The Cost of Caring: Allyship Burnout in 2025 and How Leaders Can Respond
In 2025, burnout is no longer just about being overworked. It’s about being overwhelmed by the emotional cost of caring. At Latitude’s recent leadership micro-workshop, award-winning executive leadership speaker in Arizona, CEO Elena Joy Thurston, broke down exactly why allyship burnout is uniquely intense in today’s climate and what leaders can do about it.
Elena Joy, she/her, has been working with executives, HR teams, and employee resource group (ERG) leaders across the country to help them recognize a new kind of burnout: identity-driven depletion. In this powerful and emotionally resonant session, she outlined how today’s allyship, especially for marginalized identities, often comes with a deep, persistent tension: the need to stay engaged in systems that repeatedly invalidate your humanity.
What Makes Allyship Burnout Different?
Most burnout solutions recommend time off, meditation, or a pedicure. But as Elena Joy shared, “You can’t yoga your way out of systemic oppression.” The emotional toll of allyship in 2025 isn’t solved with traditional wellness strategies, because this form of burnout is rooted in chronic cognitive dissonance. Leaders are constantly navigating between their values and the reality around them, where DEI efforts are under attack and psychological safety is eroding.
As a leading leadership keynote speaker in Arizona, Elena Joy offered a grounded and actionable framework based on Latitude’s leadership development model. It includes three key tools that help leaders sustain their allyship without burning out:
1. Self-Awareness
Observing your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors without judgment to uncover internalized bias and regain emotional clarity.
2. Non-Binary Thinking
Releasing “enemy vs. ally” thinking in favor of complexity, nuance, and empathy, critical for effective executive leadership today.
3. Proactive Protection
Building strategies that honor your own identity, core values, and capacity, because true leadership starts with being an ally to yourself.
A Real-World Case Study: Corporate Allyship in Action
During the workshop, Elena Joy shared a compelling case study of a Pride ERG leader at a large company who moved from quiet frustration to authentic impact. By centering emotional data, aligning with personal values, and leveraging strategic empathy, this leader transformed passive corporate silence into consistent, visible support for trans employees, without burning out in the process.
This kind of sustainable leadership isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.
Why This Matters for Executive Teams in Arizona
As organizations across Arizona continue to navigate cultural polarization and policy shifts, leadership teams need tools that go beyond performance. They need depth, authenticity, and emotional intelligence. That’s why organizations seeking a top leadership speaker in Tucson or a trusted executive leadership speaker in Phoenix continue to turn to Latitude.
Elena Joy’s approach to burnout prevention and sustainable allyship is more than inspirational. It’s transformational.
Book Elena Joy as Your Next Leadership Keynote Speaker
Whether you're hosting a leadership summit, ERG retreat, or executive offsite, Elena Joy brings strategy, humor, and soul to every stage. If you’re searching for a leadership keynote speaker in Arizona who can guide your team through the complexity of today’s leadership challenges with warmth and wisdom, she’s the speaker you’ve been looking for.
Reach out to book Elena Joy for your next event, head to www.ChatwithElenaJoy.com to schedule a time to connect.