I climbed the career ladder and got my dream job at 30 - then I hit burnout

Jo Hooper spent her 20s trying to climb the career ladder, quickly rising through the ranks with promotions and pay rises.

But just after she landed her dream role at 30, Jo struggled with burnout and had to take time off work.

Burnout, external is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a state of physical and emotional exhaustion.

Recent statistics show 22 million working days, external were lost in Britain because of work-related stress in 2024-25.

Jo, now 39 and based in Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan, said: "I wanted to be a head of communications by the time I was 30, which I did by doing all things you'd expect, working long hours, saying yes to everything including mad things like taking my boss's kids to school."

"I genuinely thought these were all good opportunities, and I was going to grab them with both hands," said Jo.

"I remember being in the bathroom crying, hyperventilating, but I never thought 'this isn't sustainable', never thought 'I can't do this any more'.

"I just thought I needed to change job and I'd be fine. I thought the fix was being in a different organisation but the way I behaved, what I thought was expected of me, was the same everywhere."

Jo hit burnout a year into her management role, and it led to two breakdowns within a year.

"I definitely think it was a case of being forced to stop by my body and mind," she said.

"I found it really difficult to make decisions, like my brain was working slower. I remember feeling like someone had flipped a switch and my brain had just broken."

The charity Mental Health UK reports that two in five, external young workers aged 18 to 24 took time off due to poor mental health caused by stress in 2025.