South Africa, March 6 -- On paper, I was thriving, but behind the scenes, I was exhausted.

My exhausted was exhausted! Hormones depleted-cortisol through the floor. My nervous system was constantly on the lookout for the next tiger to attack me. My doctor could not understand how I was even functioning.

The day I received my blood test results, I had just come from a heated Hiit class.

That is the power of willpower in advertising.

You can override biology for a while. But not forever. And here is what I now know: my story is not rare.

It is structural.

The advertising and media industry is not just experiencing female burnout. It is engineered for it.

The industry runs on overdrive

Advertising thrives on urgency.

One more pitch....