Coach Burnout Check
Twelve honest statements about energy, boundaries, recovery and meaning, scored into four areas, with one practical move for the area that needs it most.
Answer for the last month, not for the coach you intend to be.
1.I end most coaching days with nothing left for the people at home.
2.I need a coffee, a nap or a scroll before I can face the next session.
3.I catch myself coaching on autopilot, saying the thing I always say.
4.I take sessions at times I said I never would.
5.I reply to client messages within minutes, including evenings and weekends.
6.I have kept a client I should have ended with, because of the money.
7.My last week fully off coaching was more than three months ago.
8.I do not have a coach, supervisor or peer I speak to about my practice.
9.Movement, sleep or food has slipped to make room for client work.
10.I feel irritated or cynical about clients more than I used to.
11.I doubt whether my coaching makes a difference.
12.I cannot remember the last session that left me energised.
Coaches are good at spotting strain in everyone but themselves. This check asks twelve plain statements about energy, boundaries, recovery and meaning over the last month, scores the four areas, and points at the one to work on first. It takes two minutes and nothing is stored.
How to use this tool
- 1
Answer each statement for the last month, honestly, on a four-point scale from rarely to almost always.
- 2
See your reading: an overall strain level, a score for each of the four areas, and which area carries the most.
- 3
Take the one practical move suggested for that area. Retake the check in a month and compare.
What coach burnout looks like
It rarely arrives as collapse. It arrives as sessions on autopilot, replies at eleven at night, a client kept for the money, and a growing flatness about work that used to light you up. The four areas here, energy, boundaries, recovery and meaning, are where those signs show first and where the fixes are cheapest.
What to do with a high score
Change one thing in the heaviest area this week: cap sessions per day, publish your hours, book the week off, or reread what clients said changed. Then get support of your own; a monthly hour with a supervisor or peer coach is the most reliable protection in this profession.
This is a self-check, not a diagnosis. If exhaustion, low mood or dread has lasted weeks, speak to a doctor or therapist as well as changing your diary.
Questions coaches ask
What are the signs of burnout in coaches?
Exhaustion that a weekend does not fix, cynicism about clients, coaching on autopilot, eroded boundaries around hours and replies, and doubt about whether the work matters. The check scores these across four areas.
Is this a clinical burnout test?
No. It is a practice self-check for coaches. It does not diagnose anything. If symptoms are persistent, see a professional.
How often should I take it?
Monthly, or at the end of each client cohort. The point is the trend and the one change you make after each reading.
How many clients is too many?
The number that leaves you ending days with nothing left. For most one-to-one coaches that is four to five sessions a day with gaps between them. The energy area will tell you.
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Updated October 2026
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