“ADHD & Burnout: The Hidden Struggle Coaches Must Uncover”

Alex was always the dependable one. Smart, ambitious, hardworking – they ticked every box. But what nobody saw was how much extra energy Alex burned every day just to keep up. Planning meticulously to avoid forgetting tasks, replaying conversations in their head to make sure they hadn’t overstepped, forcing themselves to sit still in meetings while their mind bounced from idea to idea.

Alex wasn’t just pushing through a heavy workload – they were masking their undiagnosed ADHD. And after years of overcompensating, Burnout finally hit.

Alex’s story isn’t unique.

Many professionals with ADHD, especially those undiagnosed, end up in Burnout long before anyone – including themselves – connects the dots. Masking drains the system. But it’s a conversation many leaders and coaches still aren’t having.

Today, let’s dig deeper:

• Can undiagnosed ADHD contribute to Burnout?

• Does Burnout make people “more ADHD”? Or just reve...

Burnout: If It’s Not a Medical Diagnosis, How Are Doctors Diagnosing It?

By Kelly Swingler

Burnout. We all know it. Many of us have lived it. Yet, despite how prevalent and destructive it is, Burnout still isn’t classified as a medical condition. It sits quietly in the WHO’s ICD-11 under “occupational phenomenon,” acknowledged as a consequence of chronic workplace stress. But here’s where it gets difficult: doctors around the world are diagnosing it every single day. 

So how does that happen when it technically doesn’t exist as a formal disease or medical condition?

Let’s break it down.

The “Unofficial” Diagnosis That’s Everywhere

While the WHO stops short of calling Burnout an illness, it defines it through three key dimensions:

•   Exhaustion
•   Cynicism or mental distance from work
•   Reduced professional efficacy

It sounds simple enough, but here’s the catch — the WHO’s definition fails to account for the severity of Burnout or its devastating impact on our long-term emot...

Part 2: Recognising Burnout – Signs and Symptoms in Your People

 10 Part Blog Series: Understanding & Combating Burnout in the Workplace

Burnout can be sneaky. 

It doesn’t always announce itself with a loud crash or a big warning sign. It often starts with small, subtle shifts—before it spirals into something that cannot be ignored. 

As HR professionals, recognising Burnout early is crucial.

When you understand the signs and symptoms, you can act quickly to prevent further harm. But, the first step is knowing what to look for. The earlier Burnout is spotted, the sooner you can help prevent its escalation.

Signs and Symptoms of Burnout

Burnout doesn’t look the same for everyone. While some may show clear signs, others may mask their exhaustion or disengagement. Here are a few common symptoms to watch for:

• Emotional Symptoms: Cynicism, irritability, lack of enthusiasm, feeling disconnected from work or colleagues.
• Physical Symptoms: Chronic fatigue, trouble sleeping, headaches...

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...

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...