Rising workplace stress levels make way for new job description: the ‘burnout coach’

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Jana Cook has suffered from burnout twice in her career.

Both cases began with a gradual onset of signs and symptoms — including sleep problems, extreme fatigue, and difficulty completing basic tasks — that culminated in her having to take up to six months off from her corporate job to recover.

“In both cases there was a turning point — a moment in time where I felt like I ‘broke,’” said Cook, who now lives in Claresholm, Alberta.

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“I went from doing all the things, to doing nothing at all.”

Cook eventually recovered, learning important lessons about slowing down and managing stress in the process. She now uses her personal experiences to help others, promoting herself as a “burnout prevention and recovery coach” for people who are overwhelmed by work stress.

There are a growing number of “burnout coaches” and “burnout recovery specialists” in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Europe. These are rarely licensed therapists or psychologists—they are usually people, like Cook, who have earned certification from the International Coaching Federation and have spent a great deal of time researching workplace burnout and its causes.

Other trainers have taken courses in stress reduction techniques, mindfulness, and even hypnosis.

Although their backgrounds may vary, all burnout coaches serve the growing number of workers who say they feel stressed, overwhelmed, and struggling to cope.

A November 2023 survey of 765 Canadian professionals by human resources consulting firm Robert Half found that 42 percent of respondents felt burned out at work, and 36 percent of respondents said they were more burned out than they were a year ago.

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There are a number of factors contributing to the rise in burnout rates, including the pressures of returning to the office in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as economic pressures that are forcing workplaces everywhere to do more with less, said Cal Jungwirth, a workplace expert and director at Robert Half.

“Organizations are very financially prudent, but that comes at a huge cost, and that cost falls on their employees,” Jungwirth said.

“If 42 percent of people are feeling some kind of fatigue, that’s an immediate warning sign.”

Burnout is not an official medical condition, but the World Health Organization recognizes it as an “occupational phenomenon” resulting from chronic workplace stress. According to the WHO, burnout is characterized by feelings of energy drain or exhaustion, negativity or cynicism about one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy.

Kristi Nicole, who lives in Nelson, British Columbia, launched her burnout coaching business after the constant workload of her private sports therapy practice pushed her to the edge. In her case, burnout manifested as extreme fatigue accompanied by panic attacks.

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“I remember walking into the doctor’s office and saying, ‘There’s something wrong with my heart,’” she said.

“People start getting stress-related illnesses and diseases. But a lot of people don’t want to talk about it because they think everyone looks at them like they have it all.”

Nicole uses a variety of strategies to help her burnout clients calm their nervous systems, which include everything from deep breathing exercises to trigger point release.

Sleep is another big area to focus on when it comes to recovery, said Jane Brewer, a Toronto-based burnout prevention and recovery specialist.

“I always say start with sleep, because it’s probably the best way to get the most bang for your buck. No amount of self-care is going to help you if you’re up all night, every night,” she said.

Beyond physical symptoms, burnout coaches often guide their clients to make lifestyle changes, such as limiting emails in the evening and learning how to say “no.” They can also help people with burnout plan for returning to work after a stress leave, or help them plan for a career change.

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While working with a coach who specializes in burnout may be helpful for some people, it’s important to realize that this is a new and unregulated industry, said Huiyuan Luo, a registered psychologist at MindPeace Psychology in Toronto.

“The biggest problem with unregulated professionals is that no one can hold them accountable if something goes wrong,” Loh said.

“People should know that they also have the option of working with regulated professionals such as psychologists, psychotherapists and social workers – people who have the appropriate training and where there is a regulatory body for them.”

But the rise of burnout coaches shows a growing societal awareness of the consequences of burnout — both personally and corporately, where managers should be concerned about the costs to the organization when burned-out employees quit or need to take extended leave to improve their performance, Cook said.

“It can take years for someone to reach that state of exhaustion and fatigue. It doesn’t happen overnight, so recovery doesn’t happen overnight either,” she said.

“I mean you’re looking at six to 12 months, easily.”

But Cook said her experience, and that of many others, proves that recovery is possible.

“If you feel like you might be exhausted, it doesn’t have to last forever,” she said.

“But you have to be brave enough to make some changes to get out of that rut, to get past it, to work on it. Because the things you were doing that got you where you are today won’t make you feel better tomorrow.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2024.

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