Burnout: Crying in a Dark Theater

Burnout does not always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like a successful career, a stable job, and a life that makes sense on paper. And still, your body knows something is wrong. If you have ever found yourself in the middle of a midlife career shift, questioning your work, or wondering why you feel exhausted even when everything seems fine, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

In this episode, I talk with Ellen Whitlock Baker about the quiet unraveling that led to her line-in-the-sand moment. Years of people-pleasing, pushing through, and trying to belong in systems that were never built for her finally caught up with her in the most unexpected place. Sitting in a theater, watching the musical Beetlejuice, Ellen broke down. Not because the show was sad, but because her body had reached its limit. What followed was a brave decision to walk away from a very stable job and begin rebuilding a life and career rooted in alignment instead of obligation.

This is a story about workplace burnout and listening to yourself before everything falls apart. About honoring the signals you have learned to ignore. And about trusting that even when the next step feels risky, there is another way to live and work that does not cost you yourself.

What You’ll Hear

1. What burnout feels like before you have language for it
2. How belonging, or the lack of it, quietly shapes our career choices
3. The moment Ellen’s body finally said enough
4. Why leaving a stable job can feel terrifying and deeply right at the same time
5. What rebuilding looks like when you choose alignment over approval
6. A reminder that it is not you that is broken; sometimes it is the system

Guest Bio

Ellen Whitlock Baker is the founder and CEO of EWB Coaching, where she helps professionals learn how to prioritize themselves in a world that often tells them not to. With empathy and honesty at the center of her work, Ellen supports leaders in understanding their strengths and building careers that feel sustainable, human, and aligned.

With more than 20 years of workplace experience and certification through the International Coaching Federation, Ellen works with individuals and organizations through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and courses. After navigating her own experiences with burnout and self-doubt, she is on a mission to help others never reach that breaking point. Ellen is also the host of the Hard at Work podcast, which identifies what isn't working in today’s workplaces and explores how we might change them.

Connect with Ellen

Website: https://ewbcoaching.com

Podcast: https://hardatworkpodcast.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenwhitlockbaker/

Instagram: @ellenwbcoaching

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