By Folake Balogun

It usually starts quietly. You tell yourself you’re just a little tired. That this pace is normal. That you just need to get through the week… the month… this next project. Until suddenly, you’ve lost your spark.

As a mentor and guide for ambitious women, I’ve seen this pattern all too often, and lived it myself. For over a decade, I ran an award-winning video production company, where we produced content for the likes of Tony Robbins and Selena Gomez. On paper, it looked like a dream. But behind the scenes, I was exhausted, overgiving, and running on empty. Something that will later on affect not just my health, but my relationship and the business as a whole.

The organisational and economic toll of burnout

So, burnout isn’t just a personal crisis, it has ripple effects across teams, companies, and economies. In the UK alone, work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 17.1 million lost working days in a single year, costing the economy approximately £28 billion through absenteeism, reduced productivity, and staff turnover (Health and Safety Executive (HSE) 2023 report)

For women, the cost is even more acute. A Deloitte report found that nearly 40% of women actively seeking new employment cited burnout as the primary reason. Talented women are stepping away from leadership, leaving promising careers and industries where they once thrived. Often, this decision comes not from lack of ambition, but from a system that fails to honour their energy, cycles, and contributions.

When organisations fail to support women with holistic wellbeing strategies, flexible working structures, and cultural shifts that encourage rest and restoration, they lose some of their greatest assets. And our wider economy loses powerful leaders, innovators, and creators who would otherwise help shape the future.

It’s time to do things differently. Not just for ourselves, but for the generations of women coming after us.

The personal and energetic dimension of burnout

Burnout is not just physical exhaustion, it’s an energetic depletion that impacts how we think, feel, and relate to ourselves and others. And while rest and boundaries are essential, there’s a deeper layer many women overlook: the energetic dimension of burnout.

This is where the concept of Big Energy comes in, something i talk about in relation to burnout and more.

Big Energy is the part of you that exists beyond the roles, the titles, and the daily to-do list. It’s the version of you that is expansive, intuitive, powerful. Here, you will realise that it’s not about doing more, and more about transforming the way you live, work, and create.

So, what’s really at the root of burnout?

For many women, burnout stems from a deep misalignment. We’ve been taught to live in our heads, to plan, control, and perform. We’ve disconnected from the body, from joy, from the deeper rhythms of life.

We override our intuition. We power through red flags. We silence the voice that says, “This isn’t working.”

And yet, the body always knows.

In my case, it knew before I did. In 2009, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour – a wake-up call that led me on a decade-long journey of healing, spiritual reconnection, and energy mastery. That journey became the foundation of my new book, Big Energy: A Mystical Guide to Reclaiming Your Power, which shares the tools I now use to help women around the world move from burnout into freedom, purpose, and vitality.

A new way to restore your energy

Healing burnout is not just about taking time off. It’s about creating a new inner ecosystem, one that restores, replenishes, and re-grounds you.

Here’s where to begin:

Start with the nervous system

Burnout is often a result of chronic dysregulation. Learn to recognise your stress patterns. Practice grounding techniques like breathwork, cold water immersion, or even simple stillness for a few minutes each day.

Reconnect with your energy body

Energetic burnout is real. You might look fine externally, but internally feel depleted. Practices like visualisation, energy clearing, or meditative movement help restore flow and clear blockages. It’s not about being ‘woo’ — it’s about feeling whole again.

Honour your cycles

We are cyclical beings. And yet we’re taught to operate like machines. Pay attention to when your energy is naturally higher or lower and adjust accordingly. It’s okay to create space, slow down, or pivot.

Redefine success

Many women burnout chasing definitions of success that were never truly theirs. What does success feel like to you? Spaciousness? Freedom? Joy? Let this guide your decisions – not just the metrics.

Anchor in the body

Your body holds wisdom your mind can’t access. The more you tune in, the more you start to feel when something is off. Dance. Walk. Rest. Nourish. Let your body become a trusted compass again.

You don’t need to force your way back

Here is another perspective, I’d like you to consider… Burnout doesn’t mean you’re broken or something to feel bad about. It is also an opportunity to start afresh, a nudge from the universe that you are ready to live differently… more softly, more consciously, more aligned with who you truly are.

If you take anything from this, let it be this: You are allowed to recalibrate. You are allowed to rest. And you are allowed to lead a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.

Start small. Get a journal. Light a candle. Give yourself permission to stop, breathe, and feel again.

And most importantly, start creating stronger boundaries (with love).

Because on the other side of burnout is not just recovery – it’s a return to your Big Energy.

And she’s been waiting for you.

About the author

Folake Balogun is the author of Big Energy: A Mystical Guide to Reclaiming Your Power. She is a mentor and intuitive energy guide for ambitious women, supporting them to elevate their impact, restore their vitality, and lead from freedom. You can connect with her at https://folakebalogun.com or listen to her podcast The Inner Power Game at https://innerpowergame.co.uk/the-podcast/