The Competence Tax: Why Being “Good” At Your Job Is Costing You Your Health

High performers with chronic illness don’t burn out because they are bad at their jobs. They burn out because they’re excellent.   When you’re competent, you become the default fixer, the one who gets the urgent requests, the messy projects, the “quick questions,” and the work nobody else wants. And if your capacity fluctuates, that invisible workload doesn’t just cost time. It costs you your body.   In this episode of Thrive Beyond the Flare, Sue breaks down The Competence Tax; how reliability quietly becomes an expectation, how availability becomes your brand, and why “being helpful” can turn into being harvested. You’ll learn: How to spot where you’re paying the competence tax (a 5-minute Competence Audit) The difference between being helpful and being treated like a supply A simple system to protect your workload without damaging your reputation Word-for-word scripts for: scope creep, “quick questions,” meeting overload, urgent escalations, and resetting expectations with your manager How to stop overdelivering now and crashing later If you look fine, perform well, and pay for it after work, this one is for you.