Do You Need a Burnout Coach? 

What to Know If You’re Exhausted But Don’t Want to Quit Your Job

You used to feel driven. Now you just feel drained.

You’re still doing all the things: managing meetings, mentoring your team, packing lunches, answering late-night Slacks, and holding everything (and everyone) together. But lately, even the smallest tasks feel heavy. You close your laptop feeling like you’ve barely made a dent, and still somehow gave it everything you had.

You’ve Googled quitting more times than you’d admit. But the truth is, you don’t want to walk away from everything you’ve built. You just want to stop drowning.

If you’re nodding along, you might be burned out– or at a minimum, facing chronic stress and well on your way to burnout. 

The truth is that you don’t need another bubble bath or productivity hack. You need real support.

As a burnout coach for high-achieving women and working moms, I help clients recover from chronic stress, reconnect with what matters, and rebuild work-life balance without blowing up their lives or careers. In this guide, I’ll walk you through what burnout coaching is, how it works, and whether it’s the right step for you.

Because burnout doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means something needs to change. And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

 

What is a Burnout Coach?

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it me? Is it my job? Am I just not trying hard enough?” — you’re not alone. And no, you’re not the problem. A burnout coach helps you explore those questions with clarity, compassion, and no judgment.

Burnout coaching is designed to help high-achieving professionals recover from chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and workplace disengagement. With the right reflection, guidance, and evidence-based tools, a burnout coach helps you understand what’s driving your burnout — and what to do next.

Unlike therapy, burnout coaching doesn’t unpack your childhood.
And unlike traditional career coaching, it’s not just about polishing your résumé or prepping for interviews.

Instead, we focus on the deeper systems, beliefs, and expectations — both internal and external — that keep you stuck in survival mode.

You’re not lazy. You’re not failing.
You’re burned out… but you don’t have to stay that way.

 

What Does a Burnout Coach Help With? 

Burnout isn’t one-dimensional, and recovery shouldn’t be either.

For many of the high-achieving women I work with, stress and exhaustion don’t live in just one area of life. It’s not just the job, or just home, or just their inner dialogue. It’s everything — layered, tangled, and relentless.

That’s why I take a holistic approach. When we work together, we look at four key areas:

Work: Career burnout often stems from job misalignment, unmanageable expectations, toxic dynamics, or feeling invisible in your role. Maybe your job used to energize you, but now it leaves you drained. You’re stuck wondering if you can make it work and somehow love your job again… or if it’s time to move on.

Home: Caregiving, domestic duties, and emotional labor take a toll. When you’re the default parent, planner, and support system for everyone else, it’s no wonder you feel overwhelmed. Even when you’re not “working,” you’re still working the second shift. 

Internal: Burnout often comes with perfectionism, people-pleasing, imposter syndrome, and harsh self-talk. You might feel shame for needing help, or guilt that you can’t just “push through” like you used to. It’s not that you’ve lost your ability—it’s that you’ve run out of capacity.

External: You’re not imagining the pressure. Toxic hustle culture, gender bias, unrealistic cultural standards, and unequal expectations for women—especially mothers—shape the way burnout shows up and how it’s addressed. The world isn’t built to support your well-being, but your recovery doesn’t have to wait for the world to catch up.

Real burnout recovery requires looking at the full picture — work and home, internal and external. And that’s exactly what we do together.

 

Therapy for Burnout or Coaching: What’s the Difference? 

Burnout can feel heavy and confusing — and one of the biggest questions people ask is, “Should I see a therapist for my burnout… or work with a career coach?”

Here’s a breakdown to help clarify:

Therapy is ideal when you’re processing past trauma, navigating a mental health diagnosis, or need support for conditions like anxiety or depression. Therapists are trained in clinical and abnormal psychology, and their work is focused on helping you reduce suffering and heal. Therapy can also be an excellent place to learn new, healthy coping skills or stress management techniques. 

Therapists help you explore the why behind your patterns — but are often constrained in terms of giving direct advice or strategic input.

Burnout coaching, on the other hand, is designed for high-functioning individuals who may not need mental health treatment, but do need clarity, support, and strategy to navigate stress, career uncertainty, or the pressure to be everything to everyone. It’s forward-looking, action-oriented, and designed to help you thrive — not just cope.

As in therapy, coaching can also help equip you with new coping strategies, self-care habits, and stress management tools. 

Unlike therapists, burnout coaches are able to additionally help you with: 

• Tactical strategies for navigating workplace stress and leadership pressure
• Clear, personalized action plans and accountability
• Direct advice on career moves, boundaries, and hard conversations
• Resources like templates, workbooks, and scripts you can immediately use
• Community support through live workshops and women’s circles (in some programs, like She Leads Well)
• Access to someone with deep HR and leadership experience — aka, your “HR expert in your pocket”
• If needed, some coaches can also provide support with your job search, including resume optimization, LinkedIn updating, interview prep, and more

Many of my clients work with both a therapist and a coach — and together, that combo creates powerful momentum and meaningful change.

 

Signs You Might Need a Burnout Coach

Burnout isn’t just about being tired. It’s a chronic stress response that can leave you mentally, emotionally, and physically depleted — even if you love your job, even if you’re “doing all the right things.”

In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. It includes three core dimensions:

• Exhaustion – Feeling depleted, drained, or like rest never feels restorative
• Cynicism or detachment – Feeling mentally distanced from your work, disengaged, or checked out
• Reduced efficacy – Questioning your competence, impact, or whether anything you do actually matters. For many of my clients, this shows up as reduced confidence and increased imposter syndrome.

If any of these sound familiar, you’re not alone — and you’re not failing. You’re likely experiencing career burnout, and burnout coaching could be a key part of your recovery.

Here are some real-world signs it might be time to get help:

• You’re emotionally exhausted and snapping at people you love
• You keep questioning whether you need to quit — or if you can just hold on a little longer
• You’ve tried therapy, apps, and productivity hacks, but nothing sticks
• You’re falling into poor coping habits that don’t actually restore you, like numbing out with TV, wine, or endless scrolling
• You keep feeling guilty for falling behind and wondering if you’re somehow failing— if you’re too sensitive, not organized enough, not resilient enough
• You don’t feel like yourself anymore

If you’re reading this and nodding, burnout coaching can help you figure out what’s really going on and what to do next.

 

How Burnout Impacts Women, Moms & Female Leaders

Burnout doesn’t affect everyone equally. Women — especially those in leadership or caregiving roles — face unique, layered challenges that most workplaces still don’t account for.

From gender bias to the motherhood penalty, female leaders are often held to different standards than their male peers. You’re expected to be competent and likable, assertive but not too much, always available yet somehow not overwhelmed. The higher you climb, the lonelier and more exhausting it can feel.

At home, many women also shoulder the mental load — tracking everything from school forms to meal plans — while being the “default parent,” the emotional anchor, the one who makes it all run. This invisible labor can be just as draining as your 9-to-5, and often goes unacknowledged.

That’s why burnout recovery needs more than generic advice. It needs to be gender-informed, matrescence-aware, and rooted in the reality of your life. My coaching is designed with these challenges in mind — so you don’t have to explain them. We start from a place of understanding, and build forward from there.

 

How Burnout Coaching Works

Not all burnout coaching is created equal. Some coaches offer one-off 90-minute sessions focused on a single, small challenge. Others provide more sustained support over time.

Through years of research, training, and working with hundreds of women, I’ve found the most transformative results happen with a layered, long-term approach.

Here’s what that looks like in my practice:

• Private 1:1 Coaching: Personalized, focused sessions that help you work through your biggest stressors, gain clarity, and take meaningful steps forward — with someone in your corner every step of the way.
• Group Support: You don’t have to do this alone. In group Circle Calls, you’ll connect with other women navigating similar challenges, share real talk, and get fresh perspectives in a safe, supportive space.
• Workshops & Education: My clients don’t just talk — they learn. I regularly offer live and recorded workshops to teach practical, evidence-based strategies you can use immediately at work and home.
• Asynchronous Support: Life doesn’t wait for your next session. That’s why I offer between-session email access, plus tools like take-home worksheets, scripts, and templates you can use anytime you need them.

Where we begin depends on where you are. Together, we might:

• Clarify whether you want to stay or leave your current job
• Redesign your role so it’s more sustainable and fulfilling
• Explore a job change within your field — without repeating old burnout patterns
• Pivot into a new career that better supports your values and energy

No matter the path, clients walk away with:

• A clear plan and renewed confidence
• Stronger boundaries and a deeper sense of self
• Tangible strategies for managing stress and protecting your energy
• Clarity about what you want — and how to make it happen

This is real change — not just relief.

Need inspiration? Here are some success stories from past burnout coaching clients:

 

Meet Your Holistic Career & Burnout Coach

I’m Lydia Fogo Johnson, MS, ACC — a burnout and career coach for women, moms, and female leaders who want more than just “surviving the week.”

Before founding ThriveCulture Coaching, I spent years consulting in high-pressure workplaces, sitting in the rooms where the C-Suite made decisions about their workplace cultures— and burning out quietly myself. I know what it’s like to feel like you’re doing everything right on paper… and still feel completely depleted.

Now, I use that insider knowledge, plus years of advanced training, to help women navigate burnout, career clarity, and leadership with tools that actually work. Essentially, I’ve built the program I wish I’d had myself. 

As a certified coach in career clarity, executive life coaching, matrescence, and Fair Play, I blend research-backed strategies with real-life perspective. I hold a Master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and weave in tools from positive psychology, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and workplace wellbeing.

But more than that, I get it. I’m a working mom, too — and I understand the invisible labor, the impossible expectations, and the constant mental juggling that women (especially moms in leadership) carry.

My approach is holistic because your life doesn’t exist in silos. We look at work and home, internal and external stressors, your calendar and your capacity. Whether you’re trying to redesign your role, explore a pivot, or just feel like yourself again, this is a space for honest reflection and real change.

You don’t need more hustle. You need strategy, clarity, and support. That’s what we do here.

 

You Don’t Have to Keep Pushing Through

Burnout doesn’t go away on its own — and you don’t have to wait until you’re at your breaking point to get support.

Whether you’re questioning your job, drowning in responsibilities, or just feeling like you’ve lost yourself somewhere along the way, coaching can help you untangle what’s not working and take real steps toward a career and life that does.

If you’re curious about whether burnout coaching is the right fit, let’s talk. The first step is a free, 30-minute consult call. No pressure, no prep work — just a calm space to reflect, ask questions, and see if coaching is what you need right now.

👉 Book Your Free Consult Call

You don’t have to figure it all out alone — and you don’t have to settle for surviving.

Let’s get you back to thriving.

 

Burnout Coaching FAQs

How do I know if I need burnout coaching or therapy?
Therapy is best for processing past trauma or managing clinical mental health conditions. Coaching is future-focused and action-oriented — ideal if you’re high-functioning but struggling with stress, clarity, or fulfillment. Many of my clients do both, and the combination can be incredibly powerful.

What if I’m not sure I want to leave my job?
You don’t have to decide right away. In fact, one of the most common starting points in my coaching is figuring out whether to stay and make your role more sustainable, or explore something new. I’ll help you navigate both possibilities with clarity and confidence.

I’m already so overwhelmed. What if I don’t have time for coaching?
That’s exactly why you need support. Coaching isn’t another thing on your to-do list — it’s a way to get your time, energy, and life back. Most clients find that investing one hour a week with a coach actually creates more breathing room, not less.

What makes your approach different?

I combine evidence-based tools from psychology and career development with deeply personalized coaching. As a mom, certified matrescence coach, and former HR consultant, I bring a nuanced, gender-informed lens that helps women untangle stress and redefine success on their own terms.

 

How long does it take to recover from burnout?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but here’s what I can tell you: real recovery takes time — and consistency. Burnout isn’t just about stress; it’s often tied to identity, values, patterns, and systems that have built up over years.

That’s why I don’t offer quick-fix programs or one-off sessions. My flagship coaching program, She Leads Well, is six months long on purpose. It gives us the space to untangle the root causes of burnout, test new strategies, and build sustainable change — not just surface-level relief.

 

What’s the difference between burnout coaching and career coaching?

Great question. Traditional career coaching is often focused on job search skills — resumes, interview prep, networking strategies. Burnout coaching includes that when needed, but starts at a deeper level.

We look at your relationship with work, your values, your bandwidth, and what a sustainable, fulfilling career actually looks like for you. Then, we either redesign your current role or help you pursue a new one — with support and strategy that actually stick.