Leadership Burnout: Alignment Is Not a Soft Skill with Erin Newkirk

Leadership burnout isn't always about working too hard—it can be a signal that something is out of alignment. Erin Newkirk shares why leaders need to pause, ground themselves, manage their energy, and stop confusing performative work with productive leadership. Erin Newkirk joins Jaime Taets for a conversation about career transitions, leadership, energy management, and the inner work that often gets ignored when success becomes the goal. From General Mills to entrepreneurship, healthcare, and Caribou Coffee, Erin's career has been less about climbing a straight ladder and more about building a body of work around her strengths, curiosity, creativity, and purpose. Jaime and Erin explore why alignment is not a soft skill, how burnout can reveal deeper misalignment, and why leaders don't have to be "on" all the time. They discuss Erin's four-step process of grounding in reality, opening to possibilities, leading with love, and taking aligned action—and why becoming your own Chief Energy Officer may be one of the most important leadership skills you can develop. Timestamped Chapters 0:00 Introduction to Erin Newkirk and Her Career Journey 4:05 Why Careers Aren’t Supposed to Be a Straight Line 6:19 The Hidden Cost of Misalignment and Burnout 9:04 Erin’s Four-Step Process for Getting Unstuck 15:06 Energy Management: Breathing, Meditation, and Daily Rituals 22:25 Redefining Success Around Fulfillment 23:51 Becoming Your Own Chief Energy Officer 26:26 What to Do When You’re Stuck: Ground in Reality Guest Bio Erin Newkirk is a brand-building and marketing leader whose career spans General Mills, entrepreneurship, consumer technology, healthcare, advisory work, and Caribou Coffee. She has worked on major brands including Cheerios, Old El Paso, and Pillsbury and later founded the consumer technology startup Breadstamp, growing it to a few million users before selling it to Taylor Corporation. Erin went on to lead marketing and brand strategy at Caribou Coffee before beginning her next career chapter. Her leadership philosophy centers on alignment, inner work, curiosity, creativity, energy management, and building a career around strengths rather than simply chasing titles. Quotes from the Episode "Alignment is not a soft skill." "The who is even more important than the what." "Don't compromise who you are and what you believe in." Leadership Insights What is leadership burnout? Leadership burnout can happen when the way a leader is operating becomes disconnected from their values, energy, purpose, or the environment around them. Erin describes the importance of recognizing the "slow burn" of cognitive dissonance and misalignment rather than waiting for a major crisis to force a change. What does alignment mean in leadership? Alignment means creating greater consistency between who you are, what you value, the work you're doing, the people you're working with, and the purpose you're pursuing. Erin explains that when purpose, people, process, and platforms aren't working together, leaders can experience dissonance, lack of growth, and burnout. How can leaders become their own Chief Energy Officer? Being your own Chief Energy Officer means taking responsibility for understanding and managing your energy rather than constantly saying yes or trying to remain "on." Erin emphasizes practices such as deep breathing, meditation, reflection, journaling, stillness, curiosity, and being intentional about what you put on your plate. Resources Connect with Erin Newkirk on LinkedIn Explore Erin Newkirk's website Explore Jaime Taets Consulting Explore Jaime's Women's Executive Retreats Explore Keystone Group International and its leadership, culture, and organizational growth work. Follow Jaime on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook If you've ever felt stuck, burned out, or unsure why success no longer feels the way you expected it to, this conversation is a reminder to pause before pushing harder. Your discomfort may not mean something is wrong—it may be telling you that something needs to change. Subscribe to View From the Top with Jaime Taets for more conversations about leadership, resilience, personal growth, and the journey from success to significance. Will see you at the top, and beyond. Jaime Taets