From Burnout to Breakthrough: How UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Helped One Student Redefine Success

Madeline Peterson (Class of 2025) had built a career most would envy. She drove market expansions at a real estate tech firm, won million-dollar contracts at a cloud computing company and thrived in high-pressure enterprise sales. She was always moving — closing the next deal, chasing the next opportunity, stacking achievement upon achievement.

And then, suddenly, she wasn’t.

She left her job. She walked away from the title, the salary, the prestige. In the midst of her Executive MBA program, she had to sit in the uncertainty of having no job, no next step lined up and no clear answer to what comes next.

What she found there was something she hadn’t expected: clarity.

The Courage to Step Back

“I was burning the candle at every end. My health was suffering. I felt disconnected from my family. And even though I had this incredible opportunity at Darden, I wasn’t really present for it,” says Peterson, who will graduate from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in May.

At first, leaving her role as an account executive at a Fortune 500 company felt like a free fall. But once she gave herself permission to step back, she started seeing things more clearly — what she wanted, what she didn’t and what success actually looked like beyond a LinkedIn title.

“The hardest part was my ego. Who am I without this? I was afraid of being judged by my classmates, afraid of saying, ‘I don’t have a job right now.’ But once I got over that, I realized — this was the best decision I could have made.”

A Different Kind of ROI

When Peterson first considered an MBA, she didn’t think she fit the mold.

“I thought MBAs were for people pivoting into consulting or investment banking. That wasn’t me.”

But the more she talked to people — Darden alumni, women in business, mentors — the more she realized that an MBA wasn’t just about switching industries. It was about options — learning how to expand, stretch and redefine what’s possible.

The ROI for her wasn’t about an immediate salary bump. It was about breaking open possibilities she hadn’t even considered before. During her first class at Darden, she realized that she fit in, after all.

“We’re on day one, the first case. Hands shoot up. My professor — Yael Grushka-Cockayne — cold-calls my classmate, and I just thought, ‘Oh, we’re cold calling already?’”

At first, she braced herself. Then, something shifted.

“I had imposter syndrome coming in. I thought, ‘I just want to survive.’ But the classroom wasn’t what I expected — it was collaborative, it was safe, it made me want to take risks. And that’s when I realized: I belong here.”

A Network That Opens Doors — Even When You’re Not Looking

When Peterson started at Darden, she assumed networking was transactional. You reached out when you needed something. You leveraged connections for job leads. Simple.

But that’s not how it happened for her.

“I reached out to an alumnus after seeing him speak on a panel. I wasn’t even a Darden student yet, and he immediately got on the phone with me. He said, ‘I always take these calls because so many Darden alumni did it for me.’ That stuck with me.”

The Darden network isn’t just about job opportunities — it’s about access to people who genuinely want to help.

It also reshaped her perspective on giving back.

“When you give to Darden, you’re not just helping the next class of students — you’re strengthening your own degree. The more engaged the alumni, the stronger the School, the more doors it opens for everyone.”

Peterson received a Darden School Foundation scholarship, funded by alumni gifts to the Darden Annual Fund, though she hadn’t even applied for financial aid — she assumed she wouldn’t qualify. When she got it, it shifted her perspective on generosity.

“I didn’t think I was scholarship material. But someone else thought I was. And that made me want to pay it forward.”

That sense of gratitude and responsibility led her to take an active role in her class gift campaign, rallying her classmates to contribute and reinforcing the culture of giving at Darden.

“I want my classmates to see what I see — that giving back isn’t just about writing a check. It’s about strengthening the Darden community for the next generation, just like someone did for us.”

Anything Is Possible — That’s the Point

If you ask Peterson what comes next, she won’t give you a five-year plan. Not because she doesn’t have ambition — but because she’s finally allowing herself the space and time to think bigger than one career track.

She knows she loves global business. She knows she thrives in strategic growth. And she knows — now more than ever — that she can take her skill set and apply it in ways she hadn’t even imagined before Darden.

“In your 20s, it’s easy to say, ‘I can do anything.’ In your 30s, it’s harder to believe that. But Darden has made me believe it again.”

Career paths are rarely linear. And for the first time, Peterson is not only okay with that — she’s excited about it.

Peterson (left) stands on the rooftop of the UVA Darden Sands Family Grounds in Arlington, Virginia, with Washington, D.C., visible in the background.

Support Scholarships for All

Day for Darden is Wednesday, 9 April 2025. Every gift to the Darden Annual Fund, no matter the size, directly supports scholarships that empower students from all walks of life, including Executive MBA students. Your contribution helps fund opportunities for future leaders to thrive at Darden. To make a difference, make your gift early.