When My Energy Fell Off a Cliff: My Professional Burnout Story
In 2022, my energy fell off a cliff.
One morning after my usual dog walk, I needed a nap. I wasn’t a bit tired. I NEEDED to sleep. Afterwards, I felt slightly better but underneath was a relentless exhaustion I couldn’t shake.
My energy was an average of 3/10 when normal was 10 and crashed even further in the aternoon. My brain fog was 8-9/10. It was like thinking through cotton wool.
The fear was real. Being self-employed meant stopping work wasn’t an option. If I hadn’t known my subject so well, I wouldn’t have been able to work at all. For any business owner or professional, you know this feeling — you have to keep going, even as your body is screaming for rest.
When Your Body Stops Cooperating with Your Ambition
As a professional, the brain fog that accompanied the exhaustion was terrifying. I could practically feel the cogs of my brain turning, client calls became a struggle – I’d lose my train of thought mid-sentence, something that had never happened in 18+ years of business. At one point I remember saying to my husband in tears: “I think I’m losing my mind.”
I wasn’t my normal self. My life was reduced to the bare minimum, and the complete lack of energy was itself exhausting.
I was easily overwhelmed by the thought of doing anything extra, … so I withdrew.
The Medical Roundabout: When "Normal" isn't Fine
I went to doctors but my bloodwork was “normal” and so they didn’t have any answers. “Just rest,” they said.
Desperate for answers, I turned to Functional Medicine. I found a practitioner and with her support, I began eliminating trigger foods, eating to support my gut and my blood sugar levels. Gradually I improved: energy crept up to 7–8/10, and brain fog dropped to around 4/10. It was progress, but not enough.
The Perfect Storm: How Years of Stress Built Up
During another stressful work phase, I made a decision: I decided to change my career and began studying to become a naturopathic nutritionist. If food had helped me this much, I needed to truly understand its power.
Two years of study gave me a much deeper understanding — that my challenges hadn’t appeared overnight. Blood sugar struggles since childhood, familial predispositions, and hidden food triggers.
But the real storm had been building through my professional life:
I spent years working with reactive entrepreneurs, managing international teams in high-pressure corporate environments, running my own businesses with financial stress, and finally renovating houses in France.
During each challenge I “powered through.” Until my body had simply said “enough” in a loud enough voice that I would listen.
The Missing Pieces: What Finally Fixed Everything
I was slowly improving, but I wasn’t resilient. Any period of stress would knock me back. I was doing everything right but still not healing completely.
So I went back to the doctor to ask for more tests. He told me my lab results were “in range and therefore normal” and the low energy was “in my mind”. I pushed for more detailed Iron and Vitamin B tests because “in range” was actually one point off the lowest value and therfore definitely worth investigating.
As a nutritionist I now know that a lab range isn’t an optimal range and optimal is what we should actually be aiming for. A week later the blood test results showed my iron, B12, and folate levels were in the basement.
I focussed on targeted supplementation to address the deficiency and the underlying root cause of absorption. This was the last piece of the energy puzzle. I was filled with hope, where a week before I had felt completely dismissed.
Recovery: The Real Timeline
While there were improvements along the way, let’s be real my true recovery took three years. Let me be honest about what that looked like:
Months 1-3: The First Improvements • Eliminated trigger foods, managed blood sugars and began gut work • Energy: 3/10 → 7-8/10 • Brain fog: 8-9/10 → 4/10 • Great progress, but still not enough
Year 1-2: Deep Understanding • My personal journey involved completely changing my professional direction, but that’s not a normal trajectory! So we could say that the rest of the year was spent refining my dietary approach. With further testing and a targeted supplement course to address the deficiency and it’s root cause of absorption.
Now I am at a constant 9-10/10 energy level. I am also much more resilient to stress. Now, when stress happens, I now know what to do and I actively manage it because I know in detail how it affects me.
My Stress Toolkit: What Actually Works
Through this journey, I’ve developed what I call my Stress Toolkit – practical strategies that work for me:
During Stressful Periods: • I supplement to support absorption nutrient • I double down on my Hydration with increased antioxidants • 10 minutes of resonance breathing every day • I rest as much as my body tells me after the stressful period to recover
I practise prevention daily – it’s about creating a “terrain” that is healthy, strong and resilient through daily choices. This means we are in the best position when stress strikes. It’s still a work in progress and it is personal to everyone, but having a system makes all the difference.
What I Know Now That I Wish I'd Known Then
- Your symptoms aren’t in your head. Even when stress is a factor, it creates real biochemical changes that need real solutions.
- “Normal” lab results don’t mean optimal health. Standard ranges are based on completely deficient or toxic levels, not optimal function.
- Recovery takes time. Working naturally does take time but the results are long lasting.
- Professional stress accumulates. Years of high-pressure environments affect your body even if you’re “handling it well” mentally.
- You can be successful AND healthy. You don’t have to choose between career ambition and feeling good in your body.
- Nutrient deficiencies are common in high achievers. Chronic stress depletes specific vitamins and minerals faster than you can replace them through diet alone.
- Your digestive system affects everything. When stress compromises digestion, you can’t absorb the nutrients you need for energy and cognitive function.
You don't need to choose between your career and your health. You need someone who understands both.
Can you relate?
f you’re reading this thinking “this is exactly how I feel” or recognising the warning signs in yourself – you’re not broken.
Your exhaustion isn’t a character flaw. Your brain fog isn’t age. Your inability to handle stress like before isn’t weakness.
It’s data. Your body is telling you something needs attention.
The gap between “normal” lab results and feeling terrible? That’s exactly where I work with clients. No generic advice or cookie-cutter solutions. Just someone who understands your professional reality and creates strategies that actually fit your life.
You didn’t get where you are by accepting suboptimal performance. Your health deserves the same strategic attention as your business. Recovery is possible. You can feel sharp and energised again without sacrificing your career.
Your body will force this decision eventually. The question is: will you address it now while you have choices, or later when you don’t?
If you’re ready to move beyond the wall, I understand the demands of professional life because I work with people who’ve been where you are. Let’s have a conversation about what’s actually possible for your energy, focus, and wellbeing – without compromising your career.
Let’s have a conversation about creating your personalised path back to consistent energy and mental clarity…
