How Do you know if you are running on empty?

I get this question all the time when talking with my peers. Burnout is very common, but often goes unnoticed until it is too late. In my experience, my body tells me everything I need to know. In my book, Corporate Speak: Rebellious Change, I open the book with my latest job, and I mention that I suffered negative health issues due to burnout on the job. That body signal was 25 extra pounds.

You may lose weight, toss and turn at night, sleep way too much, or have trouble regulating your moods and emotions. In any case, burnout is dangerous, as stress is one of the top reasons people have heart issues. If you are seeing the early signs and something feels off, you have a duty to yourself to say something. Don’t let these leaders bully you into thinking you can push harder than you already are. It is wrong, and you should not have to put your life on the line for some corporation, and that is a fact.

Recovering from being burnt out looks different for everyone, but for me, it was facing the music that I was discharged and reeling from those emotions on top of the burnout side effects. I needed a break. I needed time alone, time to think, time to finish writing my new book, and heal. Time is the only medicine that will help you short term. The long-term work is going to be you in the mirror, talking to yourself, and having that message of hope and making that promise you will never let it get that bad again. For all those reasons, that is how you know if you are burnt out by the machine.

Chapter 7: Burnout is trauma

We are taught to comply before we are taught to lead. From the first day on the job, we're told to be 'professional.' Smile. Stay composed. Follow the chain of command. Don't ruffle feathers. Play the game. These lessons are ingrained so deeply; they shape how we perceive ourselves.

But what happens when professionalism turns into an act? When you're expected to comply, even when it's wrong? You start hiding who you are—your voice, your culture, your boundaries. You learn to keep quiet and just get through it. Over time, this wears you down. That's the real harm of forced compliance: being expected to betray yourself just to fit in…

…From your first day, you’re told that if you work hard and prove yourself, you’ll move up. But in most modern companies, that ladder is an illusion, designed to keep you working without real progress. I remember the first time I got what I thought was a “promotion.” My title changed. My responsibilities doubled. My pay increased… by less than the cost of my daily coffee habit. The company made a big show of announcing it at the all-hands meeting, but there was no new budget for my department, no extra headcount, and no authority to make real decisions. The message was clear: We’ll give you more work, but we’re not giving you more power. Here is something to consider, title inflation—a tactic where companies hand out fancier job titles instead of raises. It costs them nothing, yet it keeps employees chasing a phantom status they believe will lead to something better.