Why “Self-Care” Won’t Fix Burnout: A Wake-Up Call for Coaches

If self-care were the solution to Burnout, we wouldn’t be facing a global Burnout crisis!

The truth is, bubble baths, yoga, and meditation can’t fix what’s broken.

While these practices might provide temporary relief, (and I personally love them all) they don’t address the core issues that lead to Burnout.

For coaches supporting clients on the brink of burnout—or those already in its grip—it’s time to challenge the myth of self-care as a cure-all and go deeper.

Burnout isn’t just about stress.

It’s a complex interplay of stress, unmet needs, toxicity, a loss of sense of self, and poor boundaries (or as I prefer to call them non-negotiables).

The two biggest factors being Toxicity and Loss of Self

This is the Burnout Equation, and until we address these issues, Burnout will persist, no matter how many wellness apps or mindfulness routines your...

The Signs of Burnout Coaches Often Miss

When we think of Burnout, the image that often comes to mind is someone visibly exhausted, disengaged, or on the verge of collapse.

But Burnout isn’t always as obvious as we expect.

As coaches, we might encounter clients who seem to be thriving on the surface—hyper-productive, polished, and consistently achieving. They’re the ones who always say “yes,” juggling an endless list of commitments with what appears to be ease. But beneath that shiny exterior lies a dangerous truth: many of these clients are on the brink of Burnout.

Burnout isn’t just about physical exhaustion or visible breakdowns.

It’s more insidious than that, often manifesting in ways that even experienced coaches can miss.

The clients in front of you may be silently struggling with symptoms that seem disconnected from the traditional narrative of Burnout.

Here are three subtle signs of burnout that every coach needs to recognise:...

Understanding Burnout: So Much More Than Tired!

Burnout. A term thrown around in conversations about stress and overwork, but all too often misunderstood—even by experienced coaches. Many assume that Burnout is simply a matter of being tired, overwhelmed, or needing a break. But Burnout is far more complex than that.

It’s a systemic issue deeply rooted in how we live, work, and interact with the world.

As coaches, our role is to understand burnout in all its complexity—not just for our clients, but for ourselves too. And that means going beyond surface-level solutions like reducing workload or recommending a holiday. Because, let’s face it: without addressing the root causes, those strategies are just sticking plasters on a much deeper wound.

What Burnout Really Is

Burnout isn’t just about exhaustion; it’s the result of prolonged stress, unmet needs, a loss of your sense of self, and a lack of boundaries (or as I prefer to say,...

December is here, you've been waiting for this since the summer.

Your summer holiday didn't cut it.  

The exhaustion.

The brain fog.

The constant and never ending to do list.

The mistakes you've started to make.

The balls you've started to drop.

It's all being noticed.

You've started conversations about getting a coach, because you're starting to feel like a failure, but oh the irony, you haven't had the time to confirm a coach, or the budget, and you definitely start a coaching relationship this side of Christmas.

You can't fit anything else in this side of Christmas.

You can't slow down.

You can't stop.

You can't switch off.

You're counting down the days.

It's all going to be better after Christmas.

The new year is going to be different.

You're going to make some changes.  Or you say you will.

But the reality really is that you're just hoping that the change will come from other people. Because the thought of change, of making change, of creating change, it's just...

12 years ago my body was giving me a lot of signs that something needed to change, and I ignored them all.

Two periods of Burnout, three chronic health conditions, five books, hundreds of talks, and several hundreds of clients later, and I'm still here banging on about Burnout.

And it's getting worse.

I'm often asked, and even did my TEDx about whether I should be even trying to prevent Burnout.  "What if it's the 'awakening' that people need to experience to make the changes that they need to make in their lives". And I get it.

Because I didn't pay attention.  I didn't pay attention the first time, and I didn't pay attention the second time.

I had to go through those two periods of Burnout before I really started to make the change.

And I now believe that I went through those two periods of Burnout so that nobody else needs to.

If I could turn back the clock, I would.  Living with the aftermath of Burnout is not fun.  I live with and manage my conditions as best...

It's the weekend, so let's talk about something totally unrelated to work, periods!! 

Just kidding. 

Periods are very much related to work, and health and wellbeing.  If you were flying the flag for Mental Health awareness on Thursday, you cannot ignore periods today. 

And you know I like a story by now, so let's start with this one.  

Once upon a time, way back to 1990, a 10 year old girl (me), started her periods.  

She was told by the teachers not to discuss it with any other students, (as we hadn't yet done the session where the girls go to one classroom to put tampons in a glass of water whilst the boys are in another classroom putting condoms on a banana), but, she also had to ask permission to use the teacher's toilets whenever she had a period as they were the only ones with a sanitary bin. 

Trying having to ask to use a teacher's toilet and NOT having everyone ask what's going on with you.

From this very first period, the little...

Burnout: The Science and the Woo

Last week I was called an anomaly when it came to Burnout because of the work I do and the understanding I’ve created about Burnout from Science and what they called Woo.

And whilst this has been in many ways accidental, my thirst for knowledge and joining the dots has played a part on the learning and skills I’ve acquired when it comes to understanding ourselves and Burnout.

In my teens, I remember my Mum being ill.  A hysterectomy, an operation on her sinuses, an under-active thyroid diagnosis.  And in my twenties, she was then diagnosed with Diabetes, she developed angina, and the issues have continued to grow and develop.

Every time a doctor or consultant has changed her medication for one condition, there has been an impact on anther condition, and sometimes with near fatal outcomes.

I never understood why she couldn’t just be admitted to hospital, and treated as a person, instead of all of her conditions being...

In January 2013 I started to experience a lot of physical pain.

Then came food intolerances and allergies, more pain and more discomfort.

For the next 7 months the pain would worsen to the point of me passing out, once on a train, and once from the top of the escalator at Liverpool St Station from the street to the station, and numerous times in between.

Hospital admittances were regular, more tests, no signs of anything physically wrong with me, and no time off.  I'd work from my hospital bed or from home if I couldn't do the two hour commute each way to London and back.

In July, I had two operations in 4 hours, and only when I went for my follow up appointment was I asked my stress levels.  I replied by saying I wasn't experiencing any stress.

I was a 32 year old HR Director, spending four hours travelling, at least 12 hours a day working, mum to 12 year old twin sons, wife, daughter, leading a team of 43, in an organisation of almost 4000, working on at least 15...

It's August, I'm enjoying a month off and having some down time and creating some headspace.

September always feels like the start of a year for me. 

It's that back to school feeling. 

My birthday.

And with the last three months of this year including the official launch of the Burnout Club, the rebrand of the Burnout Club, the launch of F*ck Burnout, a couple of trips and some big speaking gigs, some new qualifications and training and a new policy liaison group role, it's going to be a busy end to the year.

So why is now the time to reduce my prices?

January marks my 11th anniversary of being self-employed and so much has changed during that time, but perhaps the biggest, is that I no longer want to create an empire, and I'm slowing down a lot of my corporate work to focus more on coaching and the growth of the Burnout Academy and Burnout Club.

The Burnout Academy training and accreditation is creating waves rather than ripples of change, and I'm seeing this and the...

When I share my story and experience of Burnout, I'm often asked whether I would choose Burnout based on what I know now and where I am now in my life.

And the answer is always no.

I've made some really stupid decisions in my life, I've cocked things up royally, and I've done some stupid things. 

I'd do a lot of things very, very differently if I had to do them again, but I don't regret them. 

I know that changing any of these things would have changed the direction of my life in some way, so I wouldn't change them.  I can use them as learning.  And some of them I can now laugh about.

Whilst I've made my peace with my Burnout, and I know I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now if I hadn't experienced it, I would NOT choose Burnout to be where I am today.

If I could go back and change it, I would.  And if I could go back and stop it, I would.

Burnout has given me a lot.

It's made me realise what's really important in life.  It's given me work with...