Burn Bright, Don't Burn Out: How Leaders Can Reclaim Their Energy, Focus, and Purpose

Navigating the Fine Line Between Optimal Performance and Burnout in Today's High-Pressure World

In our latest edition of Facing Disruption’s The Experimenter’s Mindset webcast, we speak with executive depth coach Charlie Gibson and explore the complex nature of burnout, its hidden causes, and practical strategies for reclaiming energy and purpose. Through evidence-based frameworks and real-world examples, they offer a refreshing perspective on how leaders can recognize the early signs of burnout and realign with their authentic selves.

When I think back on the most challenging periods of my career, what stands out isn’t just the long hours or relentless deadlines-it’s that nagging sense of disconnection from what truly matters to me. That’s why I was so energized to sit down with my longtime friend and colleague, Charlie Gibson, for this edition of the Experimenter’s Mindset webcast.

Charlie is an executive depth coach with over two decades in tech leadership, a background in Jungian psychology and social neuroscience, and a lay Buddhist teacher. Together, we explored not just the mechanics of burnout, but how leaders can reclaim their energy, focus, and purpose-so we burn bright, not out.

The Hidden Nature of Burnout

Burnout has become increasingly prevalent in our fast-paced world, especially over the past five years. Charlie Gibson, an executive depth coach with over 20 years of experience leading teams in the tech industry and an ordained Buddhist teacher, brings a unique perspective to understanding this phenomenon.

According to Charlie, burnout is more than just exhaustion or heavy workload-it's a sign that you've drifted too far from your inner truth. "Burnout arises when we override the needs of the body, when you silence your emotions, when you lose touch with your deeper self," Charlie explains. It's essentially a call to realignment, a signal to reclaim your energy and return to wholeness.

This "inner truth" refers to your deeper self-not your job title or the roles you play, but where you house your vision, values, creativity, and sense of meaning. When burnout occurs, there's a fundamental disconnection between this authentic self and the expectations or demands of the external world.

What makes burnout particularly challenging to identify is that it can sneak up on you. As Charlie notes, "Burnout makes that consistent strain feel like the new normal." One of his clients appeared to be thriving professionally-hitting deadlines and receiving top marks-yet felt completely numb inside, experiencing physical symptoms like jaw tension and stomach knots before even opening her laptop each morning.

Understanding Stress: Acute vs. Chronic

To better understand burnout, it's important to distinguish between different types of stress. Acute stress is a short-term response to challenges like tight deadlines or high-stakes presentations. While this type of stress spikes temporarily, it typically resolves once the moment passes.

The real danger emerges with chronic stress-a state of tension that never turns off. This constant pressure and vigilance builds up over time, especially when we consistently override our inner signals by pushing through exhaustion or disconnecting from what truly fuels us.

Charlie shared the Yerkes-Dodson model, which illustrates the relationship between stress and performance. This curve shows that moderate stress can actually optimize performance, but only when it's aligned with meaning and purpose. As Charlie explains, "We thrive when challenge meets meaning."

The optimal zone isn't universal-it varies for each person depending on their unique background, experiences, and inner truth. Finding your personal balance requires listening to yourself rather than pushing harder.

The Surprising Cousin of Burnout: Bore-out

An interesting twist in the conversation was the introduction of "bore-out"-the lesser-known cousin of burnout. While burnout stems from doing too much, bore-out results from doing too little that's meaningful to you.

Bore-out involves a slow erosion of motivation and meaning, reflecting a disconnection from what energizes us. When experiencing bore-out, you're under-challenged and under-stimulated; your work feels empty because you're not doing what matters or what lights you up.

As Charlie succinctly put it: "Burnout will shout, bore-out whispers. But both are asking the same thing: Where did I lose connection to what matters most?"

Surprisingly, it's possible to experience both burnout and bore-out simultaneously-feeling unfulfilled yet stretched too thin and exhausted. This often happens when there's a significant misalignment between your actions and your inner values.

Common Causes and Risk Factors

Our conversation highlighted several common causes of burnout in today's workplace:

Unrelenting pressure to deliver and scale is a major factor, particularly in fast-paced environments like tech companies. This constant demand to perform can gradually erode your connection to what truly matters.

Lack of psychological safety or autonomy also contributes significantly. Charlie referenced Amy Edmondson's definition of psychological safety-an environment where you can trust others, be yourself, admit when you don't understand something, and take risks without fear of judgment.

Constant cognitive context switching and decision fatigue drain mental energy, while disconnection from meaningful outcomes makes work feel purposeless.

A lack of community has become increasingly problematic, especially in remote work environments. Charlie emphasized the importance of having at least one person at work whom you can trust and confide in-someone who understands the nuances of your work context.

Internal factors like perfectionism, rumination, and inflexibility can also drive burnout, as can unconscious behaviors and hidden beliefs about success, worth, or identity.

Different demographics experience burnout differently. Charlie noted that Gen Z workers report burnout at significantly higher rates (86%) compared to Baby Boomers (54%). Executives often struggle with loneliness and isolation, middle managers with work overload, and staff-level employees with feeling voiceless or like "just a cog in the wheel."

The Path to Reclaiming Energy and Purpose

Rather than simply managing burnout, Charlie advocates for relating to it differently. He introduced a framework called "Pause, Presence, and Practice" to help reconnect with your inner compass:

Pause: This first step involves recognizing burnout signals like fatigue or emotional flatness. It's about slowing down enough to ask, "What have I been pushing past in order to keep performing?" Charlie suggests keeping a stress reflection journal to log pressure points and become aware of what might be leading to burnout.

Presence: The second step involves coming back to your body, breath, and the present moment. Ask yourself: "What story am I in? What value am I ignoring or dismissing?" This isn't about meditating away uncomfortable feelings or reframing them with toxic positivity-it's about making space for whatever is showing up, whether it's grief, exhaustion, worry, or resentment.

Practice: The final step is taking small, values-aligned actions to reconnect with what matters to you. Ask yourself: "What next action feels true to who I really am?" This is about choosing steps that honor both what you're feeling and who you truly are.

Charlie emphasized that this framework isn't a quick fix but a practice that develops over time. As you engage with it, you'll gain insights about what really matters to you and the boundaries you want to set in your work and life.

Finding What Works for You

With countless frameworks and strategies available for managing stress and burnout, how do you know which ones will actually work for you? Charlie suggests asking yourself: "Which one supports the life and leadership I want to live?"

Many high achievers are so outwardly driven that they haven't paused to consider what they're optimizing for. Without this alignment to purpose, even evidence-based approaches can feel performative and ineffective.

You'll know a strategy is working when it brings you back to yourself-when you feel more grounded, your decisions feel cleaner, your nervous system settles, and you experience coherence between who you are and what you're doing. Conversely, if you're forcing it or feeling guilt, resistance, or shame for "not doing it right," that's a signal the approach may not be right for you.

Charlie advises asking whether a framework reinforces connection to your values or merely reinforces survival patterns like perfectionism or people-pleasing. The best strategies support your authentic becoming and align with your inner truth.

As we navigate the complex terrain of modern work life, the message is clear: burnout isn't inevitable. By learning to recognize the signs, pausing to listen to our inner wisdom, and taking aligned action, we can reclaim our energy, focus, and purpose-burning bright rather than burning out.

🧾Grab a copy of Coach Charlie’s burnout resources: https://bit.ly/43yAlW3

🫂Connect with Coach Charlie Gibson: https://coachcharlie.com/

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