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Former Bain Consultant Leaves Career After 43-Hour Streak, Faces Burnout at 30 and Triples Outdoor Tourism Company in Utah Since 2020
Former consultant Sunny Stroeer left Bain in 2015, just before turning 30, after facing a 43-hour consecutive work shift and a state of burnout; years later, she rebuilt her career in the outdoor sector and tripled her company in Utah since 2020.
Sunny Stroeer’s trajectory in strategic consulting was promising until her breaking point decision. In 2015, on the verge of turning 30, she chose to leave the firm after experiencing an extreme episode of continuous work that redefined her professional and personal priorities.
43-Hour Streak Exposed Burnout
The turning point occurred during a landmark project when she worked for 43 uninterrupted hours.
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Under intense pressure and tight deadlines, she began interrupting subordinates after only a few words, prioritizing direct answers due to the lack of time.
She claims that the discomfort was not related to technical ability. According to her account, the case was successfully concluded, with both the client and partner satisfied.
Still, she noticed clear signs of burnout and accumulated exhaustion over time.
Her personal assessment was that she was becoming overly results-oriented, driven by constant ambition and insecurity.
In her view, these characteristics were reinforced by the corporate environment, contributing to her state of wear and tear.
Decision to Leave Consulting and Seek a New Path
Faced with exhaustion, she decided to “pull the emergency brake” and end her consulting career. Not seeing any alternatives within that context, she chose to step away and reserve a time for activities that genuinely brought her joy.
In the following months, she dedicated herself to outdoor experiences and adventures. Initially, there was no structured plan.
After two months immersed in this new routine, she concluded that she wanted to stay in that professional environment.
She then began investing in building a career as a professional adventure athlete, focused on major challenges, climbing, and endurance races.
Involvement in the Outdoor Sector and Gender Equity
Her experience as a woman in the mountains also influenced her journey. Confronting explicit situations of gender prejudice, she decided to broaden her efforts in promoting change within the sector.
Over time, she structured businesses related to adventure tourism. She became the owner of a guiding service in Utah and founded an expedition company dedicated to women’s travel around the world.
She also took on the executive director role of an organization focused on gender equity in outdoor adventures, expanding her institutional involvement.
Covid-19 Crisis and Company Growth After 2020
Days before the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, she took on the guiding service in Utah and faced the imminent risk of bankruptcy. The scenario represented her most challenging moment as a business owner.
Applying methods and tools learned in consulting, she reorganized the operation. Since 2020, the company has tripled in size, consolidating a new professional phase after the period of burnout.
She asserts that the skills developed in consulting, such as strategic analysis and decision-making under pressure, continue to be present in high-risk expeditions, where choices can have serious consequences.
Today, she recognizes that burnout was not solely caused by the company, but also by personal traits such as the constant pursuit of excellence and impact, now managed in a more conscious way.
With information from Business Insider.
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