Burnout: it's not inevitable

Hello there!

The WorkLifePsych team been talking a lot about sustainability over the past few months - specifically the importance of sustainable behaviours when it comes to organisational leaders. 

This month, I was delighted to be joined on the podcast by 'The Doctor's Doctor', Dr. Richard Duggins. Richard recently published 'Burnout-free Working' and when his publicist got in touch to suggest him as a guest for the podcast, I jumped at the chance. He joined me to share his insights and expertise on a topic that effectively represents the opposite of sustainable leadership: burnout. 

🔥 Burnout isn't inevitable

One clear message from my conversation with Richard is that burnout isn't inevitable, even in the most demanding of organisational settings. But simply 'keeping calm and carrying on' isn't the answer either - something needs to change. 

Richard's perspective on this threat to leaders' wellbeing sits very neatly with the perspective I try to share with my own clients. That organisational wellbeing is a function of both the top-down action take by leadership and the bottom-up personal wellbeing action taken by individual employees. 

We need to reflect on the system within which leaders operate - the organisational culture and how it manifests in terms of expectations, assumptions and demands. Even the healthiest and most proactive of employees will suffer if the culture is toxic. And even the most health-conscious organisational culture can't do much for an employee who completely neglects their wellbeing. 

And if you missed it on the day, you can find a recording of my recent webinar where I explored the various threats to leaders' wellbeing below. 

🤔 Myths about burnout

During our conversation, Richard was very clear about the pernicious and unhelpful myths and misconceptions he encounters when it comes to burnout. He called out three in particular.

• "It's a sign of individual weakness". Richard was incredibly clear on this point - it's a function of the impact of the organisational system on the individual, not an inherent problem with the individual. Blaming an individual employee for their burnout experience is unfair and likely to contribute to the stigma that still surrounds the topic. 
• "It's just another form of stress". Wrong! Job-related stress is definitely an unpleasant experience, but burnout is a categorically different thing, with a qualitatively different impact on our wellbeing. 
• "It means the end of your career". Nope! In one of the more positive elements of our conversation, Richard was clear that the prognosis for employees who seek professional support for burnout is excellent. 

🎧 Find out more about burnout

I split my interview with Richard into two episodes (hopefully you can tell how much we were enjoying our conversation, and why the interview went so long!) which are available wherever you get your podcasts or via the links below:

• Ep 189: Burnout signs and symptoms
• Ep 190: Burnout - recognition and recovery 
• Richard's recent book is also an excellent read. Accessible, interesting and incredibly practical. You can buy it directly from the publisher here. 

🧭 Navigating challenges with Psychological Flexibility

Also on the topic of workplace wellbeing, I was delighted to be asked to contribute an article to the latest edition of 'Workplace' - the work-focused publication from the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). And they've kindly made my article open-access, so you've no excuse not to read it!

I outline the roots of psychological flexibility, the acceptance and commitment coaching (ACC) coaching framework and how it benefits us when it comes to workplace challenges, big and small. It's a nice easy introduction to psychological flexibility, even if I do say so myself. 

It’s how we respond to workplace difficulties, challenges and setbacks that really matters. We may bounce back from a setback, nimbly overcome a challenge and learn from a disappointing outcome. However, because of how we relate to the mental content provided by our minds, and the scripts for navigating the world that we’ve developed since childhood, we are just as likely to respond to a challenge inflexibly, leading to lowered job satisfaction, performance issues and an erosion of wellbeing.

👉🏻 You can read the entire article here.

📆 Dates for your diary

Weds Aug 6th: "Self-care for leaders"

Ross McIntosh and I will outline how self-care differs from coping, why both are essential for leaders, and illustrate the quality markers for each to ensure sustainable approaches to the everyday challenges of the workplace. Like all the webinars in this series, it's completely free and you can reserve your place here.  

Weds 13th Aug: Boosting wellbeing with coaching

As part of our 'Considering Coaching?' series, I'll be outlining the positive role that coaching can play in addressing threats to wellbeing, changes to wellbeing-related behaviour and health-based goals. You can reserve your free place here. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1267454804439?aff=oddtdtcreator

Fri 15th Aug: International Relaxation Day Conference 2025

I'm presenting at this free virtual conference on the topic of self-care, coping and leadership. You can find out all about the conference and programme here: https://www.internationalrelaxationday.com/ird-conference-2025/