Burnout in the Music Industry
Recognizing the Signs and Finding Your Way Back
Burnout is a funny thing. Not funny haha (at all), but funny in the sense that it can sneak up on you or hit you like a freight train. It can look like exhaustion, irritability, cynicism, or feeling strangely detached from things you normally care about. It can be triggered by one area of your life or by all of them at once.
Because burnout shows up differently for everyone, it can be hard to spot. But there are some telltale signs to look out for (apathy, lack of motivation or confidence, not being able to sleep or sleeping too much, feelings of dread or hyperreactivity, brain fog, pulling away socially, trouble making decisions, frequent headaches or stomach issues) and the sooner we detect them, the sooner we can take action - before we crash.
Burnout is a multifaceted state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress. It comes in three flavors: mild, moderate, and severe and it’s easier to prevent than recover from.
My own burnout happened before we started using that word in the music industry. There was still a very “we’ll sleep when we’re dead” vibe (which still abounds, but is slightly offset by so much great work being done to counteract that mentality). For me, burnout showed up as a mix of extreme exhaustion and intense anxiety - a super fun wired‑but‑tired state where I couldn’t sleep even though I desperately needed to. I couldn’t turn my brain off, and all I knew how to do was keep pushing through, which is what I did - until I just about broke.
I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what kind of help to get as I was affected mentally, physically, and emotionally. I took my active interest in holistic wellness on a little research bender and I realized how many aspects of my lifestyle I needed to change (my work habits, my mindset, even my nutrition, which was a surprise because I thought I was eating pretty healthy.)
At the time, I was running a digital marketing company at the intersection of music and tech - two fast‑paced, always‑on industries. Add entrepreneurship on top of that, plus a rapidly growing team and client list, and combine it with zero coping mechanisms besides working harder, and it was a recipe for burnout.
I ended up working with a handful of integrative practitioners and made significant changes to how I lived, worked, and supported my body. As I started to feel like myself again, I realized I was far from the only one in the music industry experiencing this. We just weren’t talking about it. We didn’t have the language for it. Saying you were tired or stressed usually led to, “Ugh, same,” followed by a competition of who had less sleep and fewer days off that year.
So, I enrolled in a year‑long program to become a certified integrative health and wellness coach (and later became board certified). I fell in love not only with the effect optimizing our health has on our work and overall lives, but also with the coaching process itself - helping people actually change long‑standing patterns.
Alongside coaching psychology and behavioral neuroscience, one framework that has become foundational in my work is a pattern‑recognition system called the Five Archetypes which helps us recognize where we tend to get in our own way and how we can create a path outta there. I often look at burnout through that lens: what are the automatic behaviors that, if left unchecked, drive us into burnout by pushing too hard in one direction?
I tend to look at these behaviors as various brands of over‑extension (that pretty neatly correspond to each of the Five Archetypes):
Overdoing: Constantly working, constantly achieving. Feeling like you can never take a break, or pushing yourself to meet impossible internal standards.
Over‑committing: Saying yes to everything until you’re stretched too thin and have nothing left to give.
Over‑giving: Consistently putting others’ needs ahead of yours, while quietly running yourself empty. Masking your emotions to be everything to everyone, leading to deep emotional fatigue.
Over‑thinking: Continuous ruminating, second‑guessing, editing the same idea to death. Holding yourself to perfection until your creative energy is drained and you're mentally exhausted.
Over‑isolating: Pulling so far back - often due to overwhelm - that you cut yourself off from the vital sources of the nervous system co‑regulation and emotional support humans need, which can result in feelings of loneliness, helplessness and even numbness.
Burnout can also come from a few kinds of under‑extension too: being deeply underchallenged, unrecognized, unsupported, or misaligned with your work’s values.
When we understand the patterns that push us toward burnout, we can start to implement specific, effective tools for self-regulation. We can ask ourselves better questions: What do I actually need in this moment? What could help me regulate instead of override? What might support or fuel me instead of drain me?
With awareness comes choice. And with choice comes the ability to slow down burnout - not by stopping the work we love doing, but by working in ways that sustain us.
I’ll leave you with this question: Which of these patterns do you tend to slip into when things get stressful? The simple act of recognizing what it looks like is the first step toward changing it, and ultimately protecting yourself from burning out.
And if you’ve been feeling burnout lurking in the background, or are looking to make some changes in how you work, live and feel, head to futurepresentco.com to find more info on what I do and book a free consultation call. Mention the SONA Foundation when you schedule to receive 20% off if we work together.
Marni Wandner is a performance coach, board-certified wellness coach, and consultant. She brings 25 years of experience in the music and entertainment industry to her work helping passion-driven professionals build sustainable careers and thrive in high-pressure environments.
Drawing on her background as an artist manager, marketing executive, and founder, Marni brings a rare combination of creative and strategic expertise to her coaching. She launched and ran marketing agency Sneak Attack Media in 2006 - later acquired by The Syndicate, where she led the digital department - and has partnered with hundreds of artists to develop campaigns focused on long-term growth and visibility.
As the founder of consultancy Future Present, Marni focuses on the intersection between creative work and whole-human well-being, combining practical strategy with certifications in behavioral neuroscience, integrative health, and the Five Archetypes framework to help clients break through patterns that keep them stuck. Her clients are artists, creative executives, founders, and companies.