How do I know when I'm pushing a client too far?

You cannot see inside another person. You cannot feel their strain. So you guess. Sometimes the guess is wrong, and you push too hard. This is not a flaw in your character. It is a missing system. Here is what is in your power: you can ask before you push. You can watch for signs instead of assuming there are none. You can agree, with your team, on a word that means stop now. You cannot control how much any one client can bear. You can control whether you built a way to find out. Do not carry this alone in silence. Say it out loud to your pod. If you doubt a client's physical limit, bring in someone qualified — a doctor or physical therapist — before you decide by yourself. A team that checks together sees more than one person watching alone.