In this Voices of Leadership episode of The Connected Leadership podcast, Dave speaks with author, coach, and creator of The Burnout Ladder, Alan Muskett.

Alan shares a deeply personal and honest account of his leadership journey, from early responsibility in a transport company at 21 through to senior leadership roles in a global organisation. Along the way, he describes how ambition, responsibility, and a drive to prove himself gradually pulled him onto what he now calls the “burnout ladder.”

This is not a story of sudden collapse. It’s a story of gradual drift.

Alan explores how burnout builds quietly over time, often disguised as success, growth, and opportunity. He reflects on the internal pressures’ leaders place on themselves, the role of people-pleasing and identity, and the cultural signals that make it difficult to speak up.

The conversation also introduces the origins of the Burnout Ladder model and how Alan began to recognise patterns in his own experience. This conversation focuses on recognising the early signs, reclaiming control, and why success can quietly lead you towards burnout before you have recognised the warning signs.

This first part of a two-part conversation focuses on awareness: how burnout begins, why it’s so hard to spot early, and what starts to shift when leaders begin to step back and look at their experience differently.

Key Talking Points

• Why burnout is becoming one of the biggest risks to leadership effectiveness
• Alan’s early leadership experience & the impact of responsibility at a young age
• The hidden pressure of “proving yourself” and how it shapes behaviour over time
• Imposter syndrome, confidence, and the long road to self-trust
• The cultural barriers that stop leaders from asking for help
• Early warning signs of burnout: decision paralysis, irritability, and loss of perspective
• How mindfulness shifted Alan’s thinking and helped him regain clarity
• Why burnout often feels like success in its early stages
• The origins of The Burnout Ladder and why burnout is a gradual climb, not a sudden fall