The Coaching Industrial Complex is Broken (And Making Burnout Worse)
What if every leadership program designed to 'empower' women is actually deepening the crisis?
The coaching industry is worth $20 billion globally. Women are the primary consumers. And we're burning out faster than ever.
Something doesn't add up.
The Uncomfortable Truth About "Empowerment"
I've sat in rooms with high-powered coaches, paid for the best frameworks, done the mindset work. I left feeling more broken than before.
Here's why: Most coaching designed for women leaders bypasses the real issue. It asks you to optimize while ignoring the cost of chronic stress, masking, and surviving in systems that weren't built for you.
It calls itself support, but delivers pressure in a prettier package.
The Data That Changes Everything
In 2019, the World Health Organization recognized burnout as an "occupational phenomenon" caused by workplace stress—not personal failure.
Yet Harvard Business Review research shows that 85% of large employers offer wellness programs that focus on individual solutions rather than systemic problems. By 2026, global corporate spending on wellness will hit $94.6 billion. Burnout continues to rise.
Deloitte's 2022 study of 5,000 women revealed:
46% feel burned out
53% report higher stress than the previous year
40% of job seekers cite burnout as their primary reason for leaving
The top causes? Lack of flexibility, exclusion from decision-making, and chronic undervaluing.
This isn't a mindset problem. It's structural.
When the Tools Become the Problem
Traditional coaching frameworks center on productivity and "leveling up"—even when your nervous system is screaming for you to slow down.
They don't account for:
Nervous system dysregulation from chronic workplace stress
The emotional labor of being "the only one" in the room
Generational trauma and representation burden
Neurodivergence, chronic conditions, or caregiving responsibilities
They frame exhaustion as something to overcome, not honor.
The Feedback Trap
Even tools meant to "develop" women leaders often reinforce bias. Stanford researchers found that women receive vague, personality-based feedback ("too aggressive," "not warm enough") while men get specific, outcome-focused guidance.
Result: We internalize these mixed signals and assume we're the problem.
AI is Making It Worse
As AI shapes hiring and performance systems, bias isn't disappearing—it's being automated. Recent University of Washington research found AI tools favor:
White-associated names 85% of the time
Male-associated names 52% of the time
Never favored Black male names over white male names
These systems claim objectivity while codifying discrimination.
The Billion-Dollar Band-Aid
Here's what the coaching industry doesn't want you to know: You're not failing the programs. The programs are failing you.
When coaching becomes the only solution offered for systemic workplace issues, it shifts responsibility from broken organizations to individual women.
We're being sold individual solutions to collective problems.
The Reality Check
Many of us today—especially in public services, healthcare, emergency services, and the gig economy—are working 60-70+ hour weeks while piecing together multiple contracts. We're working Industrial Revolution hours with modern pressures: constant connectivity, emotional labor, and systemic stress that never existed before.
Every hour is more depleting because the system demands performance, not just presence.
The Question That Changes Everything
What if the problem isn't that women need to perform better—what if the problem is the performance itself?
Tomorrow, I'll share what burned-out women actually need instead of another coaching program. (Spoiler: It's not what the industry is selling.)
If this resonates, you're not alone. Share this if you're ready to stop fixing women and start fixing systems.
What's your experience with coaching or wellness programs? Has traditional coaching helped or hurt your burnout recovery? Tell me in the comments.
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