Dress for Success CEO Michele C. Meyer-Shipp on burnout, career advice

This story is part of the “Behind the Desk” series, where CNBC Make It gets personal with successful business leaders to find out everything from how they got to where they are to what gets them out of bed in the morning to their daily lives them

In August 2020, Michele C. Meyer-Shipp began her dream job — becoming the first woman of color to be named Chief People and Culture Officer of Major League Baseball.

Only a year later, in September 2021, she announced her retirement. The reality was that the stress of being a diversity, equity and inclusion leader during the Covid-19 pandemic brought her to breaking point.

Burnout had little to do with MLB, Meyer-Shipp says: Her peers in other organizations felt the same relentless exhaustion. First came figuring out how to get work done during a global health crisis. Then, national racial unrest following the police killings of George Floyd, Breona Taylor and others.

“I was going through this myself as a black woman, worried about my own children, worried about my own safety, worried about all of that,” Meyer-Shipp, 55, told CNBC Make It. “I was completely ripped off.”

A few months after leaving MLB, she got a call about Dress for Success. The 25-year-old nonprofit, which helps women through the job search and interview process, was looking for a new executive director.

The role came with a significant pay cut, and Meyer-Shipp was still focused on recovering from overwork. But she was drawn to his mission: women lost more jobs than men during Covid, stayed out of the workforce for longer and are being rehired at lower rates.

She took the job in January. Tackling these big issues with a nonprofit’s limited resources can drain her again, but she says she doesn’t know any other way: “Every personality assessment I’ve ever done brings out my best quality as a caregiver.”

Here, she discusses burnout, the country’s gender pay gap, and why you should make risky career decisions like her.

About a year into the pandemic, I remember coming home one evening. One of my sons told me repeatedly, “Mom, you look really exhausted. You just look so tired. You have dark circles under your eyes.”

I kept thinking, “God, do I look that bad?”

I’ve been on a hamster wheel for 20-odd years. During Covid I was in 150% crisis management mode, unable to do the normal things I would do as a people leader and a diversity leader. They went out every day.

I started having health problems. I didn’t feel like sleeping. One of my colleagues said to me: “Michele, you will be of no use to us if you are not good to yourself.”

Then I knew it was time. I was physically and mentally exhausted, totally exhausted. So I retreated, with no plan other than to take a break.

It wasn’t until after I stopped working that I realized how tired I really was.

In law school, I was the only woman, sometimes the only person of color, and definitely the only black person in the classroom. My difference was actually my superpower.

I was able, through my experiences, to see things that the majority of people in this room did not appreciate. And when I talked about whatever it was, you’d see people say, “Oh, wow, I never thought about that.”

The people around the table, in the classroom, in the conference room may come from different backgrounds and experiences. Each will see something the other cannot.

It doesn’t make me nervous. It doesn’t make me feel like I don’t belong or that I have to assimilate. Look for the word “assimilate.” Trust me, nobody wants to assimilate.

I want to show off and be able to use my difference as my superpower to contribute in a meaningful way.

Take risks. Get comfortable being uncomfortable in your career. Volunteer for long tasks, join a committee or lead a project. If you get too complacent, you don’t grow.

My biggest career risk was leaving employment law. I am the first person in my family to go to school and I am the first lawyer in my family. My parents were so incredibly proud of me.

I practiced law for 10 years and everyone assumed I would be a partner in a law firm or head a legal department somewhere. My husband was working as a lawyer at the time. This was our space.

Over time, I realized that I disliked the litigious aspects of practicing employment law. I preferred counseling, training and advice at work. This led me to pursue other ways to use my skill set and landed me a role as an Equal Employment Opportunity Officer with the New Jersey Department of Labor.

Stepping into a new role, doing something I’ve never done before, was really, really scary. I was afraid that I might disappoint my family. I was entering a whole new scene with a different set of colleagues to build relationships with.

But I’ll tell you, I’ve never looked back. Your best laid plans for your career may not be your end game.

The wage gap has always been a problem. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know if this will be fixed in my lifetime. I really don’t. If I hung my hat on it, I’d probably be depressed every day.

I just tell everyone to do their best to negotiate and make sure they know the value of their work when they go to interviews. I hope that the people in my previous role as Chief Human Resources Officer are doing everything in their power to ensure fair pay.

The number of women who have returned to the workforce is actually returning to pre-pandemic numbers. Now the question is: Will they stay in the workforce? Will the working conditions be conducive to meeting us where we are and will they be flexible to our needs with family and all?

I am cautiously optimistic.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Want to earn more and work less? I am registering for free CNBC Make It: Your Money virtual event on December 13th at 12pm ET to learn from money masters like Kevin O’Leary how you can increase your earning power.

Get involved now: Be smarter about your money and your career with our weekly newsletter