You’re Not Overworked — You’re Doing the Wrong Work Female emPOWERED Podcast with Christa Gurka If you feel exhausted, behind, and busy all day but somehow not moving forward, this episode is for you. In this episode of the Female emPOWERED Podcast, Christa Gurka breaks down the real reason so many boutique fitness, Pilates, and private-pay PT owners feel burned out — and it’s not because you’re lazy, bad at business, or not working hard enough. You’re overworked because you’re doing work that no longer belongs to you. This episode is a mindset shift and a practical wake-up call for owner-operators who are stuck in the weeds, micromanaging their teams, avoiding delegation, and confusing “busy” with actual progress. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why working harder isn’t the answer — and why working higher isThe difference between operator work vs. true CEO workHow micromanaging your team is quietly stalling your growthWhy avoiding delegation trains your team not to thinkThe hidden cost of being the bottleneck in your own businessHow “fake CEO work” (busywork) keeps you stuckWhere boutique fitness and PT owners waste the most energyWhy systems, structure, and financial clarity matter more than motivationThe 5 core responsibilities of a CEO in a boutique service businessHow to reclaim 5–10 hours a week without working longer daysThe 5 Core Responsibilities of a True CEO: If you’re working outside of these five areas most of the time, that’s why you feel busy but not productive: Vision & Direction – Where the business is going and whyFinancial Oversight – Understanding revenue, profit, capacity, and pricingLeadership – Right people, right seats, clear expectationsSystems & Structure – Designing processes (not running them)Strategic Growth Decisions – When to hire, expand, cut, or say noAnswering emails, fixing schedule issues, running the front desk, and rescuing staff are not CEO work. If This Sounds Like You… You’re still client-facing more than 50% of the timeYou approve every decisionStaff come to you instead of following systemsYou “just do it yourself because it’s faster”You’re busy all day but unsure what actually moved the needle…this episode will hit home. Key Takeaway: You don’t need another planner, another framework, or more hustle. You need intentional structure, clearer delegation, and the courage to step out of the minutiae and into leadership — on purpose. You don’t need to work harder. You need to work higher. 🎧 Listen now and start auditing where your time, energy, and focus are actually going — and what needs to change so your business can grow without burning you out. If you want help reclaiming your time, building systems, and becoming the CEO your business actually needs, this episode is your first step.
