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Against this backdrop, a new profession has emerged: that of burnout coaches. These professionals, still little-known just a few years ago, are rapidly gaining in popularity, particularly in Western countries such as the USA and Canada. They position themselves as guides for burned-out employees, offering advice and support designed to help their clients regain a balance between professional and personal life.
Unlike licensed psychologists or therapists, burn-out coaches are not usually mental health professionals. Their skills are often based on certification from bodies such as the International Coaching Federation. What sets them apart is their practical and sometimes more accessible approach. Some, like Jana Cook, a former financial services employee in Canada, use their own experience of burn-out to support those going through similar situations.
Jana Cook recounts having suffered from burn-out twice in her life. Early signs of the condition included sleep disturbances, extreme fatigue, and difficulty in completing daily tasks. For her, these episodes were a wake-up call, prompting her to review her priorities and learn to better manage her stress. Today, she uses her personal experience to counsel individuals facing similar challenges, calling herself a burn-out prevention and recovery coach.
This type of coach focuses on practical methods to help individuals regain control of their lives. In a world of intensifying workloads and rising expectations, many people find comfort in this less formal approach than that offered by traditional therapy. However, this fast-growing profession also raises questions about the quality of the advice provided and the lack of strict regulation.
While some coaches, like Jana Cook, base their practice on real experience of burn-out and strive to provide concrete help, others seem to offer superficial solutions. For example, Gabrielle Flax, a 28-year-old coach, has shared on TikTok a series of tips for improving work-life balance. Among her recommendations, she suggests putting your smartphone on focus mode to receive only important notifications, or having a clean laundry basket to quickly choose an outfit and thus reduce what she calls “decision fatigue”. Ideas that, while seemingly simple, have drawn criticism.
Inc.com, a media outlet specializing in the business world, described this advice as “terribly wrong” and contrary to science. The magazine refers to a psychology expert, Sabine Sonnetag, who explains that the real solutions to stress are to indulge in activities that we enjoy and that stimulate us. According to this psychologist, to truly recharge your batteries, it's crucial to get out of your routine and do things that challenge you. Suggestions like Gabrielle Flax's, based on minor adjustments to daily life, are seen as temporary palliatives that don't tackle the root causes of burn-out.
This highlights one of the main criticisms levelled at burn-out coaches: the lack of a solid scientific framework or genuine expertise in mental health. Indeed, the profession is not strictly regulated, which means that almost anyone can call themselves a coach, provided they have a quick certification or sometimes even without a specific diploma. This lack of regulation can lead to abuses, with some people relying on unfounded theories to advise individuals in distress.
Despite these criticisms, it's undeniable that the profession of burn-out coach meets a real need. Indeed, although burn-out is now recognized as a serious condition by the World Health Organization (WHO), a persistent stigma still surrounds mental health, particularly in professional circles. For many, consulting a psychologist or therapist is seen as a sign of weakness, especially in competitive work environments where performance is paramount.
With this in mind, some choose to turn to burn-out coaches. Brett Linzer, a pediatrician from Wisconsin, told the New York Times that he preferred to discuss his problems with a coach rather than a therapist, precisely because of the stigma surrounding mental health in the medical profession. For him, a coach's more informal approach makes the process less intimidating and more tailored to his needs.
In addition, burn-out coaches often offer shorter, more focused sessions than traditional therapists. Their advice is also more directly linked to the world of work, with an emphasis on practical techniques for better managing mental workload, professional relationships and time organization. This pragmatic dimension appeals to many people who don't necessarily want to commit themselves to a particular course of action.
The profession of burn-out coach is still relatively young, and is likely to evolve over time. One of the industry's main expectations is that coaches should be better regulated to ensure that they are properly trained and do not further endanger their clients' mental health. Initiatives to structure the profession already exist, but remain insufficient in the eyes of some psychology experts.
At the same time, the growing popularity of burnout coaches reflects a broader shift in thinking about stress management in the workplace. More and more companies are recognizing the importance of employee well-being and investing in burnout prevention programs. Initiatives such as wellness leave, flexible working hours and the promotion of a work culture that respects personal limits are all signs that society is becoming more aware of the need to preserve mental health in the workplace.
