Today I received the results of my first 360 evaluation at work.
I’ll be honest — I was nervous.
I’ve had a difficult year professionally. I wrote recently about burnout — that heavy, stuck feeling that can follow a season of intense pressure. At work, we were recovering from a high-profile project that didn’t go the way we had hoped. We were all trying to pick ourselves back up, rebuild momentum, and keep moving forward.
I knew I hadn’t been operating at my best every day.
So when the 360 feedback arrived, I felt that familiar tightening in my chest.
What would people say?
How much did the burnout show?
Had I let people down?
The First Reaction: Where Can I Improve?
The moment I opened the report, I went straight to the areas for growth.
Even though I had prepared myself — Don’t take this personally. This is data. This is growth. — it was still hard.
There was feedback, even if it was from one person, that felt so opposite of how I believed I was showing up.
That’s the humbling part of leadership.
We don’t always see ourselves clearly under stress.
And here’s what I realized:
Under burnout, under pressure, under emotional depletion… I was showing up differently at times.
Not because I didn’t care.
But because I was carrying too much.
Burnout doesn’t just affect productivity. It affects presence.
The Energy Shift
The difference this time?
I’m not in the same place I was a year ago.
Since engaging in coaching, I’ve done deep work around energy — how I interpret situations, how I respond to stress, and how I take responsibility for my impact.
So instead of feeling defensive, resentful, or discouraged… I felt something unexpected.
Gratitude.
Gratitude for the opportunity to start again.
Gratitude for the mirror.
Gratitude for the clarity.
And I was also grateful for the positive feedback — the validation that for many people, I was showing up exactly as I intended. That felt good. It felt grounding. It reminded me that burnout may have influenced moments, but it did not define my leadership.
What Burnout Feels Like
Burnout can feel like a pile of heavy blankets you can’t get out from under.
Or a bucket filled with dark, dense energy.
You keep pouring into work.
You keep meeting obligations.
But the bucket feels heavier and heavier.
Coaching didn’t magically remove the tasks I don’t enjoy.
It didn’t eliminate stress.
What it changed was my energy.
Instead of focusing only on what drained me, I began paying attention to what filled me.
The conversations I love.
The mentoring moments.
The problem-solving.
The connection.
Not just at work — but in my life.
And slowly, that bucket began to fill with lighter, more positive energy.
Eventually, it overflowed.
When your energy shifts, the circumstances don’t always change first — you do.
And that changes everything.
Growth Requires Looking
360 feedback can be uncomfortable.
Burnout can be humbling.
But both are invitations.
Invitations to pause.
To reflect.
To realign.
If you’re in a season where feedback feels heavy, or you’re carrying the weight of burnout, know this:
You are not stuck.
You are not defined by your hardest season.
And you are allowed to begin again.
A Coaching Invitation
If you’re navigating burnout, leadership growth, or difficult feedback, coaching can create a powerful space to process, reflect, and shift your energy.
You don’t have to wait until you feel “fixed” to move forward.
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is look — and choose differently.
If you’re ready to explore what’s possible for you, I invite you to schedule a complimentary Discovery Session.
Let’s talk about what your next chapter could look like — with energy that feels lighter, clearer, and more aligned.