Overwhelm isn’t just about your workload.
It’s about the pattern running underneath it.
You’re a successful woman in medicine.
But it never quite feels like enough.
You stay on top of things.
Yet somehow, you still feel behind.
And the pressure never fully turns off.
When pressure rises, your brain leans on what’s worked before—and it becomes a pattern.
As a perfectionist, you make sure everything is just right…
✓ You double and triple-check everything
As a people-pleaser, you keep everyone else comfortable…
✓ You read the room and adjust, even when it costs you
As a controller, you keep things under tight control…
✓ You plan ahead so nothing falls through the cracks
As an overthinker, you can’t stop thinking…
✓ You turn decisions over and over in your mind
As a fixer, you step in and fix it…
✓ You jump in when things feel uncertain
Your pattern might sound like this…
Most women recognize themselves in more than one.
But there’s usually one pattern you rely on most.
Your default pattern is your Overwhelm Archetype, how you respond under pressure, and what’s draining your energy.
These responses aren’t random.
They’re protective patterns your brain learned under pressure.
Patterns that helped you succeed.
Patterns that still feel like the right move.
But when they become your default, they can quietly keep you cycling in overwhelm.
This quiz helps you see your pattern clearly, with compassion, not judgment.
In less than 2 minutes, you’ll identify your Overwhelm Archetype and start to understand how to shift it.
After taking this quiz, you’ll receive:
Your archetype’s superpowers
Every archetype has its superpowers. This is why this pattern has worked for you and is your go to response under stress. Learn more to see the pattern in your life.
The costs of your archetype
There is a cost to your archetype. As you progress in your career and life evolves, costs may rise because what is needed at this stage is different from what you needed earlier.
How to break the pattern
Learn what is needed to bring greater alignment and break the cycle of overwhelm.
I’m a hematologist, Professor at Emory University, and a certified coach for women in medicine.
For over 20 years, I did what many of us do: collected degrees, climbed the academic ladder, took on leadership roles, and tried to prove my worth through achievement. From the outside, it looked like success. On the inside, it felt like walking a tightrope; one mistake away from it all crashing down.
When my work spread into every corner of my life, I realized the cost of living in constant self-doubt and overwhelm. Recognizing my own burnout, I received coaching and began studying nervous system science, mindset, and self-leadership. Through these programs, I learned the patterns I had cultivated to respond to stress that had served me early in my training but were now undermining my well-being, draining my energy, and perpetuating my overwhelm.
Now, through Christine Kempton Coaching and my RECLAIM framework, I help women in medicine interrupt the burnout cycle, rebuild self-trust, and lead from the inside out.
This quiz is intended to support you in discovering what patterns of behavior might be unwittingly draining your energy and fueling your overwhelm.
About the creator, Christine Kempton, MD, MSc