Why You’re Burnt Out: The 3 Hidden Causes of Burnout for Executives, Entrepreneurs and High-Performers
Burnout is everywhere right now. You’ve probably felt it yourself: the exhaustion, the frustration, the quiet moment where you wonder, "Is it supposed to be this hard?"
Here’s what most people miss, though—there’s no one-size-fits-all cause of burnout, and there’s definitely no one-size-fits-all fix. After years of working with entrepreneurs, executives, physicians, leaders, and other high-performing humans, I’ve found that burnout usually traces back to one (or more) of three root causes.
The 3 reasons you’re feeling burnt-out . . .
1. You’re in a High-Burnout Role or Field
Some professions are practically designed to burn people out.
If you’re a CEO, physician, founder, or anyone who’s constantly “on,” you probably get far less uninterrupted time than you realize — CEOs, for example, average just 28 minutes of uninterrupted time per day.
That’s not a personal failing
That’s a systems problem
When the demands are nonstop, your brain never gets a chance to regulate or recalibrate.
What helps:
Set clearer boundaries around your time
Delegate more intentionally
Reevaluate the parts of your role that are truly aligned with your values
Build in structured “white space” so your brain can recover
Your nervous system isn’t built for 24/7 urgency. No one’s is.
2. You Have Internal Vulnerabilities to Burnout
For many high performers, burnout shows up because of how you’re wired or what you’ve lived through:
ADHD
Anxiety
Trauma from growing up in poverty
Being the “responsible one” your whole life
Early conditioning to over-function, overextend, and overdeliver
Those old lessons — Work harder. Push through. Don’t rest. Don’t slow down. — don’t just disappear when you become successful. In fact, it’s these lessons that probably got you to this level of success (but it’s these same lessons that now cause you to suffer).
Here’s the reframe:
Doing less is not laziness
Doing less is medicine
Try this: Choose one thing you want to do and one thing you need to do each day. Everything else? Bonus.
Your brain (and body) will thank you.
3. The Patriarchy (Yes, We’re Naming It)
Women in leadership face a unique cocktail of expectations, pressure, and invisible labor.
Working twice as hard for half the recognition…
Being the default parent or household manager…
Carrying the mental load even while running companies…
That chronic overextension is burnout fuel. And even though you shouldn’t have to set boundaries around things that should be fair by default, the reality is: until things change, boundaries are a survival strategy.
What helps:
Redistribute the household and mental load
Speak up about inequities — at home, at work, in partnerships
Build support systems that don’t rely on you doing everything
Practice receiving help (a growth edge for many high-achieving women)
Naming the issue doesn’t excuse it — it liberates you from taking personal blame for it.
Burnout Isn’t a Failure — It’s a Signal
Burnout isn’t a character flaw, a weakness, or proof that you “can’t handle it.” It’s your nervous system waving a white flag.
And the moment you recognize your burnout pattern, you can start changing it.
If This Hits Home . . .
📬 Share this post with someone who needs to hear that their burnout isn’t their fault.
📞 Reach out if you’re ready for support untangling your own burnout roots — and building a way of working that actually honors your brain, your body, and your values.
You don’t have to hustle your way out of exhaustion. You just need a calmer, more strategic way forward — and that’s exactly what I help people build.