Burnout Was the Wake-Up Call I Couldn’t Ignore

I knew I was burned out.

There wasn’t any confusion about it, no denial. I was working 60-hour weeks, carrying enormous responsibility, and running on fumes. I had just come out of an intense period of work during COVID, only to transition immediately into a major new implementation. There was no pause, no recovery—just more pressure.

When that implementation didn’t go well, the burnout deepened.

Suddenly, it felt like all eyes were on me.
Why didn’t this work?
What happened?
When will you fix it?

The hardest part was knowing that I couldn’t fix it alone—and also knowing that I wasn’t supposed to. I had an incredible team. Smart, capable, dedicated people. But burnout has a way of shrinking your perspective. Even with support around you, it can feel like everything rests squarely on your shoulders.

And I was exhausted.

When Effort Stops Working

I didn’t feel appreciated or heard in the way I needed. I was still showing up, still performing, still doing what was expected—but inside, something was breaking down. The work that once energized me felt heavy. Decisions felt harder. The joy and curiosity I once brought to my role were harder to access.

I knew something had to change.

At the time, I thought that change meant leaving. A new role. A new path. Something different altogether. That’s what led me to enroll in the iPEC coaching program. I genuinely believed coaching might be an alternative to what I was doing—a way out.

What I didn’t realize then is that what really needed to change wasn’t just my job.

It was my energy.
How I was showing up.
How I was relating to the pressure, the expectations, and myself.

What Coaching Showed Me That I Didn’t See Before

As part of my training, I spent many hours being coached by peer students. I went in curious—but also skeptical. I didn’t expect it to fundamentally change how I felt.

But session by session, something shifted.

I began to see that while I couldn’t control every situation, project, or organizational constraint, I did have influence over how I experienced them. I learned how much my perceptions, assumptions, and internal narratives were shaping my stress—and how changing those could change everything.

For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel powerless.

I felt clearer. Lighter. More grounded. More like myself again.

That realization—that I had more agency than I thought—was profound.

Burnout Isn’t Always Solved by Leaving

We often talk about burnout as a signal to escape: quit the job, change careers, blow everything up and start over. Sometimes that is the right answer. But it isn’t always possible—or even necessary.

What coaching taught me is that there’s another question worth asking:

If I can’t immediately change my circumstances, what can I change to improve my experience?

Burnout doesn’t only come from workload. It comes from prolonged stress combined with feeling unseen, unheard, or stuck—and from operating at an unsustainable level of energy for too long.

When you shift your energy, you change how you respond, how you lead, how you communicate, and how you move through challenge. And that can dramatically reduce burnout—even before anything external changes.

Why I Share This Now

I didn’t pursue coaching because everything was going well. I pursued it because I needed something to change—and I found that change in a place I didn’t expect.

Today, I work with people who are capable, committed, and exhausted. People who care deeply about their work, who hold a lot of responsibility, and who are tired of pushing through at their own expense. People who don’t need more advice—but need space, perspective, and support to reconnect with themselves and move forward in a sustainable way.

I share my experience because burnout thrives in silence and self-blame. And because I now know—personally and professionally—that it doesn’t have to stay this way.

A Gentle Invitation

If you’re feeling burned out, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’ve been carrying a lot for a long time.

You may not be able to change everything around you—but you may be able to change how you show up within it. And that shift can change far more than you expect.

If this resonates, you’re not alone. And if you’re curious about what might be possible for you, I’d love to explore that with you. Learn More about Coaching.