From Burnout to Breakthrough: The Power of Executive Coaching with Carri Scuba

There is a moment in every high performer or leader’s life when relentless effort stops producing better results or stops feeling "right". You are smart. You are capable. You are still exhausted. When you keep doing more of what already worked, but you feel less and less like yourself, that is a signal to try a different lever. For many founders and executives, that lever is coaching.

On this episode of the Growth Department podcast, I sat down with my coach, Carri Scuba, founder of Core Vision Concepts. She has been doing this work for more than two decades, and she has seen leaders at every level trade chaos or disappointment for clarity and better alignment with their true essence. In our conversation, we unpacked what coaching is, what it is not, who it is for, how to vet a coach, and why the switch from “predictable past” to “possible future” re-energizes your career and your life.

“Coaching is inquiry based. The client holds the answers. The coach asks the questions that help you see them.” — Carri Scuba

Listen to the Full Episode on Apple, Spotify, and watch on YouTube.

Burnout does not show up overnight. It creeps in while you rack up wins and say yes to one more project. You make others proud and stop hearing your own voice. Carri knows that pattern well because she lived it. Years ago she was putting in long hours while newly married and realized the equation did not add up. Something needed to shift. She hired a coach, discovered she wanted her own business, and never looked back.

Coaching gives you a structured space to make that kind of honest discovery. You do not need a meltdown to qualify. You only need the desire to invest in yourself and the curiosity to ask better questions. The work is simple to describe and challenging to do. You look at what matters, then you act like it matters.

What executive coaching is and what it is not

Many people often confuse coaching with three related disciplines: therapy, mentorship, and consulting. The overlap can be helpful, as long as you know the differences.

Here's a high-level breakdown:

• Coaching is future focused and goal oriented.

• Therapy explores the past and supports healing.

• Mentoring offers perspective from someone who has been there.

• Consulting gives you directive expertise tied to a function or industry.

  
  

There are moments when you may need all four types of support across a year. That is normal and even healthy. You might process a tough season in therapy while building career momentum with a coach. You might ask a mentor how they navigated a promotion while hiring a consultant to fix your lead funnel. Knowing the difference between the four can help you get the right outcomes you need.

“Therapy is healing oriented. Coaching is action oriented. Mentoring and consulting are directive. They tell you what to do. Coaching helps you find your own answers.” — Carri Scuba

Who coaching is for

Coaching is for people who are up to something. You might be a VP aiming at the C-suite. You might be a founder who wants to scale without losing your sanity. You might be a seasoned operator who wants to lead with more ease and less friction. You do not need a perfect plan to begin. You only need willingness to do the work.

There is also a very practical reason to add a coach to your corner. High performers get more work because they are good. That cycle only stops when you set new rules for your energy, your focus, and your growth. A coach will help you define those rules and keep them. That is not about becoming rigid. It is about becoming honest. Once you are honest, you can focus your energy on the things that align with who you want to become.

How to vet a coach without getting burned

The coaching industry includes world-class professionals and plenty of noise. If you're looking for true coaching, you're not looking to hire a motivational buddy (chatGPT can do that pretty well). You are hiring a partner who can help you change; change can be tough work. Carri suggests two or three meaningful checkpoints to save you time and money when looking for the coach that is right for you.

First, look for training and credentialing. The International Coaching Federation maintains standards for accredited programs and certified practitioners. That does not mean non-credentialed coaches are ineffective, but credentials give you a baseline that the person has invested in their craft.

Second, ask for referrals or testimonials from leaders you trust.

Third, request a short discovery session to test chemistry and style. Some coaches are highly structured around weekly commitments and deadlines. Others take a more flexible approach that digs into blocks first, then actions. Fit matters more than flavor. If you do not feel respected and empowered in the first conversation, keep looking.

Finally, review the contract with a clear head. You should see a fair structure with simple exit terms. Many coaches start with a six-month engagement and allow you to stop if it is not working. You want a partnership that expects accountability and honors your agency.

We get it; you are a busy leader who wants an efficient way to make a smart choice. Here is a step-by-step guide to pick the right coach with confidence. These come straight from Carri’s experience and from what worked for me as a client. Keep them in your notes and walk through them in order.

1. Identify the outcome that matters most.

2. Verify training or credentials that align with your goals.

3. Ask trusted peers for referrals and read real testimonials.

4. Book a complimentary discovery session to test chemistry.

5. Review the working agreement, scope, and exit terms with care.

These five steps work because they combine head and gut. You anchor to a real outcome. You confirm basic quality. You trust your network. You sample the relationship. You keep your risk profile sane. You can repeat this anytime you need a specialist for a different season or a different goal.

One-on-one coaching vs. group coaching

Carri loves both modes and sees different benefits. One-on-one coaching is sacred space. Trust builds fast and deep, which lets you tell the truth sooner. That honesty is the jet fuel for sustainable change. Group coaching creates something different. You get perspective from your peers, which chips away at isolation and helps siloed teams rediscover how to collaborate. In a remote or hybrid culture, that is a gift.

Group coaching also solves a problem that slows growth in cross-functional environments. Sales teams and manufacturing teams often misunderstand each other’s constraints. When they sit in a room together, hear the story from the other side, and practice new conversations, performance lifts without adding headcount.

“There is a synchronicity in groups. People realize they are not the only one. Connection rises. Productivity follows.” — Carri Scuba

When to bring a coach into the team environment

Many companies call for help after something breaks. While this still helps, it is better to invest in coaching before the blow-up.

Carri partners with the Intend2Lead program that proactively supports emerging leaders in accounting firms before they hit the wall. Before the promotion, these soon-to-be-partners are given structure and a stable foundation right when the pressure spikes.

Your company can do the same. Plan for transition points, not just crisis points. Promotions, reorganizations, and strategic resets are perfect times to bring a coach in for groups or intact teams.

What changes first when you start

People are naturally curious about what they can expect to change or happen when they start working with a coach.

From Carri's perspective, the common early shifts are confidence, ownership, and energy.

Confidence grows as you reconnect with your strengths and stop over-indexing on your inner critic. Ownership expands when you drop the habit of finger-pointing and accept responsibility for your choices. Energy lifts when you respect your body, which is a performance variable we often overlook.

Carri talks about three pillars that really unlock personal power: nutrition, sleep, and movement. When you take those pillars seriously, the rest of your coaching work lands faster. Building a routine that supports your focus and mood will help your baseline energy improve, making it easier for your new habits stick.

“Powerful people are powerfully related to what is so. We look at the truth, then we move.” — Carri Scuba

Accountability that actually feels good

Accountability is more of a mirror than a punishment, so lean in! Many of Carri's clients ask for weekly tracking sheets or simple check-ins to close the loop on promises made. That rhythm builds self-respect. You say you will do something. Then you see that you did it. The loop closes. Confidence becomes earned, not borrowed from outside validation.

When I began working with a coach, I felt this shift personally. I used to push for approval and wore work like armor. I wanted a boss to tell me I was doing great. I worked 12, 14, 16 hour days, didn't sleep, didn't take care of my body or mind, and had very little confidence. Over time, that pattern erased my joy. Coaching helped me create external accountability at first to help establish new habits, then internal validation and pride as I grew.

The result is simple and profound. After 20 years of insomnia that sleeping pills couldn't fix, I sleep eight hours most nights. I lead my work instead of reacting to it. The wins feel clean. The misses do not define me. And...I'm excited that I am not done growing!

What people actually bring to coaching

Career questions open the door. Whole-life questions walk in behind them. That is expected. You might come into coaching with a promotion target and discover you need new boundaries with your phone. You might ask for helping building a better work-life balance, and realize your calendar is jam-packed with non-important items because of your people-pleasing tendencies. None of that is shameful. It is useful data. When you see it, you can change it.

A coach will help you unpack what is truly important, and help you identify what you may be doing to get in your own way.

A quick note on judgment. Coaching requires a neutral zone. A great coach will listen for your essence, not your excuses, and will help you navigate your own resistance with curiosity. That is the craft.

Living from possibility, not predictability

One of my favorite moments in our conversation was when Carri described the switch from living by the past to living by what is possible. Most of us make decisions by referencing yesterday’s proof. That is normal and safe. It also limits the future to what you have already seen.

When you start with possibility, you widen the lens. You allow yourself to dream out loud, then you break that dream into actions. There is playful momentum that builds into a plan.

“What if we did not step into the future from the past. What if we stepped into it from possibility.” — Carri Scuba

How to find a coach if you are curious

Maybe you are on the edge of a decision. Maybe a new project is pulling you forward and you want to arrive ready. Maybe you feel stuck and do not have language for it yet. All of those are valid starting points.

Here is a simple way to explore without overthinking it. Choose three coaches whose websites or social profiles resonate with you. Book short discovery calls. Come prepared with two questions. What does success look like at month six. How will we measure progress between sessions. Those questions focus the conversation and give you a feel for style. After the calls, check your gut and pick one. Do not wait six months for certainty. You create certainty by doing the work.

If you are a department leader or a founder with a team, consider coaching in a more proactive way:

• group coaching when the organization is entering a transition

• new leaders promoted to partner

• a reorg that changes cross-functional workflows

• a strategic reset heading into a new fiscal year.

  
  

Group or one-on-one coaching at these points builds shared language and reduces friction that would otherwise cost you speed.

FAQs leaders ask in private

Emerging leaders and seasoned leaders alike ask direct questions when the Zoom is off. You might be thinking the same things about coaching, so let’s answer them with care.

How fast will this coaching thing work? You will notice early wins in clarity and energy within weeks. Deeper habit shifts and career moves compound over months.

How vulnerable do I need to be? You control your level of depth. Honesty accelerates results, and you can increase it as trust grows.

What if my boss or board wants updates? Agree on a reporting rhythm that protects confidentiality. Share outcomes and themes, not private details.

Will coaching replace therapy? No. Coaching and therapy can complement each other. Use each for its proper purpose.

How do I justify the spend? Tie the engagement to outcomes that matter. Promotion readiness, team performance, or reduced churn are all measurable. Better peace, fulfillment, and lightness may not be as easily measured, but trust that the work is worth it.

These answers are short on purpose. They open a door. Each of your situations deserves a plan that fits your goals and your season, and a good coach will help you build it.

A personal note on what changed for me

If you take a snapshot of who I was when I started coaching and who I am now, the differences are obvious and also quiet.

I used to push for praise and stack work like trophies. I slept poorly and felt wired all the time. I cried at work daily and didn't have the skills or confidence to navigate tough interpersonal work relationships. I lived in scarcity mode, felt like a victim, and didn't know how to change that.

Coaching helped me replace external validation with internal clarity. I learned how to hold boundaries, protect my focus, and trust my own decisions. The result is simpler than it sounds. I enjoy my work again. I am a much better leader and partner. I love waking up. Even on Mondays. I'm still working towards goals and still growing. That's thrilling to me (instead of daunting), because I can see "it works".

“You are validating yourself now. That is powerful.” — Carri Scuba

Next steps

If you are curious "should I get a coach?", test the waters.

Reach out to a credentialed coach you respect. Ask a founder friend for a referral. Schedule a discovery call and see how it feels.

If you want to explore group support for your team, identify an upcoming transition and work backward. Set the outcomes, decide on a cadence, and get it on the calendar before the fire drill begins.

Carri is generous with her time and happy to answer questions. She's provided a few links you can check out below as well. If you want to hear the full conversation, listen to the episode on the Growth Department podcast and share it with a leader who needs a little hope and a clear plan.

Key takeaways

Coaching works for those willing to put in the work because it creates a protected space where you can uncover the truth (what is so) and take action. The best coaches bring training, real-world experience, and a judgement-free presence that makes it safe to be honest. When you pair that with clear outcomes and steady accountability, change becomes inevitable.

You do not have to wait for a crisis or a big life change to consider coaching. Start before the pressure spikes!

• Coaching is action oriented and future focused, while therapy supports healing, mentoring offers perspective, and consulting provides directive expertise.

• Vet coaches for training and credentials, ask for referrals, schedule a discovery call, and read the contract with exit terms in mind.

• One-on-one coaching builds deep trust; group coaching reduces isolation and lifts collaboration across teams.

• Early shifts show up as confidence, ownership, and energy, especially when you stabilize sleep, nutrition, and movement.

• The fastest wins come when you anchor to a clear outcome and build weekly accountability that you actually enjoy.

These points are a starting line. Pick one, act on it this week, and notice how you feel. Momentum is the strongest proof you can create.

Resources:

Carri's Website & LinkedIn International Coaching Federation Programs she partners with: Intend2Lead.com and Ceresa.com

Listen to the Full Episode on Apple, Spotify, and watch on YouTube.