If you’re experiencing burnout, stuck in a job that no longer fits, and wondering what’s next, you’re not alone. If you’re feeling emotionally exhausted, drained by the daily grind, and dreaming of something more meaningful, this post is for you.
You Don’t Have to Stay Stuck
So many of my clients come to me with the same question, “Is this all there is?” They’ve climbed the ladder, checked all the boxes, and yet—something’s missing. What’s worse, they feel guilty for even thinking of leaving their “good job.” Sound familiar?
That’s exactly how Ricardo felt. He was a brilliant marketing director at a global company, managing multiple teams and flying around the world. On paper, he had it all. But inside? He was collapsing. He described waking up each morning with a weight in his chest, dragging himself through endless Zoom calls, then collapsing at night, too wired to sleep, but too exhausted to think. The weekends weren’t enough anymore. And vacation? Just a brief pause in a life that felt more like survival than success.
Burnout Is A Sign You Need a Change
Burnout isn’t a personal failure—it’s your inner compass begging you to stop and listen. That restlessness, the fatigue, even the Sunday dread—it’s all pointing you toward change.
When Ricardo first came to me, he didn’t say, “I want a new career.” He said, “I can’t keep doing this.” And that’s often the first step—not having the answers, but having the honesty to admit that something has to change.
If you’re feeling this too, then take heart. It means you’re ready. Change often starts with discomfort. Your job doesn’t have to be toxic to be wrong for you. Sometimes we simply outgrow the roles we once loved. Sometimes our priorities change as well, meaning it is time to consider a new direction in life.
Practical Steps to Move Forward
Here’s what I told Ricardo—and what I tell every client who’s burned out, but afraid to make a move.
1. Give Yourself Permission to Be Stress-Free. You are allowed to want a career that excites you, not just one that pays the bills. That desire is not selfish—it’s a clue to your deeper purpose.
2. Don’t Quit—Yet. Unless you’re in a truly abusive or dangerous situation, keep your current job while you explore new options. You’ll reduce fear and make wiser choices. Moonlight. Use vacation days to experiment. Start exploring without throwing everything away. See if you can take a sabbatical. At a minimum, take a long weekend break to get some perspective.
3. Create a Vision of Your Ideal Work Life. In my book Coach Yourself to a New Career, I walk readers through a powerful journaling exercise where you describe your ideal day. Where do you work? Who are you with? What are you doing? Start with your vision—not your résumé. Imagine your fairy godmother came with a magic wand, what would you ask for in your ideal career and life?
4. Understand What Drains—and What Energizes—You. Keep a journal for two weeks. Note when you feel drained and when you feel alive. You’ll start to see patterns. Burnout is often about mismatched energy, not incompetence.
5. Take the Career Change Assessments. This is where our Career Change Kit comes in. It gives you concrete data—your thinking style, your natural strengths, your personality traits. When you understand how you’re wired, you can find a career that fits you like a glove. Ricardo was stunned to find he was hardwired for strategy and teaching, not operations. No wonder he was drained!
Ricardo’s New Life
Six months after we began, Ricardo left corporate life. But not in a reckless way. He started teaching marketing part-time at a design school—something he had always dreamed of but thought he wasn’t “qualified” for. Turns out, his decades of experience made him an ideal instructor. He now splits his time between teaching, consulting with small ethical brands, and running creativity retreats in Costa Rica. He says he’s never been happier—or healthier. “I wake up excited,” he told me. “I feel like myself again.”
Final Thoughts: Listen to the Burnout
Burnout isn’t the end—it’s your beginning. It’s your soul asking for something more, something deeper. A life aligned with your true self.
You don’t need to have all the answers today. You just need to take the first small steps. Start journaling. Take the assessments. Envision your ideal life. Explore. Experiment. Get support. That’s how it starts.
Ready for a Change? The Career Change Kit Can Help
If you’re nodding along and thinking, “Yes, this is me—I’m burned out and ready for something new,” then you’re already on your way. And the good news is, you don’t have to figure it out alone. The Career Change Kit is a powerful online tool I created specifically for this kind of transition. It includes a series of professional, computerized assessments that reveal how you’re naturally wired, your strengths, how you think, your energy style, and even how far into the future you naturally plan. It also explores whether you’re more introverted or extroverted, how you process information, and what types of roles or environments you’ll thrive in.
