I Climbed the Career Ladder and Got My Dream Job at 30—Then I Hit Burnout
By Gemma Dunstan, BBC Wales
Jo Hooper spent her 20s climbing the career ladder, quickly rising through the ranks with promotions and pay rises. "I loved being good at it," she said. But just after landing her dream role at 30, Jo struggled with burnout and had to take time off work.
Burnout, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. Recent statistics reveal that 22 million working days were lost in Britain due to work-related stress in 2024-25.
Jo, now 39 and based in Penarth, said: "I wanted to be a head of communications by the time I was 30, which I did by doing all things you’d expect—working long hours, saying yes to everything, even mad things like taking my boss’s kids to school."
She hit burnout a year into her management role, leading to two breakdowns within a year. "I definitely think it was a case of being forced to stop by my body and mind," Jo said. "I found it really difficult to make decisions, like my brain was working slower."
According to Mental Health UK, two in five young workers aged 18 to 24 took time off due to poor mental health caused by stress in 2025. However, concerns have been raised about how people are signed off work. This year, hundreds of GPs told the BBC they had never refused to sign a patient off work for mental health issues. Olympic athlete Laviai Nielsen recently realized she had burnout too late, after the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Green Party MP Carla Denyer announced in May she would be taking a leave of absence due to burnout.
Dr Jill Williams, a psychologist and business coach in north Wales, helps people affected by burnout. She said: "It’s actually perfectionists or those who go the extra mile who are more likely to experience this. The same traits that get you promoted will be the same ones that burn you out, unfortunately."
