Burnout, Balance, and a Bold New Beginning: Jo Stone’s Journey from Corporate Peak to Purpose-Driven Coach

Jo Stone didn’t set out to become a burnout and life coach. Her journey began in a whirl of polished shoes, corporate boardrooms, and high expectations. Growing up in Sydney as an only child to a high-flying executive father and a loving mother, Jo was immersed early in a world of adults, gala dinners, and international travel. Her childhood may have looked glamorous, but it bred something more enduring: a relentless drive to succeed and the quiet burden of always having to be “the good girl.”

From an early age, Jo knew how to perform. By her twenties, she had traded globetrotting backpacker adventures for sharply tailored suits and six a.m. strategy calls. Her career in marketing took her rapidly up the ladder—from entry-level roles to head of marketing and, by her early thirties, to chief marketing officer of a global company. She had everything she was supposed to want: the C-suite title, the house with the water feature, two beautiful children, and a meticulously built life that looked flawless from the outside.

But that picture-perfect life began to crack.

Jo’s days were packed with meetings, deadlines, international travel, and late-night laptop sessions. Somewhere between branding campaigns and bedtime routines, she stopped breathing fully. A creeping numbness down her arm sent her into a hospital where doctors found brain lesions—a physical manifestation of the stress she had normalized for too long.

It was her wake-up call.

In the weeks that followed, Jo began to untangle the layers of her overachieving identity. She and her husband made a radical choice: they sold their dream home, downsized, and simplified their life. It was a deliberate act of freedom—an intentional step away from society’s checklist of success and toward something that felt more authentic.

At first, Jo had no intention of becoming a coach. The thought of it clashed with her corporate identity. But over time, she realized her story resonated with other ambitious women stuck in the same cycle. Her lived experience gave her credibility, and her willingness to be vulnerable gave others permission to do the same. Jo didn’t just leave behind a title; she stepped into a mission.

Today, Jo runs The Balance Institute, a business designed to help high-performing women recover from burnout, rediscover themselves, and create careers and lives that actually work for them. She combines practical strategies with deep mindset work, bringing the same clarity and structure that once made her a stellar executive to her transformative coaching programs.

Her podcast, “Balance and Beyond,” extends her mission even further, sharing stories and insights for anyone navigating the tightrope of ambition and wellbeing.

Jo’s life is no longer about ticking boxes. It’s about choosing what matters—freedom over prestige, presence over perfection, and meaning over metrics.

Key Takeaways from Jo Stone’s Story

• Burnout doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a slow accumulation of unmet needs and ignored boundaries.

• Success is not a static destination—it must align with your values to be truly fulfilling.

• Letting go of societal expectations can be liberating and necessary for healing.

• Radical change often begins with small, courageous decisions—like selling the dream house to buy back your freedom.

• Sharing your truth may be the key to unlocking someone else’s transformation.