The Irony of the Healer

When Wellbeing Workers Burn Out

This is part of a special series for Foyht: Building Resilient Teams in High-Stress Environments, practical guidance for practitioners, clinic owners and small business leaders navigating the emotional, physical, and cultural demands of the wellbeing industry.

Written by HR Consultant Samantha Newton, the series explores how we can move beyond burnout, embed real resilience, and create workplaces that protect the people doing the healing, not just the clients they serve.

As an HR consultant working closely with health and wellbeing businesses, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard this story. Different names. Same quiet despair.

Let’s talk about Sarah.

A gifted chiropractor, the kind who remembered birthdays, cried at client wins, and worked late to squeeze in “just one more.” On the surface, she was thriving, booked out, trusted, calm.

But every night, after the last appointment, Sarah would collapse into her car, clutch the steering wheel, and cry. Not because something went wrong, because she had nothing left.

Next morning? Smile on. Shoulders back. Repeat.

Sound familiar?

It should. Because this isn’t rare. It’s everywhere.

The Industry’s Worst-Kept Secret

In wellbeing circles, burnout is the elephant in the (therapy) room. Practitioners promote rest, boundaries, balance. But behind the curtain?

• Diaries double-booked
• Admin piling up
• Socials screaming for content
• Staff quietly suffering
• Leaders running on caffeine, panic, and grit

Here’s the twist…

There’s no HR department to wave a red flag. No corporate EAP. No cushioned “sick leave” when it all gets too much. For self-employed practitioners and small clinic owners, it’s just you. All the time. Every day. With the gnawing fear that if you stop… it all falls apart.

The Culture of Quiet Collapse

We’ve glamourised exhaustion. Made it noble. Called it “commitment.” Said:

“It’s just a busy season…”
“It’s fine once this project ends…”
“I’m lucky to have so many clients…”

But what we’re really doing is rewarding over-functioning and punishing boundaries.

And it’s not just anecdotal anymore.

Take Dr Claire Ashley, a UK-based GP who suffered catastrophic burnout six months into her first full-time role. A star student, totally capable. She collapsed under the weight of endless expectations and emotional overload. In her own words:

“I knew something was wrong when I sat in my car, sobbing, unable to walk through the surgery door.”
— Dr Claire Ashley, The Burnout Doctor

Her story echoes Sarah’s, and thousands more like it.

Burnout doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care if you’re clinical or holistic, NHS or private. If your emotional labour outweighs your support, you’re at risk.

Strange but True: Burnout Isn’t New

In the 1800s, overworked professionals were diagnosed with something called “Americanitis”, a vague, upper-class “nervous exhaustion” brought on by too much intellectual strain. British neurologist William Gowers called it “occupation neurosis.”

Basically, burnout existed long before Instagram influencers told us to ‘slow down with herbal tea’. They just wore waistcoats while doing it.

The Symptoms Speak Louder Than Words

Still not sure if burnout is showing up in your team? Watch for the whispers before the scream:

• Sudden absenteeism or creeping illness
• Snappiness or emotional detachment with clients
• Poor sleep, constant fatigue, or tearful outbursts
• Tension, gossip, or fractured morale between colleagues

It starts with a skipped lunch here. A “just this once” extra shift there. Before long, survival mode is so normal, no one remembers what thriving felt like.

Let me be blunt…

You are not “too sensitive.” You are operating unsustainably in a system that’s quietly breaking you.

You Can’t Heal Anyone from a Hospital Bed

Let’s cut through the spiritual fluff:
You can’t pour from an empty cup.
You can’t run a business from the bottom of a burnout spiral.
And you certainly can’t lead a team while running on empty yourself.

This isn’t about weakness. This is about design.

The current way of working? It’s broken.

Time to Check Your Pulse

So ask yourself, right now:

• When was the last time I truly rested without guilt?
• Am I modelling the wellbeing I claim to care about?
• Is my team showing signs of stress… or have I just stopped noticing?

If your business is built on people, then those people, you included, are your greatest asset. Not the tech. Not the branding. Not the booking system.

Ignore that, and you won’t just lose revenue. You’ll lose purpose. Passion. People.

Reality Check: This Isn’t Hopeless, But It Does Require Leadership

Burnout is not inevitable. But prevention isn’t passive. It takes reflection. Boundaries. Strategy. And guts.

You are allowed to slow down.
You are allowed to ask for help.
You are allowed to build a business that works with your wellbeing, not against it.

Next Time: Resilience Without the Hashtag

In Part Two, we’ll explore what real resilience looks like. No buzzwords. No platitudes. Just a blueprint for doing this work well without losing yourself in the process.

Let’s Connect

If your practice needs honest HR support or you’re ready to build a burnout-proof business that actually values its people, I’d love to hear from you.

Main – Image by Florian Winkler from Pixabay