If you’ve been feeling the slow creep of burnout—whether you’re just starting out or thinking about winding down your mental health practice—you’re not imagining it.
And it’s not because you’re doing it wrong. It’s because the system you’re working in wasn’t built to support you.

Burnout isn’t a personal failure- it’s a signal that the way things have been isn’t sustainable—and never really was.

When you’re new to the field, everything feels urgent. The clients, the paperwork, the invisible pressure to prove that you belong here. Maybe you’re still paying off student loans, still saying “yes” to every referral because you feel like you have to. You tell yourself it’s temporary. You tell yourself it’s normal. You tell yourself if you just work hard enough, it will get easier because you’re paying your dues.

But the truth is, passion alone doesn’t protect you from a system that demands more than it gives. And when exhaustion shows up early, it’s not because you’re not cut out for this. It’s because you were never supposed to carry it all alone.

Later, when the years start stacking up, you might find yourself balancing work and “real life” with a kind of quiet desperation.

You leave one world to step into another and feel like you’re half-failing at both. The therapy world keeps demanding — more sessions, more documentation, more emotional labor. Meanwhile, the moments you were supposed to savor—whether you’re a parent in the season of bedtime stories or an adult who thought you’d be living your best life by now—start slipping through your fingers.

Again, it’s not a failure on your part. You’re not broken for feeling stretched too thin. You’re trying to live a human life inside a system that rewards overwork and calls it commitment.

At mid-career, the cracks get harder to ignore.

You’re good at what you do. You’re seasoned. You’ve earned your seat at the table. And yet... something feels off. Maybe the work that used to light you up now feels heavier. If you’re like most of us, you’re probably wondering if this is all there is.

You are not broken for wanting more. You are human. The truth is, your work deserves to grow and change just as much as you do.

And if you’re moving into the later years of your career—if you’re starting to wonder about slowing down—you might feel a tangle of relief, fear, and sadness.

You’ve grown so much, sacrificed so much, and given so much. And still, the system whispers that stepping back means you won’t have a purpose anymore.

It doesn’t.
You are not your productivity, your wisdom doesn’t expire, and your purpose is about a whole lot more than your career.

The bottom line is this: You were never the problem.

Your exhaustion isn’t a flaw. Your burnout isn’t a weakness. Your desire for more breathing room isn’t selfish—it’s a survival instinct.

Guess what though? You get to listen to that voice and start to build something different. You don’t have to do it all at once, you just have to start imagining a new way. One small step at a time.

You can build a next chapter that honors everything you've learned—not by squeezing out the last drops of your energy into a few more clients but by pouring into a leadership role as a teacher, mentor, consultant or CEU provider.

If you’re ready to explore what else is possible—and start creating work that fits the life you want to live—I have a free resource to help you begin:
[The Free CEU Course Planning Checklist — grab it here.]

Cheering you on, always.

—Michelle