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When Burnout Becomes Cynicism
"My problem isn't just getting through the workday. It's that I've stopped believing that it's going to get any better." If that sounds like you, you may be struggling with more than just tiredness - and it's a surprisingly common pattern. The truth is we have been naming #work exhaustion for a long time. In 1869, neurologist George Miller Beard called it neurasthenia, a nervous exhaustion from the pace of modern industrial life. A century later, Herbert Freudenberger gave it

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
May 272 min read


Burn-on: the high-functioning burnout no one sees
How can I be burning out and still keep going? Someone once described it to me as feeling like a car running on the reserve tank. You’re still moving but you’re ignoring the red light signaling low fuel on your dashboard. I’ve heard versions of this more times than I can count, in #coaching sessions, exit interviews and individual conversations with people who were DOING absolutely fine, and yet, not FEELING fine. So, what is actually going on here? A 2024 DHR Global survey o

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
May 142 min read


What happens to your sense of self when the job title disappears?
There’s a moment in a Simone Stolzoff talk that gets me every time. He’s at a hostel. He asks a Chilean man, "What do you do?" The man responds, "You mean for work?", genuinely puzzled, as if the question could obviously be about dozens of other things. Across sectors, organizations have been shedding layers, and the middle management tier has taken some of the heaviest cuts. These are not people who lost a #job and will find the same one elsewhere next quarter. Many of them

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
May 52 min read


Positive News to End the Year on a High Note (Part 2)
If you scroll long enough, you'd think the world of #work is only getting worse. But that's not entirely true. In 2025, some things genuinely moved in the right direction, and beyond that, there are quietly uplifting shifts taking place and real opportunities starting to form. That's why, in this two-part post, I'm choosing to focus on hope. Here's my take as we head into the new year. AI Is No Longer a Concept. It's a Working Tool. Stanford's 2025 #AI Index confirmed somethi

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
Dec 31, 20252 min read


Sparking Leadership #17 - Happy leaders make great leaders
As I head off for a summer break, I'm taking a moment to reflect on a year in leadership that has been as rewarding as it has been challenging. It’s been a year of guiding teams, offering solutions, and being the steady presence everyone can count on. But in moments of quiet honesty, I'll admit there were times when my energy was completely gone. It's tempting to see this as a failure but, in reality, I was just feeling the emotional toll of constantly wearing the "leader mas

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
Aug 6, 20252 min read


Sparking Leadership #6: Why burnout feels different when you're leading
When you're the one people count on, there's no room to fall apart. So you power through, show up every day and pretend that everything...

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
May 29, 20252 min read


✨ 2024 in Reflection: Progress, Hope, and Holiday Wishes ✨
If there’s one lesson 2024 taught me—painfully, but powerfully—it’s the importance of forcing myself to look for the positives, even when...

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
Dec 24, 20242 min read


What would you do with your time and career if money wasn’t an issue?
Imagine waking up tomorrow and knowing that all your basic needs are covered. What would you do with your time and career?

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
Sep 6, 20242 min read


How to ensure your time off leaves you fully recharged
Have you ever come back from a holiday feeling even more tired and drained than before? Taking time off work to recharge your energy is...

Christina - Spark Back Coaching
Jul 22, 20243 min read
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