Former Airline Captain Challenges “Burnout” Narrative with New Book At Capacity

 

Her newly released book, At Capacity: Reclaim Your Margins (and Your Life) in a World That Glorifies Overload (March 31, 2026), introduces a concept rarely applied to human life but essential in aviation: margin—the space required for safe, clear, and sustainable strength for women.

 

“In aviation, we never operate at the edge of capacity – we build in margin,” said O’Shaughnessy. “Somewhere along the way, women stopped doing that in their own lives.”

 

Since its release, At Capacity has gained early traction, with over 500 digital downloads and more than 200 print copies distributed in its first weeks, reaching women across the U.S. and internationally. Readers are recognizing themselves in a pattern that has gone largely unnamed: operating “at capacity” without margin.

 

Rather than offering another set of solutions, At Capacity reframes the problem. It reveals how biological strain, psychological overload, and social demands quietly compound—leaving even the most brilliant, capable women at capacity, yet still performing long after her body is sending her signals to stop.

 

O’Shaughnessy does not position women as the problem. Instead, she introduces a new language—one that allows women to recognize what’s happening in real time and understand what it is costing them in their health and wellbeing.

 

“We built an entire industry around safety margins—and forgot to give any to the humans,” she said.

 

With more than 35 years flying commercial aircraft, O’Shaughnessy now leads a growing movement focused on helping women reclaim their capacity professionally and personally. She is also the founder of the Aviation Health and Wellbeing Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing this same concept across the aviation industry. Through her work with Piloting 2 Wellbeing, she brings a systems-based lens to human performance—challenging the normalization of overload and redefining what sustainable success looks like.

 

At Capacity is available now in Kindle and print formats. Learn more at Piloting2Wellbeing or purchase directly on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN3KBYP

 

Capt. (ret.) Reyné O’Shaughnessy is a retired commercial airline captain, TEDx speaker, and founder of Piloting 2 Wellbeing. She brings a systems-based perspective to human performance, translating aviation principles like margin, capacity, and safety into practical insight for women navigating demanding personal and professional lives.