Burnout risk: High with a chance of losing it! From the Coaching Couch: Meet My New Client

They are a wildly successful business owner, changing the landscape of their industry. 

Passionate and dedicated, my new client is working long, focused hours to leverage their growth and be an active leader and community member. What an exciting client to be supporting!

But the warning signs for burnout are there straight away. 

Her burnout risk score is at a high-risk rating. 

She is on the cusp of losing it all over the next 6-12 months. 

The leader she wants to continue to build and become is slowly being depleted and overwhelmed.

So, how did she get here and what were the signs?

Here’s how our first session went.

Understanding the mindset playing field: Key questions to start the journey

What did you learn from your childhood that was helpful?
- I can do hard things.

What did you learn from your childhood that was unhelpful?  

- Don't trust yourself. 

  - Be in control to win. 

  - Keep up appearances. 

  - Losing is the worst thing.

What are the signals for burnout?

- Increased rage

- Cynicism

- Withdrawal from social life

- Mental exhaustion

- Waking in the night, stressed, despite working on her true passion

Where will we focus?

- Sleep and downregulation practices are paramount with this burnout score.

- She cannot pull back from her work role, so we will need to be adaptable and strategic, with clear expectations around pace and managing arousal levels in the work day.

- Identify the workability of responses to emotions to minimise microstressors, leverage self-compassion, and rewrite beliefs.

Why do I start with these questions?

A key part of creating habit disruption and resetting our mindset is looking back. Here, we can see our steps (our missteps and their impacts) and truly begin to understand what the mindset-playing field (or mind-field) we’re starting from.

It’s these questions that will create a foundation for the next 6 weeks of coaching as we redefine her physiological response.

I look forward to keeping you updated as we progress.