Emily’s story: From burning out to showing up

Emily McGill had burned out three times across her career before she turned to coaching. Not slowed down, not pushed through – burned out, to the point of illness.

As a self-described high performer, she had spent years setting standards far above what anyone expected, then running herself ragged trying to meet them.

In 2021, Emily left a senior human resources role and launched her own consultancy. Going out on her own felt exciting – and terrifying. No colleagues to think out loud with. No team to absorb the pressure. 

She knew immediately what she needed.

“I’ve got to get an executive coach to help me through this. I need to build my confidence as an entrepreneur.”

She called Dave Veale, founder of Vision Coaching, whom she’d known for years. He connected her with Vision coach Sylvie Levesque-Finn. Over the next six months – meeting every two weeks – something shifted.

Sylvie put it plainly: “Here’s where a high performer is, and you’ve put yourself all the way up here. No one is looking for that.”

For Emily, it landed like a revelation. The impossible standard she’d been chasing wasn’t a mark of excellence. It was the thing that had been making her ill.

“She taught me how to truly manage my work-life balance. I’m actually more effective when I’m at work now because I’m rested. I’m not running in circles.”

In early 2025, now settled into a leadership role at Port Saint John, Emily returned to Vision Coaching – this time working with Vision coach Bill Howatt on the shift from capable manager to strategic executive. 

How to walk into a boardroom prepared. How to connect every contribution back to organizational strategy. How to lead with presence, not just effort.

The result: a new title – Director of Engagement & Experience – and a clearer sense of where she’s headed.

“You reach different plateaus in your career and in your life, and you need that person to sort of help you through it.”

Emily is quick to tell anyone who’ll listen that coaching isn’t a one-time fix. 

“It’s not you dip in, you’re cured, you move on,” she says. “It’s a relationship you build and it’s a whole new way of thinking. I shudder to think what I would be like if I hadn’t had these two wonderful coaches in my corner.”

Emily found her footing. What could coaching help you work through? Contact us to find out.