How philosophy can help with burnout

One of Michael’s friends told him recently, “I’m not burned out; I’m just feeling empty.” She shows up, meets deadlines, and manages to smile in meetings. But her work feels weightless and disconnected from purpose. She’s not alone. Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report found that only 21% of employees worldwide are engaged, and just one in three say they’re thriving. That’s not a blip—it’s a warning signal for leaders and cultures.

When emptiness shows up at work, our reflex is to pathologize: “Is this burnout? Do I need a diagnosis?” Sometimes, yes—clinical conditions require clinical care. However, many of today’s struggles are fundamentally philosophical, centered on issues such as purpose, values, identity, and the meaning of life. Those don’t always need a medical label; they need better questions.

Why We Need a Different Lens

Disengagement is expensive. Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion annually, nearly 9% of global GDP. Manager engagement is also slipping, dropping three points in 2024, with a ripple effect on teams. The human cost? Teams feel flat, leaders are running on fumes, and organizations are mistaking busyness for progress.

Cognitive scientist John Vervaeke refers to our current moment as a “meaning crisis”—a cultural shortfall in making sense of our lives. That frame helps us see that the emptiness that many feel isn’t always a disorder; often, it’s a signal. Therapy is essential when there’s a clinical risk. But when the primary challenge is purpose—not pathology—philosophy can be the right first (or parallel) step.

What Philosophical Counseling Looks Like at Work

Philosophy at work doesn’t show up as abstract debates about Plato in the break room. It shows up as structured reflection in moments when leaders feel stuck, conflicted, or unclear. Unlike traditional coaching, which often emphasizes goals and performance, or therapy, which focuses on healing emotional wounds, philosophical counseling creates clarity—helping you slow down to examine the ideas, assumptions, and values that drive decisions.

In practice, this means creating a conversational space where leaders can explore the deeper questions that often remain unaddressed in quarterly reviews or strategic planning sessions. It’s not about diagnosing or prescribing. It’s about holding up a mirror to how you think, and then gently but persistently asking whether those patterns are serving you. Sometimes, testing your core ideas against a contrary philosophical position helps you change your mind, but it also helps you formulate your idea with better precision and focus. So, a philosophical counseling session isn’t about “advice.” It’s an inquiry guided by questions like:

• “What do you mean by success here?” (Define the concept before you chase it.)
• “Which assumptions are you treating as facts?” (Surface the hidden rules you’re following.)
• “What obligations follow from your values?” (Tie action to meaning, not mood.)

One VP I worked with felt “behind” in her career. She wasn’t looking to change jobs; she was questioning whether she should. From the outside, her role was a success story: she was leading complex cross-functional work, mentoring future leaders, and shaping long-term strategy. But because her peers seemed to leapfrog into splashier titles, she had internalized the myth that a career only counts if it moves in a straight, upward line.

Together, we explored economist David Galenson’s distinction between conceptual and experimental innovators: some leaders peak early with bold, disruptive visions, while others build mastery through experience, iteration, and depth. When she looked at her own path through that lens, she realized her current role was giving her exactly what an experimental innovator needs—breadth, autonomy, and repeated opportunities to refine her craft. Her progress wasn’t stalled; it was accumulating.

Once she saw her trajectory as cumulative rather than delayed, the pressure loosened. She didn’t need a new job; she needed a new narrative. And with that reframing, her energy and her confidence returned.

Another founder I worked with was trapped in “performative productivity,” equating worth with constant output. After interrogating his deeper purpose, he shifted from chasing vanity metrics to making value-aligned bets. Hiring became more intentional. Product decisions became braver. And his leadership became far more sustainable.

Practical Steps for Leaders & Organizations

The goal isn’t to turn executives into armchair philosophers. It’s to equip them with tools that help cut through noise, clarify assumptions, and ground decisions in meaning rather than momentum. Philosophers have long been aware of their reputation for getting lost in thought. As Plato recounts in Theaetetus, Thales once fell into a ditch while contemplating the heavens.

Leaders don’t need another abstract framework piled onto their already full plates. Philosophical counseling brings philosophy back to the ground, connecting it with everyday problems and offering clear practices that create space for reflection and insight without derailing productivity. When leaders bring this lens into the workplace, they not only strengthen their own clarity—they normalize purposeful inquiry across the culture.

Here are some concrete ways to start weaving philosophy into your leadership tool kit and organizational systems:

• Run an Assumption Audit. With a partner, list current dilemmas. For each, ask: What must be true for my conclusion to hold? How else might I interpret the facts?
• Institutionalize Socratic Stand-Ups. Once a month, replace a staff meeting with a facilitated dialogue on a first-principles question (e.g., What are we optimizing for?) and publish the reasoning behind the decision, not just the outcome.
• Offer a Meaning Map workshop. Help leaders chart their values, obligations, and behaviors. If values don’t result in better choices, they’re not values—they’re slogans.
• Use AI thoughtfully. Employees increasingly confide in chatbots. Health experts caution against relying on generative AI for mental health, as it lacks safeguards and nuance. Organizations should establish policies and direct people to seek human assistance when needed.

Return-to-office and hybrid work have scrambled the social fabric. However, micro-rituals matter: leave five minutes for human check-ins on Zoom, host optional “philosophy salons,” or design in-person days around connection. These aren’t time-wasters; they’re trust builders.

Philosophy provides leaders and teams with a disciplined approach to thinking about what matters—enabling them to act with clarity, rather than merely coping. Your colleague who feels “empty” may not need a diagnosis. She may need to reorient her thinking by asking more effective questions. And those questions may be the most practical tools we have for navigating the complexity of modern work.