Beat burnout: Expert strategies to help you today

Garreth Hanley:
This is INTHEBLACK, a leadership, strategy and business podcast, brought to you by CPA Australia.

Adrienne Biscontin:
Welcome to INTHEBLACK. This episode, we're flipping the script from spreadsheets to self-care. I'm Adrienne Biscontin, external affairs adviser at CPA Australia, and today we're talking mental health for Mental Health Awareness Month.

It's a time to raise awareness, challenge stigma, and advocate for better mental health support across all sectors, including the workplace. If you've ever felt like your mental wellness is running on low power, this one's for you.

Today, we're joined by Tim Jack Adams, founder of GreenX7 and author of Energised, to talk about how finance professionals can recharge their batteries, boost their energy, and lead with impact without burning out. So whether you're tuning in from your office, on your commute, or taking a well-earned break, thank you for joining us. Let's dive in. Welcome, Tim.

Tim Jack Adams:
Hello, Adrienne. How are you doing? Thanks for the invite.

Adrienne Biscontin:
Your book, Energised, starts with the question, how's your battery? So let's start there. How's your battery today?

Tim Jack Adams:
Mine's pretty energised actually. I'm feeling good. I actually did it this morning with my wife, Carly. We kind of check in once a week with each other. She's a busy firefighter, so she's always under the high performance pressure as they are sometimes. But I'm around 85% at the moment, so feeling pretty good. I do have two kids under four, so sleep isn't always at the optimum that I'd like it, but I feel like everything else is pretty in shipshape order at the moment, Adrienne.

Adrienne Biscontin:
Sounds good. Keeping your battery charged requires intention and effort I read in your book, so...

Tim Jack Adams:
It does, and I think this is one of the things. Now, Eckhart Tolle said awareness is the greatest agent for change. And I think he's probably spot on, because as you know in CPA what you measure, you manage. And it's just like our own well-being and our own performance, if we don't manage it or if we don't measure it, we certainly don't know what to do with it and where those energy leaks are coming from.

Adrienne Biscontin:
Absolutely. Finance professionals often operate in high pressure environments. What's one small daily or regular habit that could make a big difference in their energy levels?

Tim Jack Adams:
So I think one of the biggest things that we might sort of forget is how important breath is to our mind and body. And so we are shallow breathing all day long, and so what we need to understand is that when we're shallow breathing, we're building up carbon dioxide, which makes us feel lethargic and actually taking 6 to 10 really good deep breaths, even just feeling them as a two-part breath.

So if I had our listeners put their one hand on their stomach and one hand on their chest, and when they breathe in they can actually feel that stomach rise and feel their chest rise. That's when we know we're actually doing a good breath. And they last around five seconds, so if we do 6 to 10 of those beautiful deep breaths, we actually get out of our sort of fight or flight mode and we get into that rest and recharge mode. So what I'd suggest is before each meeting try to actually do some of those 6 to 10 breaths to really reset your battery. Now, that's a simple one.

I think one of the greatest things that we can do, which I know most of my clients don't do, is actually down tools at lunchtime, and actually take that 30 minutes or 45 minutes or whatever it is to actually stretch your legs, get outside with maybe a colleague or someone you know, get some sunshine, get some fresh air, because that's going to be a really good re-boost for that afternoon session.

Adrienne Biscontin:
You talk about creating a rhythm for everyday wellness. What does that rhythm look like for you personally and how do you recommend people keep going when life gets chaotic?

Tim Jack Adams:
So one of the most important things that I've realised after doing this for over 10 years now, Adrienne, is actually building a life that supports us first and not a life that we're constantly having to support. And what I mean by that is that when I do work with professionals, the first thing I do is have a look at their calendar, and I can tell straight away at that week what they're actually putting attention into.

And most of us are basically doing all the professional stuff first and then we might scrape a little bit of time together at the end of the week to try and look after our own self-care. And unfortunately, what happens is when we get really busy, that's the first thing that goes out the window, because our to-do list never seems to end.

And so what I've kind of created, and what the book is about, is creating a rhythm for everyday wellness. So what can you do first to help recharge your own batteries before everything else comes in and topples you over? So for me, a perfect example is every single morning from 7:00 to 7:30, I take my wife, my two kids, my chocolate Labrador, and we actually go for about a 30-minute walk around our block. We then sit outside, eat our breakfast, shoes off, sunshine, and have a really beautiful connection before my wife and I shoot off to work and we take the kids to kindy.

Adrienne Biscontin:
So in terms of a busy professional, for example, I mean the average CPA is a 43-year-old female based in a metropolitan area. She might work in a high-pressure corporate environment, busy with client meetings, probably doesn't have access to a nice sunny loop of the block with a chocolate Labrador in the morning. What are some quick takeaways for them that are practical and useful?

Tim Jack Adams:
Certainly. So I actually have done some research around a 43-year-old female. I've actually done some research around every demographic in Australia and they're currently sitting at around 64% battery, which basically is functioning. Right, Adrienne? So not great.

And I know that their physical health sits at around 6 out of 10, their sleep is around 6.2, nutrition is 6.6, their fun is the lowest, which is no surprise, but fun is sitting below 6. And the only thing that they're doing actually pretty good with is relationships. So the good news is they've got a strong relationship network, which is wonderful, but everything else is sort of sitting around that 6 out of 10 mark.

Now I do understand that not everyone has a Labrador and a nice block, but most people do have somewhere that they can walk. And the reason why I keep bringing walking up [is] because we know from all the research that walking is one of the best things that you can do not only for your physical health but also your mental health. And it's actually an amazing way to also prime that brain for the afternoon.

And so what I'd recommend is a few things. Very simply and very practically, just doing some micro movements, five minutes of stretching in between calls or whenever they can. Certainly that breath reset, those six deep long breaths before each meeting. That helps them also sort of ground themselves for that next client as well, because no one wants to be sort of dealing with someone that's highly anxious, that doesn't have their thoughts collected and together. So we really need to ground ourselves back to our centre.

I'd also really recommend nutrition as a big one. So if we think about what's really good for our brain, we want to stick away from those high carb diets that make your brain feel sluggish. And I think the perfect example would be something Omega-3, so a salmon and a salad. So really good for the brain, really good for the body, and it's light, so you're not going to get that sort of post-food coma that we typically go into.

I would definitely give them some digital breaks. So throughout the day try to leave your phone behind, don't look at it. Because the issue that we're finding is that we're blaming a lot of burnouts on work and organisations. But what we're actually realising, Adrienne, is because we're full-throttle 24/7 and a lot of that has to do with sort of scrolling on screens, we're not allowing our brain to have a break. And this is why a lot of us are seeing burnout as a huge issue in this sector at the moment. So I would definitely say that over lunch breaks, breakfast, lunch and dinner, stay away from their technology and that's going to allow them to take the foot off the accelerator.

And then the last thing I would definitely recommend them to do, because we know loneliness is the fastest growing epidemic at the moment in Australia, I would actually say to make a deliberate effort to connect, whether that's with a colleague or a friend near them, even over lunchtime. Because what we know from all the research is that it's healthier eating a pizza with a bunch of people that you like than having a salad alone. So they're probably the very quick practical things I could say for a 43-year-old female living in a busy metropolitan area.

Adrienne Biscontin:
You've got some good tips there. I think less screens for all of us is a good tip and one that we could live without. Okay, so outside, walking, coffee at lunchtime, going for a walk, connecting with others. Finance professionals are great at managing numbers, but not always their own well-being. As you say, they often put themselves last. What's one mindset shift you think they need to make to thrive sustainably?

Tim Jack Adams:
So I think the simplest mindset shift would actually be thinking about well-being not as just self-care but as a performance tool. And so we know that, because we've measured thousands of batteries now over the last seven years and we worked from everyone from Red Bull to Olympians to leadership teams, is that the better your battery, the better your productivity.

And one of the biggest issues that we're seeing at the moment is that well-being is just a nice to have. But for those organisations that have worked out that well-being is linked to high performance, they actually put it right at the top of their strategy list to make sure that people are making a deliberate effort to look after their well-being. And look, well-being just means to be well, whether that's eating well, sleeping well, moving well, these are all the things that we look at, not just to look after ourselves, but to actually look after our sort of high-performing teams and even individually as yourself. We're always trying to get more done and be more productive.

But if you let your battery slip and we start to feel those onsets of burnout, this is where we know that we're losing productivity, presenteeism comes in, sick days. And this is obviously where we can start to throw productivity out the window. So I would just say awareness is definitely the greatest agent for change. Doing your battery, checking in, seeing where those energy leaks are, and then making that a priority to make sure we fix that so your performance doesn't drop.

Adrienne Biscontin:
You talk about leading with impact. What does that look like in a workplace where burnout is common, energy is low, how do you lead with impact?

Tim Jack Adams:
So leading with impact really comes to role modelling. So a lot of the work we've done in the book that I've written is around connected leadership. And connected leadership isn't just about leading from the head, it's actually about leading from the heart. And when I say leading from the heart, it's emotional intelligence, because we actually know from behavioural psychology that most of our decisions are made from our emotions.

And so when we're constantly in our heads, we're kind of forgetting that a lot of the stuff that we do is actually coming from this emotional space. And so we really need to understand that that is important as well. And so when we sort of role model good leadership, it's about you as a leader, what are you doing to show your team that you're looking after yourself, right? That you're a high performer.

So I'll give you a really good example. I'm working with a CEO at the moment, she runs a large state organisation. Her battery, by the way, Adrienne, was 93%. So she is what we call a unicorn at GreenX7. Anyone that sits above 90% is an absolute unicorn. Now, this lady is the busiest CEO that I think I've ever worked with, yet she still has a 93% battery, she still has kids at home.

And what she does best is that at lunchtime she actually closes up her office. So she has 70 staff, she tells them to all go out for their hour lunch break, and she basically says, "Look, do whatever you need to do to look after your well-being, whether that's doing the shopping, whether that's hanging out with a friend, going to the gym, playing pickleball. I don't care what it is, I just want you guys to recharge your battery." And I think-

Adrienne Biscontin:
Who is this lady and does she have any vacancies in her company at the moment? I think I need to give her a call.

Tim Jack Adams:
Mate, she is actually a gun, Adrienne. I'm so inspired by this CEO that I just can't wait to work for her all the time because she's just an amazing human being. And honestly, she is the busiest person I know, but yet she still seems to thrive sustainably. And her team absolutely love her because they're putting them first. And what I've found is that with companies that put well-being first, then their employees first, they go above and beyond, right? Because they almost feel guilty if they don't work hard for someone they absolutely admire and are inspired by.

Adrienne Biscontin:
That is a cultural thing I think we've got going on in the West. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from our European friends where they have a siesta each day. I mean, not everybody has EI though, when you talk about emotional intelligence, I mean, how do you encourage that in a leader when they're not naturally intelligent in that emotional aspect?

Tim Jack Adams:
Yeah. And look, I wasn't either, and I'll sort of do this in a story, because about two weeks ago we were running a big workshop with a leadership team. And I remember one of the old gents in the corner said, "Oh look, all this emotional intelligence stuff, is this just a flash in the pan? Do we really even need to consider this or is it just going to be here one day, gone the next?"

And I remember in the lunch break, one of the VPs came over and said, "Oh look, Tim, just don't worry about that. We don't all have that mentality." But the thing is I'd realised because I certainly didn't have emotional IQ probably up until my early 30s, I'm 43 now, is that you don't know what you don't know. And what we do understand, and what we do know from all this behavioural psychology that we do, is that people are inspired when others are leading from the heart.

So when you show vulnerability, when you show transparency, and I'm not saying show everything private. As leaders, we need to make sure that we are sort of leading from the top. But there is a big difference when we start to look at trust and culture in the teams that I work with, with CEOs that are actually happy to share a bit of their own personal life story and a bit of what goes on, compared to those ones that kind of just completely shut down in that emotional space, and will only sort of lead from that data set. I managed to find... and let's just call it a heart or emotions... I managed to find that about 10 years ago. And I've found that my leadership style and the way that I inspire my staff around me has certainly improved since understanding how to tap into that.

Adrienne Biscontin:
You mentioned fun as one of the eight cores of wellness. What's something fun that you've done recently that others could add to their weekly routine? Perhaps those living in an urban environment to give them an energy boost, whether it's daily or whether it's weekly, something fun that they could add as part of their weekly routine?

Tim Jack Adams:
Fun has been the lowest wellness area in the seven to eight years that we've been measuring Australia's well-being, which is interesting, right? Because if we looked at how we're viewed by other countries, Australians have always been that sort of fun, larrikins, easygoing sort of demographic. But we're actually not, we've actually kind of forgotten how to have fun in Australia. And what we realise is that fun and mental health are intrinsically linked. So the more fun you have, the better your mental health.

Also too, when it comes to team culture, what you'll find is the more fun a team has, the more trust they have, the more open they are, and then more creative and then obviously the more productive they are as well. And so we're really missing out in corporate Australia, that fun side of what we need to do.

Now, what is it that we do for fun? For me personally, I actually just took the family camping for a few days at Minnie Waters, which is sort of halfway up from where you are to where I am at Kingscliff. And that was purely because I needed to ground myself. It's been really busy with the book launch and everything else going as well. So for me, that's fun. I love fishing with my kids. I love surfing. I love just going for a beach walk with my family.

But for someone that's living in a city, the thing that I would recommend more than anything else would be actually to try and find a racquet sport that you enjoy, whether that's pickleball, tennis, table tennis. The reason I say this is because from all of our research we know that picking up a racquet sport is the best thing that you can do for your mind, body and soul. And so if you do have a gym near you or a tennis court or a racquet sport, whatever it is, I would recommend trying to have a go at that and have some fun.

But we also have to remember that fun is so different for everybody. Someone just having a cup of tea and knitting, could be their fun, where someone jumping out a plane, that could be their fun as well. So it's very individualistic, this one.

Adrienne Biscontin:
It is a very personal endeavour. If you could give our listeners, many who are busy finance professionals, one challenge to try this week to feel more energised, what would it be?

Tim Jack Adams:
I would say the best way to do this would be the battery check. The reason why I say that is because within 60 seconds it will bring awareness to those areas that are sucking your energy the most. And because we are all different, so some people might be amazing at fun, other people might not be, some of us might have amazing relationships, whereas other people are struggling.

And so what we need to do at a personal level is we need to find out what those areas are that we're really struggling with and then make a deliberate effort in those areas. So for example, if friendships is really low for someone, reach out to a good friend or try and join up with a group, whether it's a 5K run or doing a sip and sort of art class. If it's nutrition, then I'd definitely recommend them trying to pack a healthy lunch instead of maybe getting some takeaway.

If it's physical health, definitely a 30-minute walk first thing in the morning is one of the best things you can do for not only your physical health but also your sleep as well, which definitely affects that mental health. And maybe if it's sort of their purpose, it might actually just be taking some time this weekend, disconnect from technology, get out into nature and actually just stop and listen to their own heart and not from all the mixed messaging that's coming from everywhere else.

Because if we look at the number one regret of the dying, it's, "I wish I lived a life true to myself and not the one others expected of me." But yet we're so busy being busy, Adrienne, that we actually don't stop and reflect on us and what we need out of life and what makes our heart sing. And so for even those most practical people, it still comes down to what is it that they really want out of their life. So it's different for everyone, again, and this is why it's not a one-size-fits-all. You've really got to do this to work out what it is for you that can help recharge your batteries the best.

Adrienne Biscontin:
Absolutely. I think, what is fun for one person, that is not knitting for me, but it might be fun for somebody else. And jumping out of the plane is not the fun endeavour I would imagine it is for everybody else. But just before we let you go, Tim, what is one practical piece of advice you can give to people that they can do tomorrow as part of Mental Health Awareness Month to make themselves or people around them feel just a little bit better?

Tim Jack Adams:
That is a very good question, Adrienne. It's probably one of the most important questions that you could ask anybody. So it is Mental Health Month, we've just had R U Okay? Day. Loneliness is the fastest growing epidemic we have now in Australia and in the western countries. And the reason being, Adrienne, is because we've become disconnected. What we've done is we've put our energy and we've connected to the things that actually burn us out, right?

We're spending 43 hours of our week outside of work on screens being spectators in Australia, which is quite scary. We're spending less time outdoors than maximum security prisoners, and we've actually forgot what really lights us up as human beings. And that is actually positive human connection. And when we talk about mental health, one of the best tools that we have as human beings is actually making someone else feel valued.

And so, when we look at the things that we need to thrive in life, there's three things, and that's to feel valued, to have a sense of meaning, and to actually feel like we belong, that we're in a tribe, whether that's with your family, your friends, even in your workplace. And so, one of the greatest things that our listeners could do is whether it's tomorrow, today, next week, because when they have a conversation with someone, I'd like them to be a hundred percent present in that moment. So that's not looking at their phone, not looking at their smartwatch, not looking over at their shoulder at a screen, but actually just being with that person and being a hundred percent present. Almost like, I hear you and I see you.

Because what that does is that when someone feels valued, it actually gives them a sense of self-worth. And we actually need self-worth to create self-love. Self-love basically is what we need to look after ourselves. So we can have all the tips and the tools, right? And we know all the things to want to look after ourselves, but if we don't actually have the self-worth, if we don't feel valued, if we don't feel worthy, chances are we're not going to go put those runners on tomorrow. We're not going to go eat a salmon and salad, we're just going to go for the junk food that feels emotionally great at the time.

And so the number one thing I would say is just to have a really good conversation. Don't just communicate, but actually connect with someone at a deeper level than they normally would, and don't just hear them, but really feel them out. I think that's probably one of the most practical things that we can do, not just at work, but also in our family lives as well.

Adrienne Biscontin:
Thanks, Tim. So concentrate on your mental battery, not your phone battery.

Tim Jack Adams:
A hundred percent. You've got it.

Adrienne Biscontin:
Thanks very much for joining us today, Tim.

Tim Jack Adams:
Absolutely a pleasure, Adrienne. Thank you so much.

Adrienne Biscontin:
That brings us to the end of this special Mental Health Awareness Month episode of INTHEBLACK. As we've heard today, creating mentally healthy workplaces is essential for long-term performance, resilience, and well-being across the profession. If you found this conversation valuable, we encourage you to share it with your colleagues. Thanks for listening, and until next time, take care of yourself and each other.

Garreth Hanley:
To find out more about our other podcasts, check out the show notes for this episode, and we hope you can join us again next time for another episode of INTHEBLACK.