• Kelly Benthall saw work culture improve over her 30-year career, but the damage had already been done.
• Last year, she decided to retire early in order to improve her mental, physical, and emotional health.
• At her first post-retirement checkup, her doctor noted improvement.

My plan had always been to retire at 65 — grind it out, climb the ladder, and finally enjoy the freedom. But plans change, especially when your body starts flashing warnings you can't ignore.

Last year, at 53, I retired early with my husband — not because we had meticulously planned every detail, but because the cost of staying in the rat race — mentally, physically, and emotionally — had become too high. Work had always been a source of pride, but it was also a source of stress and, at times, serious health consequences.

For more than 30 years, I helped companies ranging from startups to giants such as Shell and Chevron navigate strategic change. I had spent those decades taking on more responsibility than was reasonable, absorbing the pressure, and expecting little in return. Over time, I internalized stress as a normal part of success — until my body forced me to stop.

The corporate fast lane and its toll

The workplace has changed a lot since the '90s and early 2000s, particularly in male-dominated industries like oil and gas. Back then, I was a minority as a woman, and those who made it to the top endured relentless pressure. Some became champions for equality. Others expected fellow women to tough it out, believing suffering was a rite of passage.

Some female leaders respected my work, but others saw it as a threat.

During an orientation at one of my first jobs, I mentioned my experience in speechwriting to a CEO. He asked me to write his sales conference talks, but my female boss told him I wasn't interested and offered to do it herself. I later reached back out to the CEO to clarify, and we ended up partnering for years.

And then there were #MeToo moments I can't believe I tolerated. One boss thought it was appropriate to share his appreciation for Playboy centerfolds during meetings.

The culture shifted over time as companies implemented stronger policies and accountability measures. By the time I reached my final years in corporate life, the culture had improved. But the damage had already been done.

Years of working in high-alert mode left me conditioned to expect the worst, even in safer environments.

The moment my body fought back

Despite disappointments, I kept my foot on the gas. I worked harder than ever, sometimes logging 90-hour weeks, believing that if I just worked smart enough and fast enough, I could outpace the stress.

I was wrong.

One day, I collapsed at work. My blood pressure spiked to 220/180, and I ended up in an ambulance. The EMTs gave me nitroglycerin, but nothing happened. I heard one of them say, "Uh-oh," before telling the driver to move faster.

That should have been my wake-up call. Instead, I doubled down — cycling through medications in a desperate attempt to keep going.

It wasn't sustainable.

A change coach who couldn't change

I had spent my career coaching others to accept change.

The advice I'd given countless others seemed easy when it was someone else's problem. "Do as I say, not as I do," I thought. Yet, as I struggled with burnout and my health deteriorated, I realized I wasn't taking my own lessons to heart. I had built a career around helping people, but I had been afraid to make the same leap myself.

It wasn't until I spoke with a coach — a free consultation, something I almost canceled because I "didn't have time" — that I saw my life from a different perspective.

She asked me one simple question: "When was the last time you did something that scared you?"

The question caught me off guard. I had spent so many years operating in a world of controlled risks, where I calculated every move and mitigated every possible failure. But fear? The kind that comes from stepping into the unknown, from daring to disrupt the status quo? It had been a long time since I'd felt that.

That moment unlocked something in me. I remembered who I was — someone who took chances. I had once thrived on new challenges, stepping into high-stakes projects where failure wasn't an option and leading teams through uncertainty. Yet, I had spent years trapped in a cycle of stress and obligation, mistaking endurance for achievement.

"Sometimes you have to break down to break through," the voice in my head whispered. That was the moment I decided to retire.

Retirement cured me

When I finally stepped away from my career, I didn't fully grasp the toll it had taken on my body. But retirement didn't just heal me — it gave me a new way of living. My husband and I embraced slow travel, trading deadlines and commutes for long walks in new cities, quiet mornings with coffee, and the freedom to explore at our own pace.

It wasn't until my first post-retirement checkup that I saw the difference. My blood pressure had dropped, and my stress markers were lower.

My doctor looked at my stats, then back at me, and said: "Your job was trying to kill you."

Escaping the hustle trap

Retirement didn't just save my health. It felt like finally pulling off the highway, realizing I'd been speeding toward a crash. It rewired my brain. What I had once called "drive" was really just a never-ending sprint toward exhaustion.

While work environments have improved in some ways, the effects of years spent enduring stress don't just disappear overnight. People like me, who became accustomed to overwork and constant pressure, struggle to recognize what a healthy pace actually looks like.

If you feel trapped in a high-stress career, ask yourself: When was the last time you did something that scared you? What are you really working for? At what point will you have enough? How long can your body sustain this stress? And most importantly, what's stopping you from making a change?

I wish I had asked myself these questions sooner. But the good news is that not everyone has to wait until their body forces them to stop.

Do you have a story to share about retirement? Contact the editor at [email protected].

• American Airlines Flight 1006 was seen engulfed in smoke at Denver International Airport.
• The FAA said the plane's engine caught fire after landing and while taxiing to the gate.
• All 172 customers and six crew members were evacuated, the airline said.

An American Airlines plane caught fire at Denver International Airport on Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement on Thursday night that American Airlines Flight 1006 landed safely in Denver after the crew "reported engine vibrations."

"After landing and while taxiing to the gate an engine caught fire and passengers evacuated the aircraft using the slides," the FAA statement read.

The Boeing 737-800 plane was en route from Colorado Springs Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

The airline said in a statement to Fox affiliate KDVR that Flight 1006 "experienced an engine-related issue" after landing and taxiing to the gate.

"The 172 customers and six crew members deplaned and are being relocated to the terminal," the statement said.

A representative for Denver International Airport told KDVR that Flight 1006 was emitting "visible smoke."

No injuries were reported, the airport told KDVR.

American Airlines, Denver International Airport, and the Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

President Trump opened the door Thursday for Senate Republicans to find cost savings in Medicaid as they hunt for ways to pay for his border, defense and tax priorities, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Trump has been emphatic that Medicaid benefits won't be "touched," but he endorsed looking for "waste, fraud and abuse" and even imposing new work requirements.

• On Thursday, Trump and some top White House officials met with Republican senators on the Finance Committee, which includes Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

Zoom in: Trump indicated to senators he is open to cutting "waste, fraud and abuse" from any mandatory spending — including Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, multiple senators in the meeting told Axios.

• Social Security can't be dealt with in reconciliation.
• Trump expressed openness to work requirements for Medicaid and discussing ways to reduce the rate of growth of some health care programs which could be counted as potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in savings.
• He was also clear he wants Congress to deal with raising the debt ceiling in the reconciliation package and supports making his 2017 tax cuts permanent by using a "current policy" maneuver to make the cost $0.

"It became clear that [Trump] wanted to be bold," one senator told Axios, requesting anonymity to speak candidly.

What they're saying: "The President wants to make sure that we do eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and, you know, there are a number of scams going on right now with Medicaid," Barrasso told Axios.

• "There is money laundering being done with regard to Medicaid, and the American taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for that," Barrasso said.

What to watch: The group also discussed an idea of codifying DOGE cuts with a big rescission package, which could be passed with a simple majority in the Senate — rather than needing Democrats to break the filibuster.

• Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) pitched Elon Musk on the idea last week.

Zoom out: Hill leaders are still working to get on the same page to get moving on their biggest legislative priority of the year.

Johns Hopkins University said Thursday it's axing more than 2,200 jobs in the U.S. and overseas due to the Trump administration ending over $800 million in USAID funding.

The big picture: The Baltimore-based university appears to be among the hardest-hit research institutions affected by the Trump administration's cuts across the federal government.

• Johns Hopkins said the cuts have forced it to "wind down critical work" in Baltimore and internationally.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this week the Trump administration was canceling 83% of USAID programs.

Driving the news: "We can confirm that the elimination of foreign aid funding has led to the loss of 1,975 positions in 44 countries internationally and 247 in the United States in the affected programs," the university said in an emailed statement Thursday evening.

• "An additional 29 international and 78 domestic employees will be furloughed with a reduced schedule."
• The university said it's proud of the work at places impacted by the cuts.
• Cuts affected Jhpiego, a recognized expert in maternal health; the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the oldest and largest such school in the U.S.; and the School of Medicine.
• It works "to care for mothers and infants, fight disease, provide clean drinking water, and advance countless other critical, life-saving efforts around the world," the university added in the statement.

What's next: U.S. based workers are being given at least 60 days of advance notice before the reductions or furloughs take effect, per Johns Hopkins.

• The university said it is providing "support with additional benefits, assistance, and resources to help employees navigate this transition and explore new opportunities."
• "For international employees, we will be complying with local employment laws."

A federal judge on Thursday ordered six government agencies to offer fired probationary federal workers their jobs back.

Why it matters: At least 30,000 probationary workers have been fired in DOGE's sweeping remaking of the government. A few federal agencies have called their people back, but most are still not working.

Zoom out: The order is effective immediately, ruled Judge William Alsup, a Clinton appointee who presides in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

• Alsup said the Office of Personnel Management's order and the firing process was basically a "sham," noting that some probationary workers had been told that they were fired based on their performance.
• "It is sad, a sad day," said Alsup. "Our government would fire some good employee, and say it was based on performance. When they know good and well, that's a lie."

Zoom in: The agencies ordered to re-hire workers include the Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Department of Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.

• Notably the Treasury Department includes the IRS. The tax agency has been hit hard by job cuts in recent weeks.

The big picture: The order comes just as agencies are set to undertake even more firings, or "reduction in force" in federal jargon.

• These reduction memos from each agency are due Thursday and are expected to detail as many as 250,000 job cuts.
• Alsup's decision comes on top of a ruling last week from the Merit Systems Protections Board, a federal agency that reviews worker complaints, ordering the reinstatement of 6,000 workers at the USDA.

Where it stands: In his ruling, Alsup made clear that it is within an agency's right to conduct a reduction in force, as long as it complies with the law.

• "This case is really an attempt to do a reduction in force, but to force it through the OPM," Alsup said.

OPM argued that it did not order these firings — but the judge read from agency letters that made clear that the firings had been ordered by OPM.

• He also pointed to the firing of an employee of the U.S. Forest Service, who had just months earlier received a positive performance review but was told in her termination letter that she was being fired due to poor performance.
• The firing process, he said, "was a sham in order to try to avoid statutory requirements."

What they're saying: The White House "will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday.

• "A single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch," she said. "If a federal district court judge would like executive powers, they can try and run for President themselves. "

Catch up quick: The lawsuit was filed by unions representing federal workers, as well as several advocacy groups, including the Coalition to Protect American's National Parks.

• The plaintiffs argued that the Office of Personnel Management didn't have that authority to order these firings, and in an initial ruling last month Alsup agreed.

Earlier this week, lawyers for the White House retracted testimony from the acting chair of the Office of Personnel Management, Charles Ezell, rather than comply with Alsup's request that he testify or be deposed.

• Alsup was not pleased about that — nor with the government's attempt to use press releases to argue that the firings were something agencies did on their own.
• "I want you to know that I've been practicing or serving in this court for over 50 years, and I know how that we get at the truth," Alsup said. "And you're not helping me get at the truth. You're giving me press releases. Sham documents."

Of note: As the hearing came to a close, Alsup apologized for getting worked up.

• "I want to make it clear that I don't think counsel for the government has done anything dishonorable. I've given him a hard time," he said. "He's doing the best he can with the case he's got. Thank you for your service in the Justice Department."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to remove an erroneously attributed statement.