Last week, I had the privilege of recording three short “chats” about resilience for students in the University of Toronto Arts Management Program. This newsletter is based on my remarks.
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In 30-plus years working in the arts, I’ve seen too many talented leaders hit a wall. Not because they weren’t capable or committed, but because they didn’t know how to recognize the warning signs of burnout or what to do about them.
I experienced this myself in a job where my workload was heavy but manageable, until it wasn’t. Over time, I had less autonomy, inadequate recognition for my efforts, and an employer who refused to discuss fair compensation or workload adjustments. I didn’t know then what I know now: that burnout doesn’t always announce itself with trumpets. It can creep up quietly.
The Real Cost of Burnout
Burnout isn’t just about working too many hours for too long, although that’s part of it. It’s a medical condition that shows up as:
🔥 Exhaustion: waking up tired and disrupted sleep that doesn’t refresh you
🔥 Cynicism: feeling like your work doesn’t matter, growing pessimism and a negative attitude
🔥 Ineffectiveness: working hard but accomplishing little, not knowing where to start, and feeling incompetent
These symptoms don’t happen in isolation. Burnout typically results from six workplace factors: excessive workloads, lack of autonomy, insufficient rewards (both extrinsic and intrinsic), absence of supportive community, and unfair treatment.
Sound familiar? It does to many arts leaders I work with.
What Resilience Actually Means
I like to think about resilience as a mental muscle that helps us recover from setbacks and disappointments. The stronger this muscle, the more quickly we bounce back. Resilient people are less likely to react negatively to stress, less prone to self-sabotage through perfectionism, people-pleasing, or hyper-vigilance.
In many ways, building resilience means creating the opposite conditions of burnout: learning to say no to excessive demands, making decisions and taking action from a place of clarity, developing genuine self-esteem, and cultivating supportive relationships.
My Path Back
When I finally recognized I couldn’t power through my exhaustion, I started with the fundamentals. With my doctor’s support, I focused on regular sleep, healthy eating, and movement. These aren’t optional extras; no one is actually at their best on five hours of sleep and coffee alone, no matter what we tell ourselves.
I committed to daily meditation and started journaling. Both gave me space for self-reflection and helped me notice patterns in my habits and behaviors that weren’t serving me. I became more aware of what I actually wanted, not just what others expected of me.
The last piece was making time for what restored my spirits: friends, family, hobbies, creativity for its own sake, time in nature, and being present with my daughter.
This didn’t happen overnight. Recovery from burnout and building resilience is a process. Don’t try to do it all at once—that just adds to your stress.
And What About Work?
Eventually, I left that job. As I developed resilience, I was able to set firmer boundaries and say no to unfair treatment. I built a network of colleagues who supported me and helped rebuild my self-esteem. I explored options and found work that was a better fit.
Here’s what I want you to know: if you’re working with a coach, counselor, or therapist to recover from burnout, that work should include examining your behaviors and patterns, your mindset, and the challenges in your home and work life.
One client came to me exhausted after running multiple small organizations through COVID. Their boards were demanding but mostly unhelpful. The pressure to pivot and fundraise for new programs, largely alone, was enormous. We worked together to see how their tendency to people-please and be hyper-vigilant was contributing to burnout. We created a plan that addressed the whole person—mindfulness, exercise, working with a naturopath—and importantly, improving boundaries and learning to say no.
How to Build Resilience Now
You don’t have to wait until you’re burned out to start building resilience. Start with what feels most urgent or important to you:
💪 Body: Pay attention to sleep, nutrition, movement, and rest (which is different from sleep).
🧠 Mind: Make time for self-reflection through meditation, journaling, walking, or other practices that create space for awareness.
💛 Heart: Prioritize creativity for its own sake, hobbies and play, nourishing relationships, spiritual practices, pets, and time in nature.
💼 Work: Develop skills like time management, prioritizing, and delegation. Learn to recognize when your brain and body are saying no. Practice having courageous conversations. Set and maintain boundaries. Understand your patterns of self-sabotage—perfectionism, controlling behavior, hyper-vigilance, people-pleasing, avoidance—and learn to intercept them.
Resilient leaders are more successful because they can draw on their creativity, innovate, and focus on taking action to achieve their goals. Burnout isn’t inevitable. Building resilience is a process that anyone can follow.
🌻 Interested in learning more about burnout and resilience? I’m planning a short series of newsletters focused on burnout and resilience as I work towards certification as a burnout specialist with Dr. Neha Sangwan, author of “Powered By Me: From Burned Out to Fully Charged at Work and in Life.” Email me at lucy@lucywhite.ca with “RESILIENCE” in the subject line and I’ll add you to the list.
🌻 Curious about building resilience and reducing stress in your leadership? The next cohort of the Calm Confident Nonprofit Leader program launches in the new year. Let’s connect to explore if this work is right for you.