Burnout in high-pressure careers: when a coach isn't enough

Many of the people who come to see me are capable, driven and successful. From the outside, everything looks fine. Inside, they feel exhausted, flat, irritable or detached, and rest no longer seems to fix it.

Burnout is not simply being tired. It often shows up as a loss of motivation, trouble sleeping, difficulty switching off, a short fuse with the people you love, or a quiet sense of dread on a Sunday evening. Some people notice they have stopped enjoying things that used to matter to them.

In high-pressure careers such as finance, law, media and business leadership, burnout can creep up slowly. Long hours, constant availability and high expectations become normal, and it can feel as though the only answer is to work harder or get more organised.

Coaching can be really helpful here. It can help you look at your priorities, set boundaries and plan practical changes. Sometimes, though, the same patterns keep coming back. You know what you should do, yet something stops you from doing it.

That is often where therapy comes in. Patterns such as people-pleasing, perfectionism, imposter syndrome or a deep fear of letting others down usually have roots in our past. Understanding where they come from can make it much easier to change them in the present.

Because I am trained in psychotherapy, counselling and coaching, I can work with both sides: making sense of what is driving the pressure, and building a way of working and living that feels more sustainable and more like you.

If you recognise yourself in this, you don't have to wait until things fall apart. I see clients on Harley Street in Central London (W1), in South Woodford, East London (E18), and online. You are very welcome to book a free 15-minute phone consultation to see whether working together feels right.