294: Burnout-Proof Leadership

294: Burnout-Proof Leadership

From Leading Women in Tech Podcast by Toni Collis

March 31, 2026 · 28 min · Episode 294

About this episode

Toni Collis discusses the unique aspects of burnout in high-performing women in tech leadership and offers strategies for burnout-proof leadership.

When someone asks you how you're doing, what do you say? If you answered "I'm fine" before you'd even finished reading that question — this episode is for you. Burnout in high-performing women in tech leadership rarely looks like collapse. It looks like going through the motions. Like numbness. Like resentment that arrives out of nowhere and exhaustion that's become so normal you've stopped registering it as a warning sign. In this episode, Toni breaks down why burnout hits women in tech leadership differently, the three patterns she sees most in her coaching work, and what burnout-proof leadership actually means — strategically, not just in a "take more baths" sense. This isn't about slowing down. It's about building leadership that doesn't require you to run on empty to function. What you'll hear in this episode: ◾ Why high-performing women are often the last to identify as burned out — and the specific compounding factors that make burnout in tech leadership different ◾ The three burnout patterns Toni sees most in coaching: the silent spiral, the conflict-avoidant overgiver, and the high-performer in denial ◾ What burnout-proof leadership actually requires — structural…

People in this episode

Host: Toni Collis

Topics covered

  • burnout
  • leadership
  • women in tech
  • high performance
  • coaching
  • mental health

Keywords

  • burnout
  • leadership
  • women in tech
  • coaching
  • high performance
  • mental health
  • exhaustion
  • resilience

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