Burnout is no longer a buzzword. It’s a global crisis that’s quietly dismantling lives, careers, and entire organisations.

And let’s be honest—most of us in coaching or people professions have either faced it ourselves or seen it present in our clients. But here’s the real problem: many coaches and HR professionals aren’t equipped to truly understand or tackle burnout at its core.

That’s exactly why I created the Burnout Academy

The Burnout Academy is more than a training programme; it’s a movement. It was born out of a very personal realisation that if we don’t radically shift our approach, Burnout will continue to devastate individuals, teams, and businesses.

I wanted to give coaches and in-house people professionals the tools they need to not only recognise Burnout but to address the systemic causes that perpetuate it.

Why Burnout is Everyone’s Business

We’ve normalised Burnout as the price of success.

Overworking is celebrated, exhaustion is a badge of honour, and self-ca...

Resilience has become a buzzword in recent years, especially in workplaces plagued by Burnout. But let’s take a moment to ask: what does resilience really mean? Too often, it’s misinterpreted as the ability to endure, to keep pushing through despite exhaustion, stress, or even the toxicity of a work environment. And this misunderstanding is one of the key reasons Burnout continues to rise.

As coaches, we have a responsibility to challenge this narrative—not just for ourselves, but for the clients who rely on us to guide them toward healthier, more sustainable ways of living and working. Resilience isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing better.

Rethinking Resilience

Resilience is not a badge of honour for surviving impossible conditions. It’s not about gritting your teeth and staying in environments that drain your soul. True resilience is about thriving, not surviving. It’s about creating a life aligned with your values, needs, and desires—a life that allows for rest, joy, and rec...

As coaches, we often find ourselves helping clients navigate a world that demands more—more productivity, more performance, more results.

But when Burnout comes into play, these traditional coaching approaches can unintentionally increase and aggravate the problem.

Burnout isn’t about doing more. It’s about finding a new way to move forward—a way that honours wellbeing, balance, sustainability, and perhaps most importantly, a sense of self.

Burnout is not a badge of honour to be worn proudly or an inevitable byproduct of success.

It’s a warning sign, a red flag that something is deeply misaligned in our clients’ lives. And as coaches, it’s our responsibility to guide them toward alignment—not by pushing harder but by coaching differently.

Shifting the Paradigm

When coaching through Burnout, the first shift we must make is away from productivity-focused goals. Instead, we explore who our clients are by rebuilding their sense of self, helping our clients to identify how they can...

As coaches, we pride ourselves on guiding our clients through transformative journeys.

We celebrate their wins, navigate their challenges, and hold space for their growth, learning and development.

But what happens when your usual coaching techniques stop working? When progress stalls and clients seem stuck in a relentless cycle of exhaustion, overwhelm, and disengagement?  They keep repeating the same conversations and challenges and progress seems to have stopped as hesitation and uncertainty continues to grow.

This is often a sign of something deeper—Burnout. And if we don’t address it, the costs can be devastating.

The True Impact of Burnout

Burnout isn’t just about feeling tired or stressed.

It’s a chronic state of emotional, physical, and mental depletion.

Left unchecked, it can spiral into long-term health issues, including heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and severe mental health struggles like anxiety and depression.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Burnout strains...

Unmet Needs – The Missing Piece in Burnout Conversations

When we talk about Burnout, we often focus on the external factors: overwhelming workloads, relentless deadlines, and toxic environments.

But Burnout isn’t just about doing too much. It’s also about not having enough—enough rest, recognition, autonomy, or connection and not enough sense of self.

Unmet needs and a loss of your sense of sense are a key factor in Burnout, yet they’re often overlooked.

As coaches, we frequently work with clients who don’t even realise their needs are being neglected.

They’ve been conditioned to put others first, to push through the discomfort, or to believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Left unchecked, this imbalance creates the perfect storm for Burnout.

Let’s revisit the Burnout Equation:

Toxicity - Sense of Self = Burnout

This simple yet powerful equation highlights the two drivers of Burnout: external toxicity and the erosion and elimination of self-identity.

When clien...

Stress and the Burnout Connection: Why Your Coaching Approach Might Need a Shift

Stress.

It’s the word that echoes through nearly every coaching conversation these days. Clients are overwhelmed, juggling too much, and constantly “on.”

For many, stress has become so much of the norm that they barely spot the warning signs when something else comes knocking: Burnout

If you’re a coach, you might find that your tried-and-tested techniques—those powerful tools that usually create breakthroughs—are suddenly falling flat.

It’s not you, and it’s not your clients. The truth is, Burnout changes the game and the way in which your clients are able to make decisions.

The Invisible Line Between Stress and Burnout

Stress and burnout are connected, but they’re not the same.

Stress is the body’s response to pressures and challenges.

Burnout, however, is what happens when chronic, unmanaged stress takes over. It’s more than just exhaustion; it’s a deep physical, emotional, and mental deple...

The Role of Boundaries in Preventing Burnout

When was the last time you—or your clients—said “no” without guilt?

For so many of us, the word “no” feels loaded. It’s tangled up with fear of letting others down, losing opportunities, or being seen as selfish.

Yet saying “no” is often the most powerful thing we can often do to protect our energy, our time, and ultimately, our wellbeing (even though boundaries and non-negotiables are about so much more than just saying no).

As coaches, we know that Burnout doesn’t happen overnight.

It creeps in slowly, often masked by phrases like “just this once” or “I’ll rest after this project.”

One small “yes” at a time, our clients find themselves stretched beyond their limits. They feel trapped, believing their worth is tied to how much they can give, how much they can do, and how well they can meet everyone else’s expectations.

The truth is, boundaries are not just important—they’re non-negotiable.

Boundaries Are an Important Foundation ...

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 clients adopt.

The Problem with Self-Care

The problem with traditiona...

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:

1. Cognitive Fog (Brain Fog) or Forgetful...

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, your non-negotiables).

In my work, I’ve encapsulat...