Why burnout isn’t always about boundaries: A perspective on career misalignment
I came across a conversation on LinkedIn sparked by a newspaper article about a woman who left her legal career after burning out and became a wilderness guide.
The comment section was full of criticism - calling her selfish, questioning her ability to set boundaries or communicate her workload, and asking why such a drastic career change was even necessary.
Wasn’t this something that could’ve been solved through better organizational support? Or a less demanding job?
Many were clearly frustrated by what they see as a growing trend: people “finding themselves”, quitting high-pressure jobs, and becoming yoga teachers, breathwork facilitators, or coaches.
I get it. On the surface, it can look like a privileged, dramatic escape.
But I want to offer a different perspective because I’m one of those “cliché” people who did exactly that. At 30, I changed careers from marketing to holistic health.
When ‘THE DREAM’ doesn’t feel right anymore…
I grew up in an environment that heavily influenced me to believe that certain careers are the “acceptable” path: law, medicine, or business. I chose business school - and at the time, it genuinely felt like the right path.
I also absorbed the belief that happiness came from following the classic checklist: study, succeed, get married, buy a house, have kids. It’s a pretty traditional view of the “recipe for a happy life”.
So I took my business degree and determination to succeed and started hustling.
Fast forward ten years, and I had what I once believed was the dream: living in London, working with global brands, leading a team, managing big budgets, driving strategy.
The goal I defined for myself in 2010, became true. I “got there”. But instead of feeling proud, fulfilled, or happy, I’d never felt worse - physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.
I was constantly sick and deeply exhausted. I had no energy for life outside of work. I couldn’t be present for my boyfriend, friends or family. I didn’t see a way out. Some might call this depression. A doctor I consulted actually did. But I refused to believe him, because deep down I knew the reason.
I remember thinking: “This can’t be how life is supposed to feel”.
It wasn’t just a work related burnout, it was misalignment
Sure, poor boundaries and communication played a role. But the deeper realization was that the life I’d built no longer fit me. Maybe it never really had. I’d been chasing someone else’s definition of success. Someone else’s definition of a ‘good life‘. I now see that this was driven by my self-worth tied to external validation, performance and productivity, and a deep desire to fit in. I was living from parts of me conditioned to keep me safe, accepted, and successful - not necessarily fulfilled. Those parts were doing their job well.
No amount of green juice, yoga, boundaries, or therapy will fix the chronic stress that comes from spending your life doing something that isn’t right for you.
What I experienced wasn’t just burnout. It was a full-body “no” to the life I had built. It wasn’t about fewer hours or more holidays - it was about needing to redefine what a meaningful life looks like.
And for many, this moment comes around age 30.
Sometimes it’s about work.
Sometimes relationships.
Sometimes lifestyle.
Or something else. But the question underneath is the same: “What do I actually want?”.
Why does it feel like this is happening so much right now?
Before I go on, I want to acknowledge something: Yes - this kind of self-inquiry is a privilege. The ability to leave a job, start over, or even ask these kinds of questions isn’t available to everyone. Real constraints - financial responsibilities, caregiving, health, immigration status - make it difficult for many. I don’t take that lightly.
I’m also not suggesting that everyone should leave their job or make a drastic change. But I do think it’s important to understand why this questioning is happening more widely right now - especially in Western societies.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs offers a helpful lens:
At the base of the pyramid are our most basic needs - safety, food, shelter. Once those are met, we seek love, belonging, esteem, and eventually - self-actualization.
In many parts of the world today, these foundational needs are more consistently met than ever before. And so, naturally, attention turns upward. People aren’t just trying to survive - they’re trying to live in a way that feels meaningful, aligned, and authentic.
That’s one reason for why so many people are reevaluating their jobs, relationships, and life paths. Not because they’re selfish. Not because they can’t “hack it”.
And from that place, the questions shift:
“What kind of life actually feels meaningful to me?”
“What are my values?”
“What do I want?”
Reinvention isn’t the answer for everyone, but it was for me
Coming back to the article that sparked this reflection: Sometimes, the root cause for burnout really is poor boundaries, communication, or leadership. Sometimes, it’s systemic. And sometimes, it’s not even about work at all.
But in my case, and in many others I’ve seen in my work and in my community, it wasn’t only overworking or the organisation. It was deep, soul-level misalignment.
That can’t be fixed with a better calendar, a four-day work week or lunchtime meditation.
So when I see comments mocking people who walk away - who become yoga teachers, start businesses, write books, make films, guide wilderness treks, or simply choose a slower life - it hits a nerve.
Because what’s often dismissed as “dramatic” or “privileged” is, in reality, HARD.
It takes real courage to start over.
It takes even more to turn inward and ask hard questions - especially when those questions challenge everything you’ve built: your identity, your sense of safety, your place in the world.
It takes strength to walk away from what once defined your worth, your success, your belonging.
And only people who’ve actually done it know just how hard it really is.
So what happened to me after I ‘found myself and started over’?
A little backstory - I’d been interested in health and wellbeing for as long as I can remember.
It started with diet and exercise.
In my early 20s I worked for a couple of wellness brands and had a health blog.
Later, relationship challenges sparked a deeper interest in psychology, human behavior, and the human mind. Before I ever considered a career change, I had already spent years in therapy, received bodywork and energy healing, and explored a wide range of approaches to healing and growth.
I took courses on relationship dynamics, hormone health, trauma healing, the mind-body connection, and even more esoteric spiritual teachings. A big part of my free time, while working full-time, was spent studying and exploring holistic health and psychology.
So when I eventually transitioned careers, it wasn’t random. It was a path I’d been walking privately for years.
On the outside it looked like this:
I left London and moved back home to Helsinki.
Studied to become a Health & Life Coach and Somatic Therapist.
Started a business.
Did and still do marketing projects on the side.
On the inside it was something else entirely:
It was the most intense period of inner work I’ve ever been through.
I had to question everything I once built my identity around. I had to sit with uncertainty, grief, doubt, and fear. And I had to learn how to trust myself in an entirely new way.
It’s been hard. And it’s been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
I’m happier than I’ve ever been.
I love my work. It feels meaningful and deeply fulfilling.
And yes, this change was worth it.
If you’re in this place right now and want to talk to someone who’s been through it, send me an email at info@piakempe.com or message me on Instagram pia_kempe. I’d love to have a chat <3
With love,
Pia
