Are you on the brink of leaving your job due to burnout?

If you're overworked and overwhelmed and ready to quit your job, then coaching can help you. I work with arts and culture professionals to help them make clear decisions about what to do next so they can protect their well-being without losing their identity.

What’s causing burnout in the arts sector?

You’re doing two people’s jobs, or juggling too many projects, or worried about where the next grant is coming from, and it’s ruining your sleep, your health and your personal relationships. You just need to get this latest funding bid sent off, finish this invitation to tender, send this invoice, sign this contract, or go to this private view/press night/donor event.

You’re still here doing this because you’re truly passionate about the cultural and creative sector.

Probably you feel lucky to have a job in an inspiring environment with easy access to beautiful or provocative art, artefacts, or music, alongside talented, artistic, ambitious colleagues whose inventiveness and problem-solving capabilities know no bounds. You know how essential arts and culture are for society and for every human’s life, and you feel proud of making a contribution through your role.

But what’s the result for you of working too many hours a week? Unpaid hours that are sucking up the time you could be exercising, resting, cooking a good meal, out socialising or meeting new people, seeing your family, singing in a choir or whatever your hobby is – or whatever it would be if you had time for one.

Instead, you’re out with colleagues at yet another work event or at your desk until too late O’clock, and it’s making you stressed and burning you out. Maybe your eye is twitching, or your wrist and shoulder are achy. Maybe you feel snappy at the slightest irritation, tearful when an acquaintance says something kind to you, or unable to think straight and make simple decisions.

Why more people are leaving the arts sector

More people are leaving the arts, culture and heritage sector than almost any other profession. According to the Arts Pay Survey 2025, nearly 80% of culture workers reported reaching a crisis point due to burnout and overwork.

Unprecedented numbers of people are considering leaving the cultural and creative sector, for a variety of reasons which are all too familiar to anyone with experience of the field (low pay, a lack of career progression, incompatibility with caring responsibilities, precarious conditions for freelancers, and unpaid overtime as routine).

But what about my identity?

The idea of leaving brings out a whole mess of different emotions: panic about losing your identity, sadness at the fact that the job you dreamed of and once genuinely loved is causing your exhaustion and stress, and guilt at walking away from a sector fuelled by so many talented and dedicated individuals.

You do not have to suffer to make art or to make a meaningful contribution to culture. If you've reached the point where you've stopped caring about the mission of your organisation, or the impact of the work you create, then please reach out for support.

If you wake up worrying about your ever-growing to-do list and can't get back to sleep until just before the alarm goes off, then please reach out for support. You're not the only one, and you don't have to handle it on your own.

How coaching can help

A coach can help support you to work out how to keep the elements of your work that bring you joy and meaning, and that are intimately tied to your identity, and the elements you need to change in order to craft a career that’s manageable and sustainable.

Some aspects of the problem will be out of your control and are unfortunately part of the system; others can be sorted out by examining your boundaries and learning to say no. But it might be the case that the first thing you need to do is take a rest.

The way forward will be different for everyone, and I don’t advocate for one option over another. Each person has the answer inside them about what would be best for them, and those answers can emerge gradually, through talking it out. 

You don’t need to do anything drastic if you’re fantasising about leaving. Instead of brooding on it until you’re suddenly at breaking point, you might benefit from a conversation to help you clarify your options.

You’d be surprised how talking out loud with someone trained to listen deeply and ask incisive questions can illuminate the issues you’re mulling over inside your head. It will help you see the situation from different angles and find creative solutions that are personal to you.

Coaching can offer a supportive space to reflect, gain clarity, and explore your options, sometimes benefiting from time away from your usual environment. Speaking with a qualified coach can help you see things from new perspectives and decide on your next steps.