Burnout has become a quiet epidemic—an emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that creeps in unnoticed until it becomes impossible to ignore. As health and wellness coaches, we’re often on the front lines of this issue, supporting clients through their own burnout journeys. But how often do we pause and check in with ourselves?
Burnout in Our Clients
Clients arrive in our sessions carrying all sorts of invisible loads: work stress, caregiving fatigue, chronic health challenges, emotional overwhelm. Often, they’ve been pushing through for so long that they’ve lost touch with how exhausted they really are. Burnout can show up in many ways—low motivation, irritability, decision fatigue, a sense of futility, or just a persistent sense of “meh.”
Health and Wellness Coaching provides a rare and powerful opportunity for clients to slow down and listen to themselves. We help them become aware of their internal state, reconnect with what truly matters, and explore where they might reclaim energy through
better boundaries, restored meaning, or simple rest. Health and Wellness Coaching doesn’t solve burnout overnight, but it can light the way back to wholeness.
Potential causes of burn-out in general can include:
- Having unrealistic expectations
- Having high responsibility, low control (or ability to help)
- A lack of recognition or monotonous work
- Your values don’t align with actions, behaviours or values in your organisation
- Excessive workload
- Little support
- An inability to say No
Burnout in Ourselves
And then there’s us.
We hold space for others, day after day—listening deeply, encouraging change, believing in people when they can’t believe in themselves. It’s meaningful work, but also emotionally demanding. Add in business pressures, perfectionism, or the drive to constantly “serve,” and we can find ourselves in the same depleted state we help clients navigate.
Some signs of burnout in Health and Wellness coaches might include: - Feeling emotionally flat or disconnected in sessions
- Resenting your schedule or dreading appointments
- Struggling to stay present or focused
- A loss of joy or passion for the work
- Neglecting your own wellbeing
Ironically, burnout can be hardest to spot in those who are deeply committed and caring. It’s not about weakness or failure. It’s about capacity—and the very human limits we all have.
Recovering and Rebuilding
Whether it’s a client or ourselves, recovery from burnout starts with awareness and permission. Permission to rest. Permission to not be everything to everyone. Permission to say no, even to good things.
Here are a few gentle reminders—for clients, and for ourselves:
- Rest is productive. Rest restores capacity and clarity.
- Boundaries are kind. They protect our energy and preserve our integrity.
- Joy matters. Fun, creativity, and connection are not luxuries—they’re lifelines.
- We’re allowed to receive support. Supervision, peer circles, therapy, nature, breathwork—whatever helps you feel resourced, not just responsible.
A Health and Wellness Coaching Community That Cares
The beauty of our profession is that we understand transformation. We know it begins with awareness and grows through compassion, courage, and choice.
As coaches, we can model what it means to care for ourselves while caring for others. That starts with honest conversations—with our peers, our communities, and within ourselves.
So, this month, we invite you to check in: How are you, really?
What would it feel like to give yourself the same care and curiosity you offer your clients?
Let’s keep holding space—not just for others, but for each other.
