Redefining Success: How Burnout at Apple Led Me to Inclusive, AI-Driven Leadership
In this candid conversation on the Tech Leaders Playbook podcast, Jossie Haines reveals why she walked away from Apple at the height of external success and what it taught her about burnout, belonging, inclusive leadership, and using AI to free up time for meaningful, strategic work.
I recently sat down with Avetis Antaplyan, CEO of HireClout, on the Tech Leaders Playbook podcast to talk about something I don’t often share publicly:
leaving Apple at a moment when, from the outside, everything looked perfect.
An Emmy-winning team. Dozens of Siri features shipped.
But inside? I was exhausted and disconnected. I didn’t feel seen, and I definitely didn’t feel included.
Walking away was terrifying, but it became the catalyst for everything I teach today about leading and building inclusive, high-performing teams that thrive.
In the interview, we dug into:
✨ How the CEO at Tile made inclusion a business priority, and how we turned that promise into systems that actually worked.
✨ Why psychological safety isn’t about agreeing, it’s about being able to disagree without fear.
✨ The surprising gap I keep seeing: engineering leaders building AI products… who aren’t using AI themselves.
✨ How to start small using AI to clear the noise and free up time for the strategic work only you can do.
If you’ve ever hit a “success” milestone that didn’t feel successful, I think you’ll resonate with this one.
You can read the blog post or watch the full interview on YouTube.
It’s one of the most honest conversations I’ve had about burnout, belonging, and redefining what leadership looks like in the age of AI.
I’m hosting a free 60-minute group coaching call on how to actually use AI for leadership—not just talk about it.
If you’ve been curious about where AI fits into your day-to-day as a leader, grab your free spot here.
