08/15/2025
You wouldn't run a company without a board of directors, so why are you trying to navigate your career and life without one?
The Strategy: The 5-Chair Model
Think of your support network like a boardroom with five essential chairs:
1. The Mentor - Someone 5-10 years ahead of you who's walked your path
2. The Peer - A colleague at your level for real-time problem-solving and venting
3. The Champion - Someone in your organization who advocates for you behind closed doors
4. The Expert - A specialist (coach, consultant) who provides professional guidance
5. The Personal Anchor - A friend or family member who reminds you who you are beyond work
Most overwhelmed women try to fill all these roles themselves or lean too heavily on one person (usually burning them out).
Case Study: Leila*'s Breakthrough
Leila, a marketing director at a tech startup, was working 70-hour weeks and felt like she was drowning. Sometimes she’d break down crying in the bathroom because she said the stress was too much. She realized she had no one to turn to for strategic career advice, was solving every problem alone, and her husband told her he was tired of hearing about work stress every night – not exactly a supportive sweetie.
Using the 5-Chair Model, Leila:
• Connected with a former colleague who'd become a VP (Mentor)
• Joined a women's leadership group for peer support (Peer)
• Identified her skip-level manager as a potential champion (Champion)
• Started working with a leadership coach – me, Dr. B. (Expert)
• Designated her sister as her "work-free zone" person (Personal Anchor)
Over the next 3 months Leila had solutions for her biggest challenges, felt less isolated, and actually got promoted, due in part, because her Champion was advocating for her in meetings she wasn't in.
From her work with her Expert, me, Leila began to transform her relationship with stress and success. She was able to begin resetting her mindset, reigned in the overwhelm, and set some serious work boundaries.
In essence, she learned to recognize her stress signals before they became overwhelming and gained personalized tools to stay grounded under pressure.
Instead of feeling anxious and scattered, Leila now approaches challenges with clarity and confidence - she got that promotion while working 15 fewer hours per week and she continues to decrease the number of hours she works to make it match with the kind of life she really wants to be living.
Most importantly, she finally learned to prioritize herself without guilt, creating boundaries that actually energized her rather than drained her.
Leila went from surviving her ambitious career to thriving in it, with a rock-solid foundation of self-care that made everything else possible.
Your Immediate Action Step:
Right now, grab a piece of paper and write down the five chairs. Under each one, write either:
• A name of someone who could fill this role
• "EMPTY" if you don't have anyone
• A name with a question mark if you're not sure they'd be willing
Don't overthink it. The goal isn't to have a perfect board immediately - it's to see where your gaps are so you can start filling them strategically.
Remember: You don't need to carry the weight of your career and life alone. Every successful woman has a team behind her, even if you can't see it.
Talk again soon,
Dr. B.
P.S. If you're looking to fill that "Expert" chair, I'd love to explore how I can support you in creating a life that actually makes you happy. Sometimes having one professional in your corner changes everything. Grab a seat so we can chat.
*Leila is a pseudonym but is based on a real client
Schedule your appointment online Dr. B. Essential Solutions
