The Program Director Who Wants to Do More
Ana is a bilingual program director working with Spanish-speaking communities across multiple countries. She spends her days coordinating events, training support teams, and developing outreach materials. She’s deeply committed to the mission, but she often feels pulled in competing directions — wanting to take on new initiatives while also needing to scale back to avoid overwhelming herself.
This month, she received an invitation to partner with a new team in Brazil. The opportunity is exciting and closely aligned with her long-term vision, but she has a pattern of overextending herself, and her calendar is already packed to capacity. She once joked that she had bit off more than she could chew during a previous project, and now she’s noticing signs that she may be falling into the same pattern again.
During a meeting yesterday, her assistant asked whether they should expand the next workshop or keep it streamlined. Ana hesitated — not because she lacked ideas, but because she suddenly became aware of her own exhaustion. It’s a quiet kind of fatigue that doesn’t prevent her from working but makes every task feel mentally heavier. She wants to continue growing her programs, but she’s questioning whether she can do so in a sustainable way.
List all unfamiliar words and phrases.
Review them before paraphrasing the story.
Discuss the following phrases and idioms:
developing outreach materials
pulled in competing directions
take on new initiatives
scale back
overwhelming herself
partner with a new team
aligned with her long-term vision
overextending herself
packed to capacity
bit off more than she could chew
falling into the same pattern
expand the next workshop
keep it streamlined
lacked ideas
quiet kind of fatigue
mentally heavier
in a sustainable way
Explain the story in the present tense.
Change the entire story into this tense or paraphrase your response.
Explain the story in the past tense.
Change the entire story into this tense or paraphrase your response.
Explain the story in the future tense.
Change the entire story into this tense or paraphrase your response.
Your Thoughts:
What factors should someone weigh carefully before committing to a new opportunity?
How can ambition motivate growth while also creating pressure?
What signs suggest that slowing down may actually support long-term success?
