When High-Capacity Leaders Burn Out (and No One Sees It Coming)
Recently, our founder Elena Joy interviewed Tucson-based leader Diana Charbonneau about burnout. She said something that stopped us in our tracks:
“The last person anyone expects to burn out is the high-capacity leader.”
You know the type. The one who always delivers. High-performing leaders don’t just chase success, it’s in their bones. They take on high-impact projects with grace. They hit every deadline. And the organization leans on them again and again because, well, “They’ll knock it out of the park!”
Until one day, they don’t.
Suddenly, the person who could always “push through” … can’t.
Their mind and body hit a wall. Their nervous system says no. And leadership doesn't see it coming until the damage is done.
The Cost of Unseen Burnout
It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially when work is a results-driven environment. We’re wired to measure what’s easy: productivity, output, engagement scores.
But some of the most essential leadership qualities can’t be measured on a spreadsheet:
Self-awareness
Strategic vulnerability
Non-binary thinking
Nervous system regulation
When these are ignored, even the best leaders eventually walk out. And they rarely come back.
Sidebar: What if you could measure how close your leaders are to burnout? Learn more about our Leadership Capacity Assessment here.
The Disguised Risk Arizona Companies Can’t Afford to Ignore
Let’s be real: it’s 2025, and it feels like the world’s on fire. Many of today’s leaders are quietly thinking:
“I just led my team through a pandemic. I cannot navigate another crisis.”
And yet, no one around them knows they’re struggling. It’s burnout, masked as professional competence. And Arizona companies are losing some of their best people because of it.
So here’s the truth: If you want to retain your top performers, you have to support their capacity and create real psychological safety. That’s not fluff. It’s a survival strategy for leadership in this new era.
Skip the Rhetoric. Choose Restoration.
Whether you’re planning a leadership development workshop, an executive retreat, or a team reset, please: skip the comedians and magicians (okay, maybe keep the comedian - laughter is healing). What your people really need is someone who can name the hard stuff, make space for reflection, and build skills that restore resilience.
Elena Joy has done exactly that for organizations like Logitech, CDW, SoundTransit, the City of Tucson, and many others. As a top leadership speaker in Tucson and sought-after executive leadership speaker in Arizona, she brings wisdom, humor, and grounded tools that stick.
Here’s what one HR leader said after a burnout prevention workshop:
“What I realized during Elena Joy’s presentation is that she has an uncanny ability to grab the audience’s attention and keep it while creating a space for both vulnerability and learning... Elena Joy helped open the space for long-term improvements that will make a difference.”
— K. Tullar, Chief People & Culture Officer, Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation
Want to Retain Your Best Leaders in 2025?
Bring your people a leadership keynote speaker in Arizona who doesn’t just perform, she transforms. Latitude and Elena Joy deliver more than inspiration. She delivers restoration.
Learn more about her Core Offerings here.