A personal story from our Director – Gina Buckney
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Burnout doesn’t happen all at once.
It’s the slow build-up of relentless pressure.
The weight of responsibility.
The deadlines. The meetings. The invisible expectations.
The weight of responsibility.
The deadlines. The meetings. The invisible expectations.
I know this because I’ve been there.
At one stage in my corporate career, I was leading major transformation programmes, overseeing huge budgets, managing hundreds of people. From the outside, I looked like a woman at the top of her game. But inside? I was running on empty. I didn’t just hit burnout, I crashed.
And here’s the thing. I didn’t understand the extent of the impact.
I thought I was just “worn out.” That, I needed a holiday and I’d be okay.
But burnout isn’t fixed by a long weekend or a bubble bath. It’s deeper than that.
But burnout isn’t fixed by a long weekend or a bubble bath. It’s deeper than that.
The Scale of the Problem
The statistics paint a worrying picture:
- 65% of UK workers reported experiencing burnout last summer.
- One in five had to take time off work because of stress-related mental health issues.
- Burnout is now classified by the World Health Organization as an “occupational phenomenon.”
This is no longer an individual issue; it’s a systemic one.
And if leaders don’t get ahead of it, businesses will pay the price in lost productivity, attrition, and damaged culture.
And if leaders don’t get ahead of it, businesses will pay the price in lost productivity, attrition, and damaged culture.
What Burnout Really Feels Like
Burnout isn’t always loud. It doesn’t always come with dramatic breakdowns.
Sometimes, it shows up as:
Sometimes, it shows up as:
- Detachment and disinterest in work you used to love.
- A constant sense of fatigue, no matter how much you sleep.
- Reduced performance, even when you’re working longer hours.
- Emotional flatness or bursts of frustration you don’t recognise in yourself.
- A quiet inner voice that whispers: “I can’t do this anymore.”
If any of that resonates, pause. Please.
You’re not weak. You’re not failing. You’re human.
You’re not weak. You’re not failing. You’re human.
Common Causes (Especially in High-Pressure Roles)
Burnout often affects the most driven among us, those who care deeply about their work and others.
Here are some of the most common triggers I see in the organisations I work with:
🔸 Unmanageable workload: Constant firefighting leaves no space for strategic thinking or recovery.
🔸 Lack of autonomy: Feeling micromanaged or powerless creates emotional fatigue.
🔸 Toxic workplace culture: Poor leadership, unclear expectations, and psychological unsafety can all contribute.
🔸 Blurring of boundaries: The ‘always on’ culture, especially post-pandemic, means work often seeps into evenings, weekends, even sleep.
🔸 Lack of autonomy: Feeling micromanaged or powerless creates emotional fatigue.
🔸 Toxic workplace culture: Poor leadership, unclear expectations, and psychological unsafety can all contribute.
🔸 Blurring of boundaries: The ‘always on’ culture, especially post-pandemic, means work often seeps into evenings, weekends, even sleep.
For me personally, add in perfectionism and high standards, and burnout became almost inevitable.
Recovery Is Possible (But It’s Not a Quick Fix)
Here’s the good news: You can come back from burnout.
I did. And many of my clients do too.
But it requires more than surface-level solutions.
I did. And many of my clients do too.
But it requires more than surface-level solutions.
💡 Step 1: Awareness.
Notice the signs early. Pay attention to your body, your mood, and your motivation levels.
Notice the signs early. Pay attention to your body, your mood, and your motivation levels.
💡 Step 2: Boundaries.
Learn to say no. Protect your time. Don’t be afraid to disappoint others in the short term to protect your health in the long term.
Learn to say no. Protect your time. Don’t be afraid to disappoint others in the short term to protect your health in the long term.
💡 Step 3: Ask for help.
Whether it’s a mentor, a coach, HR, or a therapist, reach out. You don’t have to do it alone. Reach for a notepad if you can’t talk to someone about it; that’s what I did at first, and it became a form of therapy.
Whether it’s a mentor, a coach, HR, or a therapist, reach out. You don’t have to do it alone. Reach for a notepad if you can’t talk to someone about it; that’s what I did at first, and it became a form of therapy.
💡 Step 4: Reconnect with meaning.
Burnout often disconnects us from why we started. Revisit your values, your passions, and the impact you want to make.
Burnout often disconnects us from why we started. Revisit your values, your passions, and the impact you want to make.
💡 Step 5: Reset your lifestyle.
Prioritise sleep. Walk. Breathe. Journal. Hydrate. These are not luxuries, they are foundational to your wellbeing.
Prioritise sleep. Walk. Breathe. Journal. Hydrate. These are not luxuries, they are foundational to your wellbeing.
For Leaders: Burnout Isn’t a “Personal Problem”
Too often, I hear organisations talk about burnout as if it’s an individual resilience issue.
But high burnout rates are a leadership issue and a cultural warning sign.
But high burnout rates are a leadership issue and a cultural warning sign.
✅ Review workloads, not just outputs.
✅ Model healthy boundaries, don’t glorify overworking.
✅ Train managers to spot signs early and respond with empathy.
✅ Create psychological safety where people can speak up without fear.
✅ Invest in workplace wellbeing, not as a tick-box, but as a commercial imperative.
✅ Model healthy boundaries, don’t glorify overworking.
✅ Train managers to spot signs early and respond with empathy.
✅ Create psychological safety where people can speak up without fear.
✅ Invest in workplace wellbeing, not as a tick-box, but as a commercial imperative.
Because here’s the truth: burned-out teams don’t perform. They survive.
And survival mode is no place for innovation, growth, or high performance.
And survival mode is no place for innovation, growth, or high performance.
My Mission Now
Burnout was one of the hardest chapters of my life.
But it also cracked me open.
But it also cracked me open.
It made me reassess what success really means.
It led me to rebuild, refocus, and create Your People Power, a company rooted in science, performance, and genuine care for people.
It led me to rebuild, refocus, and create Your People Power, a company rooted in science, performance, and genuine care for people.
Now, I speak about burnout and wellbeing on global stages.
I train leaders to build cultures that energise, not exhaust.
And I help individuals reconnect to their power, not through hustle, but through balance.
I train leaders to build cultures that energise, not exhaust.
And I help individuals reconnect to their power, not through hustle, but through balance.
If you’re there right now, in the depths of burnout, please know there is a way out.
And if you’re a leader, the time to act isn’t when it’s too late. It’s now.
And if you’re a leader, the time to act isn’t when it’s too late. It’s now.
👉 Ready to spot the signs, understand the causes, and make burnout recovery part of your culture?
Message my team today to explore how we can support your people: [email protected]