Adrenaline isn’t an infinite fuel : what seven years after a burnout taught me

Seven years ago, I was at the peak of my career.

International CHRO in a major group. Projects stacking up. An energy I mistook for strength. An adrenaline I mistook for talent.

Then, without warning, everything stopped.

Burnout.

The silent burnout, the one you don’t see coming

Not the burnout people imagine, the spectacular, visible, undeniable collapse. Mine was silent. It settled in while I kept performing, delivering, bringing my teams along.

While everyone , me first, called it resilience and resistance.

Seven years on, I’m still learning to manage my energy differently.

What I’ve understood about adrenaline

Adrenaline isn’t the problem. It’s what makes us extraordinary — ambitious, creative, capable of taking risks others wouldn’t dare. It’s the fuel of great leaders.

But unmanaged adrenaline erodes quietly. It drains the batteries without you noticing. And when they’re flat, it’s never at a convenient moment.

What I observe in the executives I work with

Since then, I’ve worked alongside dozens of executives who describe the same mechanism. A Retail Director in luxury. An Operations Director in automotive. A Procurement Director in a tech group.

Different profiles. The same blind spot.

The conviction I’ve built from it

Managing your mental health isn’t a peripheral HR topic. It’s a leadership skill.

Knowing how to read weak signals in your team. Changing your practices before the batteries hit zero. Seeing performance differently, not as a state to maintain at any cost, but as something built over time.

These are skills that can be learned and worked on.

This year, over a hundred leaders trained on these topics. Each time, the same realisations. The same silences that say everything.

Balance isn’t a concession

Adrenaline that creates energy and the ability to last over time ; it’s not a choice between the two. It’s a balance that gets built. Actively. Before it becomes urgent.

Not after the collapse. Before.