Lucy Gernon (00:05.23)
Three subtle signs that you are burning out the high achieving women leaders often miss, even if you're feeling okay. That's exactly what I'm going to be talking about on this week's episode of the 360 Leadership podcast because it's not the obvious kind. I'm talking about the quiet burnout, the kind that shows up subtly in ways that you may not even notice until it's already affecting your energy, your decision making and your confidence.
Just last week, a 360 client told me that she had been starting to feel more irritated, snapping at her partner. She started to wake up at 3 a.m. thinking about work. when we unpacked it in our group coaching call, it was clear that even though she had access to all of the tools in 360, she hadn't been shown up for the sessions and burnout began to creep in. So that was so cool because we were able to get her back on track because she was still functioning. So she didn't really think it was counted.
So in this week's episode of the show, I'm going to share three subtle but powerful signs that you might be on the verge of burnout. Even if you feel like you're getting things done and you're okay. And of course, as always, I'm going to give you some clarity on exactly what to do about it.
Lucy Gernon (01:18.478)
Hi there and welcome back to another episode of the 360 Leadership Podcast. I am your host Lucy Gernon. And I just want to say firstly, if you have been a long time podcast listener, I can't believe it, but we are going to be approaching 200 episodes really, really soon on the show. We have covered everything from confidence to mindset to leadership. We've had the most amazing guests on and I just want to say how much I value you.
And also, I really want to hear from you. I feel like sometimes I'm talking into the abyss, as my daughter Kate says. She's nine. She's so funny. I feel like I'm talking into the abyss because I'd love to hear back from you. So if we send an email out, I have written that email with love and care. I would love for you to reply and let me know what you're enjoying about the show, what topics you'd like to see, what guests you'd like to see, and it will just help us to improve. And if you haven't already subscribed to our YouTube channel.
please subscribe to our YouTube channel. We put these up on video as well so that if you're at home at the weekend and you want to sit down and you want to have some video and we have some face-to-face time together, me and you, please listen to it on YouTube if you are not already. And please just spread the word about the show so that we can help other women in leadership as well. All right. So first of all, we are going to talk about burnout. Now, as somebody who has been on the verge of burnout many, many times, I am
quite good at catching myself and slowing myself down. I tend to wait until the last minute, right? But I still get myself off the cliff. But there might be some signs that you're unaware of, all right, first of all, that are linked to burnout because burnout isn't just exhaustion. And when we think of burnout, often imagine somebody who's lying on the couch, unable to move. But burnout for high achievers does not always look like collapse.
What it looks like is control, like over-functioning and perfectionism and always being on. You're showing up, you're delivering, but you're doing it at a cost. And today, I really want to shine a light on this for you so that you can see those costs before they become unmanageable. Now, if work-life balance is a challenge for you and you feel like you are on the verge of burnout, I have created a free guide.
Lucy Gernon (03:36.814)
called the ultimate guide to real work-life balance for women in senior leadership. And in this guide, I share my Survive to Thrive work-life balance system, which is the first five steps that you need to take to begin to reclaim control of your time. The guide is beautifully designed. has some really practical tools that lots of women have told me they've shared with their teams. They've printed off and put in their offices and they've shared it with friends. So please go and grab the guide. It's totally free.
head over to lucygarden.com forward slash balance. All right, so first of all, I need to talk with the elephant in the room. If you can hear a little bit of background noise, my son is actually mowing the lawn as I'm recording this podcast. So I really hope the sound is okay, but I don't want to stop him because he's 18 almost, I can't even believe I'm saying that and he's in the mood. So I really hope that the audio quality is okay. So let's get into the three signs. The first sign is that
you are more reactive than usual. This is a sure sign, right? If you start to be more reactive and more snappy, you might find yourself getting snappy with your kids or your partner or getting irrationally annoyed at your team. Little things that feel really big to you. And this is often a sign that your nervous system is dysregulated. Now, when we throw menopause and perimenopause and hormones into the mix, like God love us, no wonder we burn out half the time.
But this is a sure sign that there's something not right. I talk a lot about being in alignment with your true self, and this is a sure sign from your inner being, the essence of who you are, your spirit, your soul, whatever you want to call it, telling you, come back to me. It's not supposed to be this hard. You're running on empty, right? Without your adrenaline properly recovering.
One of my clients said she started crying over an email that normally wouldn't have phased her. And this was a huge red flag because if you're noticing emotional spikes, irritability or a short fuse, it's not a flaw. It's a signal. It's a signal from your inner being. It's a signal from your body saying, girl, there's something not right here. You've got to get yourself back on track. OK, so that's the first one. Are you being more reactive? Are you more irritable?
Lucy Gernon (05:57.934)
That could be a sign that burnout was just around the corner. The second sign is that your sleep is disturbed. Now, I know that a lot of women struggle with sleep and especially at this time of life, most of my clients would be around my age plus or minus five years, maybe seven, maybe eight. I work with women in 40s and 50s typically. And obviously at that time of life, our sleep becomes disturbed anyway.
Mine doesn't, thank God. I've always been a good sleeper, but I've got a really good bedtime routine that helps me to sleep. I've got my lovely lavender pillow spray. I do my LED face mask. I do my journaling and I have a really nice wind down ritual, which I really recommend for you if you're not already doing that. So you might be falling asleep fine. You might be falling to bed so exhausted and just collapse. But you might be waking up, you know, in the middle of the night, 3am or
some time thinking about your to-do list or a problem that you didn't get even close to solving that day that you know was going to come back and bite you in the ass tomorrow. Or maybe you're finding it hard to unwind at night because your mind just won't shut off. Because burnout, see, this is what I didn't realize until I spoke to my GP about this a few years ago. She told me that burnout affects our ability to down regulate. And I remember at the time,
When I was really, I mean, I worked myself stupid years ago, I literally had stopped dreaming because I couldn't remember. I literally couldn't remember. I had such shallow sleep because my brain really never fully relaxed. But thank God now I dream all of the time. I float off to my property in Spain and my yacht one day when I retire, just like the rest of you. But to be honest, I don't think I'll ever retire. I love what I do so much. But maybe I'll work from my villa in the sun. That's the dream.
But this is thing, right? If you're not sleeping properly, it's not just inconvenient. It's a real red flag that your system is overwhelmed. Okay. So how are you sleeping? And then the third sign is that, and this is a big one, right? You're getting things done, but you feel numb. Now this one is sneaky. You're ticking the boxes. You're going to meetings. You're replying to emails, but there's just no spark.
Lucy Gernon (08:15.65)
That's a sure sign. You might be feeling disconnected from your work and yourself. I had a client have spoken about her many times. Her name is Suzanne and she felt exactly like this. She was going to quit her career. She had climbed to VP level and was literally about to walk away from her corporate career. And we worked together and she got her spark back. And three years later, she's leading an even bigger. God, what's the word? She's not leading a division, but she is, I suppose. Yes, is.
She reports into the divisional president and she is has more time than ever before and she was going to walk away. Right. And this is because she was burnt out at the time. And actually, if you want to go and listen to her episode, it's episode 101 and she's sharing her journey from burnout to balance. So please go and listen to that episode. It's a really inspiring listen if you are leading at a senior level, because there's such a huge myth that if you are leading at executive level, you're on flights all the time. You're on 24 seven.
Yes, that is required at times. And yes, there is a lot of travel at that level. But there are ways like, for example, Suzanne, the last time I know she was in London, she was sent me a picture and she's like, I've gone for my run instead of taking that meeting I normally would have taken. And she's still protecting her time. But even even better than that, she's making an even bigger impact. This is the thing, right? When you when you face burnout head on and you do the work.
on and for yourself in terms of it's not just taking a couple of weeks off work. It's usually deep rooted mindset work that needs to be done. It's getting to the root of the drive behind your need to overachieve, behind your need for external validation, behind your need to like not to say yes and to, you know, all those things that we do. And that's obviously what I help a lot of women with in 360 meters club too. So we will be opening up some spots super soon. So if you're not already on our wait list and you're a podcast listener.
please get your name on the wait list. Like honestly, it doesn't have to be as hard as you're making it. I have so many tools that I can support you with and wait until you meet the women in the community. honestly, trust me, they're just amazing. They're just amazing. They're so inspiring. They help each other. They support each other through things and they're learning and developing and growing together. It's just, it's an amazing place. So go to 360LitersLove.com forward slash wait list and we will let you know. Now, if you are feeling burned out,
Lucy Gernon (10:37.282)
and you're like, I can't go on a waitlist. I need help right now. Please reach out to me because there may be opportunities and I always will. If I know you guys personally, this is the thing about building relationships that I speak to you about all the time in work. It's the same for the likes of this. Send me a DM. Let's get to know each other so that you'll be top of mind for me the next time we have a space that opens up. So please reach out to me. I don't want to see you stuck. OK, I really, really don't want anyone to be stuck because it doesn't have to be as hard as you're making it.
It really doesn't. You can lead with absolute powerhouse confidence. You can have so much time without working 24 seven or losing sleep or working yourself into the ground. OK, it's so, possible. Don't wait for it to get worse. OK, so that's it for this week's episode of the show. Now, if you want another little freebie, I'm all about the freebies today. If you are not already on my 360 Sunday night newsletter, you're totally missing out because I send out a motivational email every single week.
where I dive deeper into topics like this to help you to reset and calibrate and feel empowered going into the week ahead. It includes super juicy mindset shifts, practical tips for leadership, fresh news, behind the scenes content, getting to know me, getting to know you, all stuff you're going to use in work. Like so many tips we give, we give mindset the works. Often I give out free resources as well. So if you're not on my newsletter, head over to lucygarnon.com forward slash newsletter.
And if you don't see us, just check your junk. When I say us, me. If you don't see my name, check your junk or your promotions folder because sometimes it pops in there. Or if you just sign up in the link in the show notes, I promise you it is the leadership reset your week needs. comes out every single Sunday evening. Read it Sunday before you may forget and ready for the week Sunday evening or read it first thing Monday morning. And let's go together. So with that being said.
I would love to hear from you. really would. I love hearing from my podcast listeners. You guys are my favorite of all my platforms. I think I've got like 30 or 40 thousand across all my platforms. But my podcast peeps, you are my faves because if you're listening to me, you know I care. You're listening to me for a reason. We have a connection. So please reach out to me. You can reach out to me on LinkedIn. You can reach out to me on Instagram or you can just send me an email and just let me know what you're enjoying about the show.
Lucy Gernon (13:02.874)
and let me know what's resonating and please share this episode with another brilliant woman in leadership who might be quietly burning out with even without even realising it. And please let her know that she is absolutely not alone. But I promise it just doesn't have to be that hard if you're willing to do things differently, if you're willing to learn the skills and tools you're missing, if you're willing to show up for yourself and believe that you're actually worthy of that kind of support. I promise you, you can have a
amazing leadership career at senior level. You can have a life. You can have it all. I promise you, you absolutely can. So that's it for this week. Until next week, same time, same place. Bye for now. Have a great week.
