UMW Women’s Leadership Colloquium Coffee Talk

Topic: Affirmation & Handling Emotional Fatigue

If you’re feeling tired right now, not just physically, but in a deeper way, you’re not alone and there’s nothing wrong with you. Many of us are carrying more than we realize, and that weight shows up as emotional fatigue. This session is about creating space to talk about something we don’t always name out loud. Emotional fatigue isn’t about being weak or incapable. It’s what happens when we’ve been running on high alert, managing complex situations, caring for others, or simply holding it together for longer than our emotional reserves can sustain AND it is very different from what our mothers might have experienced. It’s the exhaustion that sleep alone doesn’t fix BUT turning off and tuning away might.

We’ll explore what emotional fatigue looks and feels like, why it’s common now, and most importantly, what we can do about it. We’ll discuss that we are in charge of our limits and how to use our own consciousness to master our minds.

Speaker: Dr. Janet Gullickson,
Former President of Germanna Community College, Consultant

Affirming Workplace Relationships
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 | 8:00 AM | 718 Venue
Speaker: Alicia Turner, President & CEO of North Compass Solutions LLC

Affirming Your Emotional Intelligence
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 | 8:00 AM | 718 Venue
Speaker: Beth Williams, Executive Director for Human Resources at University of Mary Washington