Burnout Recovery for High Achieving Leaders: How to Reconnect with Peace and Purpose

What if burnout isn't the end, but the beginning of something better?

As we near the end of another year, many of us are feeling it: the slump, the fatigue, the brain fog.

High-achieving professionals often wear their ambition like armor, pushing through discomfort, striving for perfection, and feeding the hustle. But what happens when that hustle becomes a trap?

In this episode of Strategy Talks, I sat down with endurance athlete, retreat leader, and executive coach Mike Gingerich to explore burnout recovery for high achieving leaders, and how to find peace and purpose on the other side.

Mike lives and works in Ecuador, leading transformational retreats for executives and entrepreneurs who are running on fumes. As a former executive himself, Mike knows the burnout spiral firsthand. He's also spent a lifetime as an endurance athlete, so he brings a unique lens to the mind-body connection and how we can use it to not just recover, but reset.

Why High Achieving Leaders Burn Out

"People are questioning the hustle lifestyle," Mike told me. "They've tried the performance culture, and it's not working anymore."

For many of the professionals Mike works with, burnout isn't sudden. It's a slow unraveling that starts with signs we often ignore:

• Constant fatigue

• Brain fog or cloudy thinking

• Persistent tension (shoulders, neck, jaw)

• Chest heaviness or gut issues

"Your body is speaking to you," Mike said. "We're just trained to ignore it."

Often, people don't seek help until they've already tried everything else, more productivity hacks, more caffeine, more pushing. "We try to numb it or push harder, but the body remembers," Mike explained.

The Importance of Place and Pace in Burnout Recovery

One of the most unique aspects of Mike's work is location: Ecuador. His retreats bring high achievers out of their environment and into a space where healing can begin. "Change of place allows for change of perspective," he shared.

From the Andes to the Amazon, Mike guides his clients through cultural immersions that help them step outside their daily lives. These aren't vacations. They're intentional journeys designed to:

• Slow down the nervous system

• Reflect on the bubble we live in

• Create space to observe new ways of living

"When you change the pace and the place, you can finally listen," he said.

Listening to the Body: A Key to Burnout Recovery

Mike made a point that really stuck with me: "You can't think your way out of burnout."

We've been told over and over to change our mindset, reframe our thinking, stay positive. But the body holds the stress before the mind even registers it. When we face a stressful event, it's the body that reacts first, tight muscles, racing heart, shallow breath.

"Our bodies are trying to keep us safe," Mike said. "But that means resisting change. We need to work with the body to feel safe again."

From his background in endurance sports, Mike knows the power of consistency. Just like training for a marathon, recovering from burnout requires daily practices:

• Gentle movement to discharge stress

• Breathwork to calm the nervous system

• Rest and stillness without guilt

"This isn't about quick fixes. It's about learning to listen and respond differently," he added.

Purpose Beyond Performance

So what comes after the burnout?

That's where purpose comes in.

"We have to look at the rules we're living by," Mike told me. "A lot of them were useful at some point, but they're not serving us anymore."

This is especially true for those of us who have built our identity around performance. Mike challenges clients to shift from performance identity to purpose identity—without losing their drive. Instead of asking why, he says, ask why not?

He invites clients to evaluate their goals through a different lens:

• Profit

• People

• Planet

It's not about abandoning success. It's about redefining it in a more sustainable, values-driven way.

A Culture Shift That Heals

Mike and I also talked about what it means to live in a culture that prioritizes community, slowness, and connection over productivity.

"I realized I was always walking fast," he laughed. "Here, people stroll. They pause. They connect."

Having lived in both Europe and Brazil, I know exactly what he means. There's a word in Dutch—Niks—that literally means "doing nothing." Not out of laziness, but as an intentional act of rest.

"Sometimes the best thing we can do is nothing," I added.

Ready for a Reset?

Burnout isn't a failure. It's feedback.

If you're a high achieving leader who's been pushing too hard, too long, it may be time to stop asking how to keep going—and start asking how to reset. As Mike put it, "You don't have to wait to hit bottom. Your body is already telling you it's time."

You can learn more about Mike and his work at LiveItWell.eu or connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn. He offers transformational retreats in Ecuador, as well as coaching for those ready to rewrite the rules of their life.

As always, thanks for tuning in to Strategy Talks. Stay curious, stay grounded, and remember: the strategy is you.

10 Smart Prompts to Ask AI about burnout and high achieving leadership:

• What are early signs of burnout in high achievers?

• How can I use breathwork to calm my nervous system?

• Give me a daily routine to recover from burnout

• How can I shift from a performance mindset to a purpose-driven life?

• What does it mean to live and work with peace and purpose?

• How do retreats help with burnout recovery?

• What does a somatic approach to burnout look like?

• How can culture change help me reset mentally and emotionally?

• What are the "three Ps" of sustainable success?

• How do I know if I’m stuck in hustle culture?