“Under 40 and overworked? How young East TN professionals can battle burnout”
Knoxville News Sentinel Interview
I was interviewed by Mariah Franklin, reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel, for the 40 under 40 cohort to thrive in 2026 and reduce burnout.
PDF of the article
Burnout is not something that happens in isolation. It shows up when people are treated like parts of a system instead of human beings living full lives. The way we prevent it is by putting people back at the center of the workplace and by remembering that work is only one part of who we are.
When people feel seen and understood at work, they stay motivated. That starts with clear communication. Not just about tasks and deadlines, but about expectations, capacity, and how we are actually doing. When we take the time to understand our coworkers as people, collaboration becomes more natural and the work feels less heavy, even as technology and automation continue to change how we operate day to day.
Listening matters. Especially when life changes. Becoming a parent, caring for aging parents, or stepping into a new season of responsibility shifts what people need in order to do their best work. When workplaces make room for those changes instead of resisting them, people don’t just stay employed, they stay engaged.
But burnout is not solved at work alone. A strong home life is not a luxury, it is a foundation. There is value in going back to basics and adopting what some might call an old school mindset. Accept what you cannot change at work. Then turn your energy toward what you can change within yourself. What you need. What you need to say. What boundaries need to exist so that work does not consume everything else.
Work will always have limits. Jobs change. Roles end. Life brings loss, accidents, and moments that take away what once felt stable. If happiness only exists inside your job, it will always be fragile. The real work is learning how to build a sense of fulfillment outside of productivity.
When you do that, work becomes something you participate in, not something that defines you.