Work Truths: Off the Record

Discover a therapist’s grounded, compassionate take on burnout—what it looks like before the crash, how it blurs home and work, and the small workplace shifts that actually help.

Drawing on 40 years of practice, guest Miranda Rock distinguishes pre-burnout from breakdown, unpacks the “stress curve,” and shares vivid client moments like "I feel like the phone is harassing me".

In this conversation, host Rachel Morris and guest Miranda Rock discuss the multifaceted nature of burnout, emphasising that it is not solely a product of work-related stress. Miranda highlights the impact of personal life challenges and individual personality traits on one's ability to cope with stress. The discussion also touches on the importance of resilience and how it varies among individuals.

Key Discussion Points

Burnout is influenced by factors outside of work.

Personal life stressors can contribute significantly to burnout.

Resilience varies from person to person.

Coping mechanisms are shaped by personality traits.

Experiences in life can affect one's stress levels.

It's important to recognize the complexity of burnout.

Not everyone copes with stress in the same way.

Understanding personal limits is crucial for mental health.

Life events can compound work-related stress.

Resilience can fluctuate over time.

Guest Information

Miranda Rock is an Accredited Master Executive Coach, and an Accredited Therapist. She brings many years of experience of working in 1:1 settings to her coaching, coach supervision, leadership development work and therapy clients. Her clients - individuals and teams - come from a range of industry sectors including financial services, professional services, energy and Health Services.

As a therapist over many decades, her work draws upon an underpinning of psychological training and experience. Clients don't get stuck because they're not trying, they get stuck because the issues are often not external but inside themselves. Clients often say 'I've never joined the dots before', once they see the influence of their personal history on their current coaching or therapy dilemma.

Her own personal history includes working in senior roles in HR in Corporate settings and for Partnerships.

You can find more info here:

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirandarock

Join host Rachel Morris for Series 1 of Work Truths: Off the Record, as she sits down with a range of experts to explore the issue of Burnout, what it is, how to spot the signs, and how to help yourself and others handle and overcome it.

Why is burnout so often a hidden collapse?

In this candid episode, host Rachel Morris and guest Catherine Lightfoot reframe burnout not as a single crash but as a “slow disappearing of self,” often hidden by masking - especially for neurodivergent professionals - and intensified by personal and organisational change.

Listeners will get concrete takeaways for themselves and others:

• How to spot disconnection behind the word “fine,”
• How to design humane policies and communication processes
• How to encourage simple regulation rituals like brief daily check‑ins

Tune in for a practical compass—self, share, support—and the deceptively powerful prompt Catherine shares which she now lives by: What do I need right now?

Key Discussion Points

Burnout as a slow fade, not a single crash — why “slowness” matters and what it looks like day to day.

The hidden toll of masking (especially for ADHD and other neurodivergences) and how it obscures warning signs.

Two deceptively simple check‑ins that rebuild regulation: a “six‑minute” ritual and a five‑year micro‑journal.

Why “I’m fine” is a red flag — and how managers can navigate power dynamics to earn real answers.

Support that actually helps vs. harms: choosing therapy, somatic work, or coaching at the right stage.

The guilt/shame loop that delays stopping — and the moment an external voice can (and should) break it.

Policy meets humanity: what great employers do to prevent, respond, and communicate without adding harm.

A cautionary tale for HR ops: automated processes (like performance letters) that retraumatize people on leave.

Rebuilding identity when work has become “who I am” — a question every high performer should ask.

A practical framework to share with teams: self, share, support — or as she puts it, What do I need right now?

Guest Information

Catherine Lightfoot is an executive coach, HR consultant, and the founder of Fire & Light Coaching. Her work helps leaders and organisations move through complexity with clarity and care.

With a background in senior leadership across sectors, Catherine brings a rare combination of strategic insight and lived experience to her work. Her own journey through burnout, fertility treatment, ADHD diagnosis, and maternity leave and return has shaped her understanding of how crucial the right support at the right time can be—especially for women and neurodivergent professionals navigating high-pressure environments. She now specialises in ADHD coaching for leaders as well as maternity coaching for women getting ready for and returning from leave.

Through her coaching and consultancy, she helps others create sustainable change leaning in to their strengths and finding their authenticity.

You can find more info on her website, socials or sign up to her newsletter.

Website: https://fireandlightcoaching.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-lightfoot-coach/

Newsletter: https://fire-light-coaching.kit.com/email-list-new

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fireandlightcoach/