Alicja Białek Coaching

Burnout coaching for leaders · ICF ACC · in English & Polish

You're still performing. You're just paying more for it every week.

I help leaders and managers see what work is taking out of them, change the conditions that are feeding it, and get some room to think again. That might mean protecting the work you still care about. It might mean finally admitting you need a break and making a plan for it. You decide what happens next.

Book a free 30-minute call Read the approach

The goal is not to want less from your work. It's to stop paying for it with your energy, your health, or your relationships.

The early signs

Does this sound familiar?

I remember what it's like. I've been there myself. You still care about your work, but something has shifted. Getting ready for a meeting takes more out of you than it used to. By the end of the day, you have nothing left for the people you love. Even the holiday you meant to take keeps getting pushed because now doesn't feel like the right time. You just long for your couch and silence.

I created this process for you if:

If two or three of these feel familiar, this is probably the right time to look at it. You do not need to wait for a full crash to take yourself seriously.

The part nobody names

Burnout is often built into the way the work is set up.

Burnout usually isn't a discipline problem. It happens when the demands keep rising and your control keeps shrinking, for long enough that your body and mind start paying the price. I've spent almost a decade inside the kinds of systems that wear capable people down, so that's where I start: with the work itself, the expectations around it, and the rules nobody says out loud.

Most burnout traces back to a mismatch in one of six places. We find yours.

WorkloadControlReward CommunityFairnessValues

From hero to architect.

The hero carries the whole system on their own back and reads the exhaustion as a personal failing. The architect sees the system, names it, and redesigns it: first for themselves, then for the people they lead. Here's what that shift produces:

  1. See the pattern clearly.

    You stop treating exhaustion as proof that something is wrong with you. The "normal" you've treated as fixed is a set of arrangements, not a law of nature.

  2. Get specific about what drains you.

    We move past "I'm tired" and figure out what is actually costing you energy.

  3. Trust your own judgment again.

    You make decisions from your values, not just urgency, guilt, or depletion.

  4. Notice what still matters to you.

    You get clearer on which parts of your work are still yours and which ones are just wearing you down.

  5. Reconnect to what genuinely engages you.

    Tell the difference between work that lights you up and work that never will, no matter how well you do it. Stop optimising a life you didn't choose.

  6. Change more than your calendar.

    We work on boundaries, expectations, role design, and the conversations you've been avoiding.

  7. Catch it earlier next time.

    You build your own way of spotting the warning signs before they become a collapse.

  8. Lead differently.

    Once you can see the system, you stop unconsciously reproducing it for your team. The hero absorbs the system's costs. The architect changes the system so no one has to.

This usually doesn't stay the same by itself. It tends to harden. The longer you leave it, the more tired, cynical, and stuck it can make you feel.

What to expect

We begin with the real problem.

Coaching is not therapy, and it is not generic advice. We look at where your energy is going: the workload, the unspoken expectations, the decisions you keep postponing, and the standards you're still trying to meet even when they no longer make sense.

What a session looks like: Sessions are 50 minutes, online, and conversational. You bring whatever feels most pressing that week. We work through it until the pattern becomes clearer, then turn that into one concrete step you can actually take.

Work with me

A focused, sixteen-week coaching process.

We work together across eight sessions over sixteen weeks. That gives us enough time to spot the pattern, test changes, and build some momentum. We focus on what is actually draining you, not on performing wellness while the same problems stay in place.

The eight-session process

1:1 · online · in English or Polish · over 16 weeks

  • Eight 50-minute sessions, every two weeks
  • A clear focus agreed in the first session
  • Short reflections between sessions when useful
  • Personalised worksheets and exercises
  • Confidentiality throughout
Book a free 30-minute call

About

I've been inside the machine.

Alicja Białek — Transformation & Burnout Coach

Transformation & Burnout Coach · ICF-Certified (ACC)

Hi, I'm Alicja, a Transformation and Burnout Coach, ICF-certified at ACC level. I work with people who are still performing on the outside but can feel something being drained on the inside. What I bring is a mix of coaching training, lived experience, and years spent inside complex organisations.

In 2020 I burned out hard enough to step away from my career for nine months. For a long time I treated it as a personal failure. Eventually I understood it had far more to do with the conditions I was working in than with any flaw in my character. That shift is at the centre of how I work now.

ICF ACC10 years leading IT teams Agile & SAFe transformationMaslach framework
Read my full story →

In their words

From the people who've done the work.

“

If you want a coach who combines a broad perspective with effective advice, choose Ala.

I wholeheartedly recommend Alicja as a career mentor to any engineer aspiring to an Engineering Manager role. She helped me translate years of experience into concrete business language. Her pointed questions, specific feedback and guidance were the key to a successful recruitment process. The result: confidence in interviews and a ready set of practices I now use in my new role.

Michał MrozowskiEngineering Manager, Nord Security

“

She promotes the balance and groundedness necessary for sustainable career growth.

As an early-career consultant moving to another country for a role, I sought support to manage the change. Alicja helped me structure my thoughts, name challenges, and find solutions. She asked the right questions for me to shift my perspectives, become more self-aware of my patterns and needs, and feel confident in my decisions. I highly recommend her, especially during, or while considering, a significant career change.

Kaja MichalowiczConsultant, Deloitte Germany

“

I never believed in coaching. After three months with Ala, I'm in total shock.

I always kept my distance from this kind of support. She's a wonderful, empathetic person and a great coach on many levels. This work gives you a completely different perspective on your situation and what's actually possible. And no, this wasn't written by AI. I wrote it myself: a card-carrying skeptic who'd written himself off. Turns out I'm someone capable and full of resources. Alicja just helped me bring them out.

Dawid LipińskiActor

“

Alicja helped me see what had been staying below my awareness.

I met Alicja at a pivotal moment in my career. Working with her, I gained real confidence in my new role and worked through areas that had been a challenge. Her precise questions and support let me find the best solutions. She is exceptionally professional, empathetic and engaged. Her coaching is not only professional growth, but personal growth too.

Julita IksCEO, Talent Alpha

Before you book

The questions you're probably asking.

Is this therapy?

No. Coaching is not therapy. It's a supportive, future-focused process that helps people build lasting change, reach their goals, and perform at their best in work and life. It is designed for people who are not currently facing serious mental health concerns. When therapy, medical care, or crisis support would be more appropriate, I'll always encourage that path.

I don't have time for sixteen weeks.

Sessions are every two weeks and last 50 minutes. The idea is to make this fit into a full life, not overload it further. And if protecting that hour feels impossible, that usually tells us something important.

Do you coach in English or Polish?

Both. We'll work in whichever you think more clearly in.

I'm not sure I'm "burned out enough" for this.

You do not need to hit bottom first. In fact, this work is often most useful earlier, when you can still see the signs and respond before things get worse.

Can my employer pay for this?

Often, yes. Many companies have coaching or development budgets. I can provide a simple proposal and invoice you can take to your manager or HR. Our sessions stay confidential either way.

What if the first session isn't useful?

Then we stop there. I'd rather you find the right support than keep going out of politeness.

Not ready for a call?

Start with how I think.

If a 30-minute call feels like too much right now, start with Burnout, Unburdened. It's where I write about burnout, ambition, pressure, and the ways capable people lose themselves at work. Read a few pieces first. You'll know quickly whether my way of thinking fits.

Read Burnout, Unburdened →

Or get new pieces in your inbox, no pitch, just the writing.

Start here

Let's talk. It's the first step.

A free 30-minute conversation to look at what's going on and decide whether working together makes sense.

Book a free 30-minute call

A practical conversation about what's actually draining you.

Contact

The fastest way in is a call.

The simplest first step is to book a free 30-minute conversation, pick a time that works and we'll talk.

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Prefer to write first? Use the form, or email me directly at . I read everything and reply within two working days.

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