Key points

Driven women often experience their professional success as a form of exile from their families of origin.

Qualities that make ambitious women effective at work can feel threatening to family systems.

Personal growth triggers "homeostatic pressure" where families unconsciously try to restore familiar dynamics.

This is the first post in a two-part series.

You just crushed that presentation to the board, or finally got that program funded, or solved the technical problem that had everyone stumped. But then your sister texts the family group chat about weekend plans, and suddenly you’re back to being the “intense one” who cares too much about work. Your chest gets tight, your shoulders tense up, and you’re 16 again, trying to explain why you want things they don’t understand.

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