. Breathe. Check in with myself before I check in with the world. - Meditation before bed
I swapped nighttime reading (my favorite!) for a short meditation. I now sleep deeper and wake up clearer. - New success metrics
I stopped measuring success only by revenue. I started asking:
→ Do I feel energized?
→ Do I actually enjoy my clients?
→ Am I showing up out of joy or pressure?
→ Did I get to create today?
Can we really have it all?
Here’s the big question: can we chase huge goals and stay balanced? Can we grow without going the extra mile?
I believe we can. But maybe not for all areas of our life, all at once.
There are seasons where certain priorities win. Sometimes your health leads. Sometimes your business does. Sometimes it’s your relationships. And when you have kids, you know they will always be the priority.
But if you burn yourself out trying to do it all at the same time, none of it lasts. The toll of success is real. And it’s invisible until it stops you in your tracks.
Redefining what success means to me
I vowed early on: I didn’t want to win in business and lose in life.
I don’t want a viral launch if I’m mentally wiped for two weeks. I don’t want money in the bank if I’m not sleeping. I don’t want attention online if I’m constantly comparing myself to people I don’t even know.
That’s why I try to be as conscious as possible of the way I work and live.
Less screen time. More clarity.
Fewer IG stories in realtime. More feed posts that live longer.
Better energy. Bigger results.
I started designing my life and business in a way that gives back, not just takes.
Because running an online business doesn’t have to mean being online all the time!
Want to try this for yourself?
I created a tool that’s helped me and my clients rebuild their perfect weeks from the inside out.
It’s a combo of two things:
→ My “Ideal Week” Template
→ A ChatGPT Prompt that helps you map your own high-energy week (including time to disconnect!)
This isn’t fluff. It’s the system I use to stay off my phone, protect my mental space, relationships and actually enjoy what I’m building again. While also making bank, because yes… that counts too!
Do you want my ideal week template + chatgpt prompt to design your energy-boosting week + morning and evening routine, including new offline time?
And if you’d like to hear my vulnerable share of how I’ve felt + managed these highs and lows throughout business, listen to the full podcast episode.
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