“Making It Work” – A Series on Small Business Resilience
“Making It Work” is a series that delves into the journey of small-business owners navigating challenging times.
When Karen Schiro, a dedicated real estate agent from Fairfax Station, Va., found herself on the brink of burnout, she made a pivotal decision to seek assistance from a burnout coach, Ellyn Schinke, who operates from Tacoma, Wash. Admitting her state, Karen, aged 45, confessed, “I knew that I was burned out and I just didn’t know how to fix it.”
Through six months of consistent weekly video sessions, Karen underwent a transformative journey with Ms. Schinke. Together, they worked on streamlining her overwhelming to-do lists. Karen shared that seemingly minor adjustments like adding a note in her email signature stating non-responsiveness after 6 p.m. felt trivial initially. However, it was the external perspective that helped pinpoint these crucial changes.
“When you’re burned out, it’s hard to think of those things and implement them,” Karen reflected.
Even before the upheaval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization had acknowledged burnout. In 2019, it characterized this chronic workplace stress by three key indicators: exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness, all of which hinder self-recovery, as noted by Michael P. Leiter, an esteemed professor emeritus at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, specializing in burnout studies.
Leiter explained, “It’s hard, at that point, to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. It’s really helpful to have a secondary point of view or some emotional support.”
Introducing the Burnout Coach – bridging the gap between psychotherapy and career coaching, the role of a burnout coach operates without formal credentials and oversight, making it an easily accessible resource. The title of ‘burnout coach’ can sometimes be casually adopted, making it essential to discern genuine expertise.
