Marta Norton describes herself as a “maniac about soccer,” but by her senior year of high school, the game she once loved had left her drained.
“I was really, really burnt out,” she admitted. She walked away from soccer, a decision she would later regret.
Fast forward to today, and Norton is the Chief Investment Strategist at Empower, the second-largest retirement plan provider in the U.S., serving more than 19 million individuals across 83,000 organizations. Even now, all these years later, she still thinks about that choice—not playing soccer in college. Why? Because it taught her a valuable lesson about seizing opportunities.
When the Chief Investment Strategist position opened at her previous organization, she declined it. “I passed on it the first time,” she recalled. But when the opportunity came around again, she couldn’t ignore the memory of soccer and the regret she still carried from walking away.
“I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice,” she said.
At the time, she had three kids at home and was already balancing a demanding workload. Taking on more responsibility felt daunting. But this time, she chose exhaustion over regret.
“I would rather have more exhaustion and less regret than more regret and less exhaustion,” she explained.
For Norton, this was about more than just ambition—it was about strategic grit. Norton believes that overcoming burnout isn’t just about pushing through; it’s about stepping back and making thoughtful choices.
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