What Coaches Need to Know About Burnout (But Usually Don’t)
Most coaches believe they can spot burnout. After all, it looks obvious right?
Tired clients, poor boundaries, too much on their plate. Simple!
Wrong.
Burnout doesn’t always look like exhaustion. It doesn’t always look like overwhelm. In fact, the closer someone is to burnout, the harder it is to see - and the easier it is for a coach to miss.
And the uncomfortable truth is that when coaches don’t understand burnout properly, they can make it worse.
Why “Coaching as Usual” Doesn’t Work.
Traditional coaching approaches assume that clients have the capacity to make changes, set goals, and take consistent action, after all, that’s what we’ve been trained in. And the tools and techniques we’ve been trained in work beautifully when a client is resourced, regulated, and steady.
But burnout changes the rules.
- A client might nod along in session, commit to actions, even get excited, but between sessions, the dysregulated nervous system makes follow-through impossible.
- A coach might push for clarity or boundaries, not realising that the client’s sense of self is eroded, and “saying no” feels unsafe.
- A client might perform wellness for the coach - journaling, meditating, showing up with a smile - but inside, they’re numb and dissociated.
When coaches miss these signs, they can unknowingly accelerate the very burnout their client is struggling with.
The Blind Spots Coaches Miss.
Here’s what burnout-aware coaching reveals and what so many coaches miss:
- Compliance ≠ Capacity. Just because a client does what you ask doesn’t mean they’re thriving. They might be performing to please you, while their body is shutting down.
- Exhaustion hides in performance. Many clients at burnout still look “together.” They deliver, they show up, they smile. It’s only underneath that collapse is waiting.
- The brain is not online. Decision-making, focus, and creativity are impaired. Asking a client to “get clear on their values” or “map their 10-year vision” is like asking someone with a broken leg to run a marathon.
- Somatic signs matter. If you’re only listening to words and goals, you’ll miss the shallow breathing, the fidgeting, the flatness in tone and the body screaming out about what the client can’t articulate.
What Coaches Need to Do Differently.
Being burnout-aware as a coach isn’t about adding “self-care tips” to your toolkit. It’s about recognising when coaching alone isn’t enough, and when the frame of your work has to shift.
That means:
- Learning how burnout impacts the brain, body, and behaviour.
- Knowing the red flags that show when a client is close to collapse.
- Slowing the pace when the nervous system is fried - not speeding it up.
- Holding the client with awareness, not just cheerleading them toward more action.
It also means being humble enough to say: “This isn’t about goals right now. This is about recovery.”
Why This Matters.
Coaches hold power.
The questions you ask, the pace you set, the frameworks you use - they all impact whether your client moves towards healing or deeper harm.
If you’re not burnout-aware, you risk reinforcing the very culture that your clients are trying to escape. You risk pushing them back into survival mode, when what they actually need is space, slowness, and recognition.
A Call to Coaches.
If you coach, you need to understand burnout properly. And I’m not just talking about reciting the WHO definition and the “12 stages.” Nor am I just talking about the Instagram tips about balance and boundaries.
You need to know the neuroscience. The somatic impact. The way that identity erodes. The way burnout hides in plain sight.
Because your clients don’t just need a coach who can set goals. They need a coach who can see the truth of where they are - and work with them safely, ethically, and effectively.
Coaching burnout isn’t about being softer, or about being harsher. It’s about being aware. Burnout-aware.
And if you’re not, you might not just miss what’s really going on. You might be contributing to it. That’s not ethical coaching. That’s harm.
This is exactly why I created the Burnout Academy - to train coaches in the science, the somatics, and the signs that traditional coach training never covers.
Because your clients deserve better than “business as usual.” And you deserve to know you’re working safely, ethically, and effectively.
Kelly
I’m daring to imagine a world where Burnout no longer exists, and if you’re daring to imagine a world like that too, then come and join me.
- Connect with me on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the Burnout Bulletin - my weekly email that gives you the insights you won’t find on LinkedIn
- Join me in the Burnout Academy - because Burnout ends with Awareness