How to Find a Burnout Coach: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Commit

Deciding to work with a burnout coach is a brave step. It means admitting that what you've been doing isn't working, and trusting someone else to help you find a different way. That takes courage. And it deserves careful thought.

I've been on both sides of this equation. As someone who burned out twice before becoming a coach, I know what it's like to desperately want support, and to not know who to trust with something so personal. And as a coach, I know that the relationship only works when the fit is right.

Here are the 7 questions I'd ask any burnout coach before committing, and honestly, the ones I'd want my own potential clients to ask me.

1. Have you experienced burnout yourself?

This isn't a requirement, excellent coaches can support experiences they haven't lived personally. But for burnout specifically, lived experience matters. Burnout involves shame, identity disruption, and a particular kind of cognitive fog that's hard to fully grasp from the outside. A coach who has been there understands the internal landscape in a way that changes the quality of their questions.

I burned out twice, the first time in my early career in tech and corporate leadership, the second time years later when I thought I'd "learned my lesson." Both recoveries shaped my coaching approach fundamentally.

2. What is your coaching approach or methodology?

Beware of vague answers here. A good coach should be able to explain clearly how they work, not in jargon, but in plain language. Do they work primarily with mindset? With the body? With habits and systems? With values and purpose? Most effective burnout coaches work across several of these layers.

My approach is built on the RISE framework: Regulate, Inquire, Shift, Embed. It starts with the nervous system (because you can't do meaningful inner work when your body is in survival mode), moves into deeper inquiry about patterns and root causes, creates concrete shifts, and embeds sustainable practices. I draw on somatic coaching, breathwork, imagework, Yin Yoga, and mindfulness, shaped by 17 years in corporate leadership and my own recovery.

3. Are you certified, and in what?

Coaching is an unregulated field, anyone can call themselves a coach with no training. Look for coaches with recognised certifications (ICF/EMCC-accredited programmes are the gold standard) and relevant specialist training. For burnout specifically, training in somatic approaches, nervous system regulation, or trauma informed coaching is a meaningful differentiator.

I hold a certification in Wellness and Women's Health Coaching accredited by EMCC, with advanced practitioner training in Imagework, and am a trained yoga and meditation teacher with a practice spanning over a decade, including multiple Vipassana retreats in Myanmar, Thailand, and Germany.

4. Do you understand my specific context?

Burnout doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens inside specific life circumstances. If you're an expat, a woman of colour, a first generation professional, someone navigating cultural identity alongside career pressure, you need a coach who gets that those layers are real and relevant. A coach who treats your burnout as a generic productivity problem is missing the point.

I work primarily with high achieving women, many of them international professionals or expats in Berlin and Europe, who are navigating not just work stress but identity, belonging, cultural transition, and the particular isolation of building a life far from your original roots. These are not side issues, they're central to the burnout.

5. What does a typical engagement look like?

Good coaching takes time. Be wary of coaches promising transformation in 3 sessions or a 4-week programme. Burnout recovery, real recovery, not just symptom management, typically takes 3–6 months of consistent work. Ask what a typical client engagement looks like, what's included between sessions, and what outcomes previous clients have experienced.

6. Do you offer a discovery call?

Any coach worth working with will offer a free initial conversation, not as a sales call, but as a genuine opportunity to explore fit. Notice how you feel during that call. Do you feel heard? Do they ask good questions, or do they spend most of the time talking about themselves? Does something in you relax, or do you feel you have to perform?

Chemistry matters. The coaching relationship requires trust and honesty and that only happens when something genuinely clicks.

7. Can I speak to or read from previous clients?

Testimonials and case studies matter, not as proof of magic results, but as evidence of real human experience. Look for specific, detailed testimonials (not just "Ling is amazing!") that describe what changed, how the coaching felt, and what the client was dealing with before they started. Generic praise tells you very little.

One More Thing: Trust Your Body

After you've done your due diligence, check in with yourself: how does your body feel when you imagine working with this person? Nervous excitement is different from dread. Genuine curiosity is different from obligation. Your nervous system knows things your analytical mind can overlook.

If you're wondering whether we might be a good fit, the best way to find out is to talk. I offer a free 30-minute discovery call for anyone considering 1:1 coaching, no pressure, no sales pitch, just an honest conversation about where you are and where you want to be.

Book a Free Discovery Call