Bengaluru-based ex-KPMG and Deloitte employee shares how hustle culture left her body ‘giving up’: ‘What’s the point of success if I can’t…’

A chartered accountant from Bengaluru has sparked a debate about the dangers of the hustle culture after sharing his experience of physical and mental collapse after six months of grueling 14-hour workdays. Meenal Goel, who previously worked with global consultancy firms KPMG and Deloitte, described how her body “gave up” despite her determination to succeed.

The Price of Uninterrupted Working

In a candid LinkedIn post, Goel described the morning when his fatigue reached breaking point. “6 a.m. on Tuesday. The alarm went off. I couldn’t get out of bed. Not because I was lazy, but because my body literally refused to move,” she wrote.


For six months, Goel followed a grueling schedule: waking up at 6 a.m., working until 11 p.m., treating weekends as regular workdays and keeping his laptop open even on holidays. “I convinced myself: ‘This is what it takes to start a business,'” he said.

When the Body Says No

The crisis moment came when the client suddenly felt a sharp wave of anxiety during the conversation. “Heart palpitations. I couldn’t breathe. I had to turn it off,” he recalled. This incident forced him to stop and think: “I’m starting a business, but I’m destroying myself. What’s the point of success if I can’t enjoy it?”

Setting Boundaries for Healing

After this wake-up call, Goel introduced strict personal boundaries to prioritize her health. “No work after 8pm. No ‘quick email’.” We are completely off on Sundays. The phone is on silent. “It’s a hobby completely unrelated to work,” he explained.
The results were seen immediately. “It’s been almost a week. My productivity? It’s actually increased. My mental health? I’m finally getting better,” he wrote, emphasizing that the hustle culture glorifies burnout, but that “burnout doesn’t build empires, it destroys them.”
He concluded his speech with a strong reminder: “You cannot pour from an empty cup. Resting is not laziness, it is strategic.”

Social Media Reactions

Goel’s post caught the attention of many professionals and sparked a widespread discussion about workplace expectations and personal health.

One user wrote: “Please rest! Burnout will lead to serious health problems. Energy management is more important than wealth or business growth.”

“We glorify overwork so much that we forget that health is everything,” commented another.

Many professionals echoed his sentiment, reminding others: “Hustle and bustle doesn’t mean you can’t relax. Even machines need downtime. We’re still humans.”

One comment read: “Burnout doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’ve gone too long without recovery. Rest is part of the job, not a reward.”

Another user added: “A sobering reminder, endurance, not fatigue, is the true architecture of lasting success.”