Leaders Who Last: Hearing Burnout Before It Speaks, With special guest Tjuana Yvonne
Burnout in 2025 doesn’t always look like someone curled up in a ball, unable to move. Sometimes it looks like high-functioning exhaustion, constant people-pleasing, or the quiet retreat of someone who’s been asking for help and hasn’t been heard.
In this week’s episode of Leaders Who Last, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Tjuana Yvonne—HR powerhouse, president of the Black HR Society, and all-around truth-teller—about how burnout is showing up today and what leaders actually need to be doing about it.
Burnout Has Evolved—and So Must Leadership
Tjuana reminded us that burnout isn’t just overwork—it’s emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion fueled by high demands and low support. Especially for those from underrepresented communities, burnout is often quietly brewing beneath the surface of professionalism.
And here’s the kicker: Leaders are often shocked when a resignation lands on their desk, having had no idea their team member was struggling. Why? Because they weren’t really listening. As Tjuana said so clearly, “Seeing what you need to see starts with hearing what you need to be hearing.”
The Leadership Power Imbalance
We dove into what happens when a team member—especially one with less privilege—takes the brave step to ask for something. That moment is golden. It's not just a request; it's evidence of trust. Miss it, and the next conversation might be a goodbye.
Protecting Your Reputation or Doing the Work?
There’s a vicious cycle where leaders become so focused on protecting their image that they miss opportunities to build real trust. Tjuana sees it often in exit interviews—surface-level stories told to leaders, while deeper truths emerge in HR’s office. And those deeper truths? They usually were communicated… but not received.
Delegation, Boundaries, and the AI Lifeline
We talked about the delicate dance of managing your own burnout without handing off so much that you overload your team. Tjuana stressed how important it is to model healthy boundaries. If you answer emails on vacation, your team sees that—and mirrors it.
And speaking of relief: both of us are leaning hard into AI as a tool to reclaim energy. Whether it’s composing emails or building policy templates, AI can be a powerful ally in lifting cognitive load and making space for more strategic (and joyful) work.
The Strategy of Joy
At Latitude, we believe joy is a strategy, not just an outcome. So I asked Tjuana how she accesses joy in 2025. Her answer? It starts within. Joy isn’t conditional. It’s cultivated through self-awareness, boundaries, and a life curated with intention—not perfection.
Tjuana’s wisdom reminded me that joy isn’t what we chase after everything is handled—it’s the foundation we build so we can handle what’s coming.
Want to keep the conversation going?
Follow Tjuana Yvonne and the Black HR Society—especially if you're ready to learn how to lead (and live) with more clarity, support, and joy.
If you’re ready to start your own burnout prevention journey, check out our free Burnout Starter Kit at burnoutstarterkit.com.
And follow our CEO, Elena Joy, on LinkedIn to learn how you can join the conversation live.
Until then—here’s to leading with intention, hearing what needs to be heard, and making joy non-negotiable.