'Burnout Isn't a Badge': Chantell Preston’s Real Talk on Motherhood, Mental Health

As May marks both Mental Health Awareness Month and Mother's Day, advocates are calling for an end to the myth that burnout is a badge of honor.

In a raw and relatable Instagram post earlier this month, actress Olivia Munn shared a photo of her 3-year-old son walking through New York City streets in only his socks. "We walked over a mile home... through every street in NY. Cheers to anyone else who went through this today or any other day. You have my utmost respect," she wrote.

Munn’s honesty resonated deeply with parents everywhere, not just because of the missing shoes, but because of what it symbolized: exhaustion, resilience, and the realities of modern parenting without the gloss of perfection.

"We’re all struggling, and if anybody tells you they’re not, they’re lying," said entrepreneur Chantell Preston, founder and CEO of Preston Partners. "We’ve got 15,000 things that we’re doing."

Preston points to a growing mental health crisis among working mothers, who already carry a staggering burden. A 2024 study in the Journal of Marriage & Family found that mothers shoulder 71% of a household’s mental load — managing everything from schedules to finances — while nearly three-quarters also work outside the home, according to U.S. Department of Labor data.

The societal expectation to strive for perfection is a damaging illusion, Preston says.

"I think that’s one of the greatest misnomers that we’re taught as kids,” she said. “Everything has to be perfect, and we don’t," she says. "So we try to thrive to this perfection that just doesn’t exist, and all it does is burn us out."

Recent reports back this up. A 2024 Mental Health America survey found that 75% of employees say work stress affects their sleep, while 35% say it directly impairs their ability to perform. For women business owners, the stakes are even higher amid economic uncertainty and rising operating costs, with 65% saying tariffs have driven up expenses, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.

“Women-owned businesses are already operating with less funding and fewer safety nets,” Preston says. “We’re making impossible calls — how to meet payroll, whether to raise prices, and how to hold onto our own mental well-being in the process.”

Preston urges a different approach: intentionality, boundaries, and a redefinition of success.

"We continue to add things to our list knowing that we won’t get there, and then we feel guilty at the end of the day," Preston says. "It’s all about integration — really having that intentional time with the kids and the family."

After losing her mother unexpectedly in 2023, she reassessed her own goals.

"You never figure it all out," she said. "But you should be doing the things that you’re passionate about — the things that give you energy and purpose."

Her definition of success now? "Success to me today is I want to wake up and be happy — and I want to win the softball game I’m coaching tonight,” she said. 

Both Preston and Munn’s reflections highlight a powerful truth: thriving isn’t about having it all together — it’s about being real, asking for help, and rejecting unattainable standards.

"Your crisis is not going to become my crisis," Preston says. "Everyone has to contribute to the family. I can’t do everything—and I need help too."