Burnout Has Become Our "Normal"… This Podcast Explains Why That Needs to Change!

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Leadership can look polished from the outside, but behind the meetings, deadlines, family responsibilities and endless expectations, many people are running on empty. The pressure to keep showing up, keep performing and keep holding everything together has become so normalised that burnout often arrives long before anyone realises they need help.

This week, on "Good Things with Brent Lindeque", I sat down with Anja van Beek for a deeply honest and incredibly insightful chat about stress, burnout, leadership and learning how to refill your own cup before there is nothing left to give. And while Anja has spent more than three decades working with executives, organisations and leaders around the world, this conversation is not only for people in boardrooms. It is for parents, partners, caregivers, entrepreneurs and anyone trying to navigate the weight of modern life.

Anja is a Talent and Culture Strategist, Executive Coach and founder of the WholeLeader Collective, known for helping shape human-centred leadership and high-performance cultures in complex environments. Her work focuses on integrating "Head, Heart and Hands", helping leaders think strategically, lead with emotional intelligence and act with clarity and consistency. She has advised leaders across industries and continents, contributed to award-winning workplace cultures, appeared on eNCA and 702’s World of Work segment, and serves on both the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and the HR.com Advisory Board.

We unpack the reality of trying to “hold it all together”, how stress manifests physically and emotionally, why burnout is becoming more common, and what practical steps people can take to better cope with the pressure. Anja shares thoughtful insights on what sustainable leadership actually looks like and why showing up for yourself matters just as much as showing up for everyone else.

By the end of the conversation, you will walk away lighter... I certainly did. And a little more aware that it is possible to lead with humanity, to care for yourself without guilt and to build a life that feels fuller instead of constantly depleted.

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12 May English South Africa Society & Culture · Daily News

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