Beating Burnout: Beatrice Ruiz Of The Glitter Lane On The 5 Things You Should Do If You Are Experiencing Work Burnout
Name it, without shame
You can’t fix what you won’t name. Sometimes, it is hard to name if you don’t know what’s happening to you, but try to name how it feels. That’s a start. Many high performers avoid the word “burnout” because it feels like failure. But burnout isn’t a flaw, it’s a flag. The sooner you call it what it is, the sooner you can shift.I once had a client, a VP in tech, who kept calling her symptoms “just a rough patch.” Only when she said out loud, “I’m burned out,” did the real work begin; and she finally cried, after months of pushing.
Millions of Americans are returning back to work after being home during the pandemic. While this has been exciting for many, some are feeling burned out by their work. What do you do if you are feeling burned out by your work? How do you reverse it? How can you “get your mojo back”? What can employers do to help their staff reverse burnout?
In this interview series called “Beating Burnout: 5 Things You Should Do If You Are Experiencing Work Burnout,” we are talking to successful business leaders, HR leaders, and mental health leaders who can share insights from their experience about how we can “Beat Burnout.”.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Beatrice Ruiz.
Beatrice Ruiz is the founder of Trampoline Global Consulting and The Glitter Lane: two intersecting platforms supporting high-achievers in transition. With over 15 years of international experience across leadership, DEI, etiquette, and emotional clarity, she offers discreet coaching and training for professionals navigating career pivots, burnout recovery, visibility, etiquette, public speaking, and romantic alignment. Her clients include Salesforce UKI and State Street, as well as individual highly successful men and women across industries. Her work blends quiet power, strategic refinement, and global emotional fluency. A safe space to bloom.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I was born in Spain, within a large, international family, and I’ve always navigated multiple languages, cultures, and expectations. From an early age, I learned how to adapt, not just to new environments, but to unspoken codes: social, emotional, and professional. I was fortunate to receive the kind of education that goes beyond academics; a grounding in old-fashioned etiquette and protocol passed down generationally, not taught. This unique upbringing shaped my sensitivity to nuance and gave me the tools to move through complex or unfamiliar situations with confidence and natural poise.
I studied Fine Arts, Economics, International Taxation, and International Relations before earning an MBA, and spent the past 15+ years working across global transformation, DEI, and leadership strategy. I’ve lived in 9 countries and advised clients like Salesforce UKI, blending strategic delivery with emotional intelligence and refined presence. In my free time, I love hosting, cooking and baking, reading, dancing, traveling, and spending time with my two PSD Cavaliers, Berti and Percy. Today, I help high-achievers recover from burnout, reconnect with their quiet power, and build visibility in ways that feel aligned, not performative. Whether they’re searching for a romantic partner, preparing to host an unforgettable event, crafting a speech that truly moves people, or elevating their career, I help them live the life they dream of with clarity, confidence, and elegance. For me, it’s all about alignment. Once that clicks, the Universe opens up.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.
It wasn’t one decision or title that shaped my career: it was the tension between what was visible and what was invisible. I spent years excelling in international roles, often in high-stakes environments, while watching talented people, myself included, navigate burnout, misalignment, and the pressure to perform instead of lead authentically. I realized I had a unique capacity to translate nuance: to name what others felt but didn’t know how to articulate.
It took me a while, as it’s never easy to be “the only one,” right? The only Hispanic female leader… from Spain, not Central or South America. The only one needing a visa renewal. The only one with a neurodiversity diagnosis. The only one.
That ability became a bridge. First in DEI and global consulting. Then, in emotional clarity coaching and soft power work. I founded The Glitter Lane because I wanted to create a space where people could reclaim their voice, refine their presence, and build lives that feel deeply aligned: professionally, romantically, emotionally. That’s the thread that runs through all my work: helping people stop performing and start belonging. Authentically.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
If I’m honest, consistent support hasn’t been a hallmark of my journey. I’ve often been surrounded by people who supported me only when it served them; whether that was socially, professionally, or emotionally. Even in my own family, academic achievement was encouraged… but more as a reflection of their values and success than as a deep understanding of my own needs or potential.
That said, the absence of unwavering support made me incredibly resilient. It also gave me a kind of emotional x-ray vision: I see through performance, superficial encouragement, and polite applause. And that’s what my clients value most now: I meet them exactly where they are, without projection or agenda.
If I had to name one kind of support that changed everything, it would be the dogs who came into my life, Berti, my soul dog, and Percy, my rescue boy, whose emotional sensitivity and presence held me through some of the hardest chapters. Sometimes, it’s not about who cheered you on. It’s about what helped you keep going quietly, until your voice could return
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or takeaway did you learn from that?
One of the funniest, and most mortifying, mistakes happened during a business dinner in a country I had just moved to. I had prepared obsessively, researching the professional etiquette, conversational norms, even gift-giving customs. But I completely overlooked one detail: the timing of the dinner. I arrived 15 minutes early, thinking it would show enthusiasm and respect.
What I didn’t realize was that in this particular context, arriving early was seen as socially awkward and even intrusive; like catching your host in their bathrobe. The hostess was gracious, of course, but I could feel the shift. It reminded me that etiquette isn’t about being “correct”, it’s about attuning to energy, rhythm, and unspoken cues. Since then, I’ve adopted a rule: arrive one minute early, never more.
On the personal side? Cultural dating differences never stop surprising me. I still remember a date with an American man who brought flowers, lovely of him, I must say, holding them upright, stiff as a candle, unsure what to do with them next. Cute, really. In the Mediterranean or the Gulf, men arrive with the bouquet tilted down, like they’ve done it a hundred times; they know spoiling us from day one is a given. It’s subtle, but telling. Another time, I made the mistake of assuming the bill would be covered (as it often is in Southern Europe or the Gulf)… only to find myself politely accepting to split, simply because I didn’t know what else to do.
These little cultural moments are often where connection, or misunderstanding, begins. They’ve shaped my work in presence, etiquette, and romantic visibility more than any textbook ever could.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
I don’t have one favorite. I have a small collection I return to when I need to re-center.
“You’re not just choosing a partner. You’re choosing how you’re going to feel about yourself every single day.” Jillian Turecki
This speaks to my romantic clarity work, but also to how we choose clients, environments, even cities. Everything we say yes to affects our confidence, energy, and emotional safety.
“Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside.” Coco Chanel
A reminder that true refinement isn’t a performance. It’s coherence. Magnetism, in leadership, dating, or presence, starts from internal alignment. It’s what makes people glow, even in silence.
“May you find the courage to disappoint people who expect you to stay small.” Unknown
This one lives on my phone. It holds me accountable to my own expansion, not to old expectations or performative roles.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Right now I’m focused on building visibility through The Glitter Lane, the refinement and emotional clarity branch of my consulting work. At its core, it’s a platform for quiet power helping high-achievers recover from burnout, refine their presence, and attract aligned opportunities: professionally, romantically, or both.
The flagship initiative is the Muse Series, a curated set of interviews designed to normalize conversations around alignment, mental health, nervous system regulation, and visibility in high-performance environments. Recent guests include Anna Al-Qasimi Roberts and (soon) Osama Rinno, offering perspectives that span clarity, healing, and beauty leadership across cultures.
Alongside this, I’ve been working 1:1 with professionals navigating transitions, from their late 20s to their 50s. Some are building a new chapter after burnout. Others are seeking the emotional clarity to choose their next city, career path, or romantic partner with full alignment.
Whether it’s helping someone prepare to meet a partner who matches their values, or guiding them to speak with confidence and elegance at a global conference, the thread is the same: supporting people as they realign and glow in ways that feel magnetic, not performative.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Three traits have shaped my journey — not in a loud, showy way, but in an authentic way that makes people feel truly seen and appreciated.
1. Emotional precision
People often come to me when they feel stuck, overwhelmed, or misaligned — but they don’t yet have the words or the safe container. I listen beneath the surface and reflect back what they didn’t know they needed to hear. It creates a sense of safety and clarity — not just from credentials, but because I genuinely see people. And that changes how they see themselves.
Some of the best unsolicited feedback I’ve received?
“You are what a true best friend should look and feel like” (former client, early 30s)
“One thing is clear — you truly care.” (former senior leader, coaching client)
2. Global fluency
I’ve lived in 9 countries and supported clients across continents. But “global” isn’t just about travel — it’s about cultural attunement. Knowing when to speak and when to pause. When to lead, and when to step back. How to build trust across unspoken codes.
Whether I’m in Dubai, London, or Krakow, I navigate environments intuitively — and that puts people at ease.
I’m also Mediterranean, deeply attuned to Arab culture. After all, 75% of me comes from southern Spain, where our roots intertwined with the Arab world for over 800 years. So yes — etiquette, fluency, and all — I’m also my glittery, expressive, southern self.
3. Quiet magnetism
I’ve never chased attention. But over time, people notice. It’s in how I carry myself, how I speak, how I make others feel. That quiet elegance — often described as aspirational — has become something clients want to embody for themselves.
Whether it’s in dating, leadership, or public speaking, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about being deeply aligned.
As a quick anecdote: when I was in college, my friends used to say, “How do you do it? You don’t gossip, you don’t even ask — and yet you always know everything.” And it was true. Information always found me. That kind of energy can’t be taught — but it can be refined.
Why am I an authority on burnout? Because I’ve lived it, coached through it, and rebuilt from it — more than once.
I’ve supported senior leaders, global teams, and high-achievers navigating the quiet unraveling that burnout causes: the emotional flatness, the loss of drive, the sense of misalignment that no productivity hack can fix.
And I’ve been there myself. After years of pushing, through relocation, grief, heartbreak, professional overperformance, and internalized pressure to “keep it together”, I burned out. Not in the obvious ways. I was still showing up, still achieving. But inside? I had nothing left. Zero spark. Zero glitter.
Burnout isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s silent. And that’s what makes it dangerous.
My work blends consulting, career strategy, emotional clarity, and presence — helping clients recover from that numbness and rebuild in alignment. It’s not about doing less. It’s about choosing better. And I don’t teach it from theory. I live it, daily.
Ok, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview about beating burnout. Let’s begin with a basic definition of terms so that all of us are on the same page. How do you define “Burnout”? Can you explain?
Burnout, to me, isn’t just exhaustion. It’s misalignment made physical.
It happens when we stay too long in roles, relationships, or rhythms that are out of sync with who we really are — but we keep pushing because it feels familiar, because it’s what’s expected of us by society, by family. Because we’re high-functioning, high-achieving, or simply afraid of what might happen if we stop.
It often starts subtly: your energy drops, your spark dims, and things that used to motivate you just… don’t. You’re not broken. You’re disconnected: from your needs, your values, your truth.
Take the ever-present “Monday blues” we’ve normalized, joked about, and fraternized with every single week of our lives. What are Monday blues, if not the physical burden of having to start yet another performative week?
And because burnout doesn’t always look dramatic, many people miss it. They don’t collapse. They over-function. They become masters of performance while their inner world slowly erodes.
Burnout isn’t a weakness. It’s a message. And the bravest thing you can do is listen; before your body, your relationships, or your work force you to.
How would you define or describe the opposite of burnout?
The opposite of burnout is alignment.
Not balance. Alignment.
It’s when your inner world and your outer world are finally on speaking terms. When how you spend your time, how you show up, and what you say yes to are grounded in truth, your truth, not fear, not pressure, not performance.
It’s not a perfect state. You still get tired. Life still throws curveballs. But there’s no identity crisis when it happens. You bounce back faster. You trust yourself. You’re rooted.
That’s what I help my clients reach; not some ideal of productivity or “wellness,” but a state where their nervous system feels safe, their energy feels clean, and their decisions feel theirs again.
Once you’ve felt that kind of alignment, you can’t un-feel it. And you won’t want to go back.
This might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to expressly articulate this. Some skeptics may argue that burnout is a minor annoyance and we should just “soldier on’’ and “grin and bear it.” Can you please share a few reasons why burnout can have long-term impacts on our individual health, as well as the health and productivity of our society?
Burnout is not a buzzword. It’s a systemic issue with personal consequences and societal costs.
When we ignore burnout, we don’t just lose motivation. We lose access to our creativity, our empathy, our ability to connect and innovate. We see it everywhere: rising mental health issues, disengagement at work, chronic illnesses, and record-breaking sick leave. And behind every statistic, there’s a real person trying to hold it together in a system that rewards overextension and calls it ambition.
The cost of burnout isn’t just paid by the individual. It shows up in how we lead, how we parent, how we show up for others. It erodes the quality of relationships, decision-making, and long-term vision.
If we want thriving teams, strong partnerships, or simply better communities, we need to stop glorifying endurance and start normalizing nervous system awareness, emotional alignment, and rest as part of real productivity.
From your experience, perspective, or research, what are the main causes of burnout?
Burnout isn’t just caused by doing “too much.” It’s doing too much of what’s misaligned for too long and without support.
In my experience, the main causes include:
- Chronic misalignment
Staying in environments, roles, or routines that clash with your values or temperament, but pushing through out of duty, fear, or habit. Your mind can rationalize it, but your body always keeps score. - Emotional isolation
Burnout thrives in silence. When there’s no space to voice discomfort, no language for your needs, and no sense of being truly seen or supported, the disconnect compounds. This is true both in personal and professional settings. - Invisible labor
Whether it’s navigating systemic bias, being the emotional container for others, or constantly having to self-edit to be accepted. The energy drain is real. Burnout hits harder when the effort isn’t even acknowledged. - Performance culture
In today’s world, the pressure to be “on” all the time, successful, composed, inspiring, is relentless. Especially for high-achievers and those in visible roles. When your worth becomes tied to output, exhaustion becomes identity. - Lack of nervous system regulation
Most of us were never taught how to soothe our systems or notice early signals of stress. We override our bodies for so long that by the time burnout shows up, it feels like a mystery. It’s not. It’s accumulation.
Burnout is rarely a single event. It’s a slow leak of self.
What can an individual do if they are feeling burned out by work? How does one reverse it? How can you “get your mojo back?” Can you please share your “5 Things You Should Do If You Are Experiencing Work Burnout?”.
Burnout recovery isn’t about bubble baths and sabbaticals. It’s about deep realignment. Here are five things I recommend, not from theory, but from lived experience (mine and my clients’):
1. Name it, without shame
You can’t fix what you won’t name. Sometimes, it is hard to name if you don’t know what’s happening to you, but try to name how it feels. That’s a start. Many high performers avoid the word “burnout” because it feels like failure. But burnout isn’t a flaw, it’s a flag. The sooner you call it what it is, the sooner you can shift.
I once had a client, a VP in tech, who kept calling her symptoms “just a rough patch.” Only when she said out loud, “I’m burned out,” did the real work begin; and she finally cried, after months of pushing.
2. Strip it back
Burnout thrives in complexity. Too many meetings, too many roles, too many “shoulds.” Start eliminating what’s non-essential. Even one hour reclaimed can feel like an exhale.
For me, this looked like canceling social plans that felt like performance, removing guilt from not replying instantly, and asking, “what’s mine to carry, and what isn’t?”
3. Rebuild nervous system safety
You cannot think your way out of burnout. You have to feel safe enough to come back into your body. That might mean gentle movement, slower mornings, regulated breathing; small cues that say: “we’re safe now.”
One client of mine started walking without headphones. Another began eating lunch away from her laptop. It seems simple, but it resets your internal rhythm.
4. Reconnect with want
Burnout detaches us from desire. We forget what we even like, what energizes us. Start small. What brings beauty, warmth, curiosity back into your life? Follow the micro yes.
After my own burnout, I couldn’t answer “what do you want?” But I could say: “I want to sit in the sun and do nothing.” That’s where I started.
5. Don’t do it alone
Burnout thrives in isolation. Healing happens in connection. Whether it’s a coach, therapist, or trusted friend; find someone who can hold you as you recalibrate. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just need space to ask the real questions.
My own recovery accelerated the moment I stopped pretending I was fine. And now, this is the work I offer others, so they don’t have to carry it all alone.
What can concerned friends, colleagues, and life partners do to help someone they care about reverse burnout?
Burnout isolates people. One of the most powerful things you can do is simply remind them that they’re not alone.
Start with presence, not solutions.
Most people facing burnout don’t need advice right away. They need a safe space to say, “I’m not okay,” without being judged, rushed, or minimized. Let them vent. Let them be quiet. Let them feel seen.
Avoid the “just take a break” script.
Burnout isn’t always solved by time off. It’s about misalignment, not just rest. Instead of saying, “You just need a vacation,” try “What would feel most supportive for you right now?” It leaves room for nuance.
Check in consistently, without pressure.
When someone is burned out, even replying to a message can feel like a task. Be the person who stays steady, who checks in without expectation, who doesn’t take their withdrawal personally.
Celebrate their small wins.
If they cancel a meeting, go for a walk, or say no to something that drains them: celebrate it. Those moments are signs of healing.
And lastly, if you’re close to them, model the same care for yourself. Burnout recovery is easier when it’s mirrored back in the people around us.
What can employers do to help their staff reverse burnout?
If you want to support burnout recovery at work, you have to start by creating safety, not just policies.
Too often, companies introduce wellness programs while still rewarding overwork and constant availability. The result? Employees don’t feel safe enough to use the resources provided. They fear being judged, replaced, surveilled, or seen as “not committed.”
Here’s what actually helps:
1. Normalize human limits at every level.
When senior leaders model boundaries, others follow. If your CEO takes time off, respects their own time, and speaks openly about sustainable work habits, that creates permission for everyone else.
2. Train managers in emotional intelligence.
Burnout is not always about workload. It’s about relationships, communication, and culture. Managers who can’t hold a one-on-one conversation with empathy will always be a risk factor.
Many big corporations put their managers through training just to tick a box and feed the corporate narrative. But the reality? Attrition rates speak for themselves, sick leaves are normalized, and trust erodes quickly.
Let me share a personal example:
My adoptive dad passed away last year. I had always been a high-performing employee with full bonuses every year. But my new manager told me, “Your performance has been impacted by your father’s passing, which I understand, but I had to adjust your bonus accordingly.”
What are the odds I feel safe in a place where this kind of manager keeps being promoted just because they speak the corporate language and complete the required trainings?
3. Review performance metrics.
Are you only rewarding visibility, long hours, and constant output? Or are you recognizing strategy, presence, collaboration, and healthy leadership? What you reward shapes your culture.
4. Provide confidential coaching or mental health support.
Give people access to safe, judgment-free spaces where they can talk, reflect, and get perspective. But make sure they aren’t penalized for using them.
5. Shift from “fixing burnout” to “preventing misalignment.”
When people work in roles that match their strengths, values, and rhythm, burnout becomes far less likely. Invest in understanding what energizes your team and what drains them.
These ideas are wonderful, but sadly they are not yet commonplace. What strategies would you suggest to raise awareness about the importance of supporting the mental wellness of employees?
Start at the top.
Wellness cannot be outsourced to an HR initiative. It has to be embedded in leadership language, decision-making, and everyday behavior. When executives normalize breaks, boundaries, and recovery, wellness stops being “optional” and becomes a standard of excellence.
Here are a few key strategies:
- Make emotional safety part of performance conversations.
Don’t just ask what someone is achieving. Ask how they’re doing it. Overperformance driven by fear or perfectionism is not sustainable. Leaders need to be curious about the cost of results. - Speak openly about your own limits.
When leaders model honesty, “I was overwhelmed last quarter” or “I needed time off after that stretch”, it gives others permission to be human too. - Measure what matters.
If your KPIs only track output, burnout will thrive. Introduce well-being indicators into team reviews: trust, communication, workload clarity, psychological safety. - Push back when necessary.
If you’re asked to approve an unrealistic list of priorities for a team or project, say no. Ask for recalibration. Overloading people isn’t leadership, it’s negligence. If you sign off, you’re co-signing the damage. - Celebrate sustainable success.
Don’t just praise the hero who worked weekends. Celebrate the manager who kept the team thriving without burnout. Make healthy leadership aspirational.
What are a few of the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they try to reverse burnout in themselves or others? What can they do to avoid those mistakes?
• Trying to “push through” the burnout.
Burnout isn’t a productivity glitch, it’s a misalignment warning. Pushing harder often makes it worse. Instead: pause. Listen. Recalibrate.
• Mistaking rest for recovery.
A weekend off won’t fix a nervous system that’s been in overdrive for months. True recovery requires alignment — with your pace, your values, your environment, your relationships.
• Blaming themselves instead of the system.
Many high-achievers internalize burnout as personal failure. But often, the problem isn’t them, it’s the system or culture they’re in. The solution isn’t fixing yourself. It’s redesigning your life.
• Expecting instant clarity.
Burnout recovery takes time. Clarity doesn’t return in one “a-ha moment.” It arrives in layers. Be patient. Let insight emerge through rest, nervous system regulation, and honesty.
• Treating symptoms instead of root causes.
Journaling, cold plunges, therapy — all helpful. But if you go back to a role, relationship, or rhythm that drains you, the cycle will restart. Real recovery often requires real change.
• Convincing themselves they don’t have another option.
This is one of the most dangerous traps. When people believe they must keep pushing, that stopping isn’t an option — they ignore every red flag their body and mind are sending. That’s not resilience. That’s disconnection.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Thank you for reading. If you’re navigating burnout, know this: you’re not broken. You’re likely overdue for realignment.
And if you’re in a position of leadership, please remember: how you model recovery is as important as how you model ambition.
The future of work won’t be defined by who can endure the most. It will be defined by who can lead with clarity, calm, and depth.
You can follow my work on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/beatriceruiz) and on IG @theglitterlane
Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
