High Achiever, Low Battery: The Hidden Burnout Equation

What if the roots of your burnout were planted long before your first job?

In this powerful episode of Pick My Brain, burnout specialist and organisational psychologist Chibs Okereke explores the hidden link between childhood conditioning and adult burnout.

When: 16 April 2025

From people-pleasing to perfectionism, many high achievers unknowingly carry coping mechanisms that once kept them safe—but now leave them exhausted. Chibs shares how complex trauma and early life experiences shape our stress responses, and why traditional burnout advice often misses the mark.

This isn’t just a conversation about doing less—it’s about healing more. Chibs offers science-backed strategies and personal insights to help you break the cycle, set boundaries without guilt, and redefine success on your own terms.

For leaders, professionals, and anyone tired of tying their self-worth to productivity—this one’s for you.

Big ideas:

• Burnout isn’t just about workload—it’s rooted in behavioural patterns from childhood.
• People-pleasing and overachievement are survival strategies, not personality traits.
• You can rewire your relationship with work, stress, and self-worth.