"I Am So Tired"- What You can Learn from the Burnout of the World's best coaches.
Issue 140- Jason Payne CMPC
Pep Guardiola broke down in tears after Manchester City’s final game of the season, a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
A few days later, he stepped in front of a press conference and gave coaches everywhere the most honest thing any manager has said in a long time.
“I am so tired. Seriously, I am so tired.”
He had a year left on his contract. Twenty major trophies in ten years at City. The most decorated manaÜer of his generation, walking away.
“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving,” he said. “There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time.”
When pressed on whether energy was the factor, his answer was a single word.
“Absolutely.”
And then he compared himself to another top coach, Jürgen Klopp, who left Liverpool in 2024, suffering from similar feelings of burnout
“I share the same feeling as when Jürgen Klopp left. I am running out of energy.”
Two of the most successful coaches in the world. At the pinnacle of the profession. Saying the same thing as they walk away from.
Pep went on to elaborate in this interview. It is candid and frankly a little concerning.
Klopp left Liverpool the same way. Not fired. Not failing nor chasing another job. He simply said he no longer had the energy the role required, and walked away from the game entirely.
Tony Bennett did the same thing, walking away from a job at the University of Virginia, in October 2024. Fifteen seasons into a job he loved, with the 2019 national title hanging from the rafters. At fifty-five years old, he was one of the most respected coaches in the college game. He walked into a press conference and said, "The hardest thing to say is when I looked at myself, and I realized I'm no longer the best coach to lead this program in this current environment." He has no plans to coach anywhere else. He just stopped, because the role had evolved into something he no longer felt he could do.
Pep is now saying he wants the same thing. He plans to rest. He has said he won’t work again “for a while.”
If you’re a coach reading this, your instinct is probably the same as mine initially was. These coaches have everything. Full support staff. Billion-dollar budgets. Salaries in the millions and the world's best athletes. If they can run out of energy, what hope do the rest of us have? Or conversely, you believe that your level lacks the pressure that broke these coaches.
I don’t think either of those assumptions is correct. Burnout doesn't check the level you coach at.
The coaches who burn out are not soft. They are not broken. They are no less committed than you or me. Usually, they are the most committed coaches in their profession. That commitment is the trap, because the demands increase faster than your capacity to meet them.
I recently spent some time researching Jurgen Klopp's early career. He was intense to the point of exhaustion. Over-controlling. Carrying the emotional weight of every result himself. Paying a steep price that didn’t show up in the table. He made a key shift in his philosophy early in his time with Liverpool, focusing more on the people he coached than on match results.
What eventually changed for him wasn’t a tactical breakthrough. It was that he stopped long enough to ask why he was doing the work in the first place, and let the honest answer reshape how he led.
Pep is experiencing a different point in the arc. Klopp asked the question early enough to keep going. Pep is asking about it after a decade as one of the best in football, and the honest answer is that he cannot carry it the same way for another season.
That isn’t failure.
Diego Simeone, who has now spent fifteen years at Atletico Madrid, gave an interview the same week. He basically said, "I get it." “The snowball never stops.” Another of the era’s great managers, agreeing in real time. This is not a Pep problem. It is a professional problem. And the coaches at the very top are signalling it more loudly than they ever have before.
Here is what I think coaches at every level need to take away from Pep's statement.
Sustainability is not self-care. It is the cornerstone most of us treat as optional, and it is not. You can have a clear sense of who you are. Understanding why you coach and knowing exactly who you serve. And if you have not built a way to sustain yourself, you will reach a point where you are running on fumes and incapable of doing your best work when your athletes need your best.
We keep getting this wrong in our profession.
We treat exhaustion as the price of caring. The badge of doing the job well. The visible evidence that you are committed to the work. We measure each other by it. The haggard and tired looks of colleagues late in the season. The midnight film sessions. The skipped dinners. We treat the coach who breaks himself for their program as the one who loves it most.
This is not sustainable over the course of a career.
You cannot uphold the highest standards in your sport at the highest intensity for the longest time on the back of an unsustainable model. Eventually, you will be Klopp or Pep, saying you have nothing left. The trophies are spectacular. The cost is real.
The difference between a career that lasts and one that doesn’t isn’t the size of the budget or the depth of the bench. It is whether the coach figured out, somewhere along the way, how to excel at the job without it consuming them.
Here is what I want you to hear in Pep’s quote: I share the same feeling as when Klopp left.
That is not a man giving up. That is a man saying out loud what most coaches feel privately for years before they are willing to name it. He stopped pretending. He prioritized his health and well-being over the astronomical value of his next contract or title.
That work is not optional. And the first step is being honest with yourself about whether you are already on the path Pep just decided he could not stay on.
It is important to note that energy consumption isn't consistent; the season demands more at various times, such as the playoffs. You need to acknowledge this and ensure your tank is filled ahead of these periods.
Here are several techniques you can use to help you be at your best, season after season.
- Sleep is not optional. Seven to nine hours isn't indulgent; it's necessary. Your bed is like a giant wireless charger, and you must keep the batteries charged. A tired brain is a reactive brain; it's slow to analyze and decide in the heat of the moment. This is professional maintenance.
2. Nutrition/ Exercise. This one is simple: eat healthy food and exercise. Don't compromise on it even when time is short. Ensure that the gym isn't just where you go for practice. Take care of yourself first!
3. Install one hard basketball-free day each week. A full day where your sport doesn’t enter the conversation; no film, no scouting, no email, no rehashing the last game. Take a break and recharge your batteries, or get someone to hold you accountable for it, or it won't work. I know firsthand.
4. Run the Energy Audit. Two columns on a single page: what drains your energy as a coach (late-night parent emails, last-minute practice plans, post-game emotional muck, micromanaging assistants) and what restores it (small-group player development, planned practices, walks after games, conversations with former players). Pick one drain to reduce this week and one restorer to protect. The chapter already does the framing; this just turns it into a Sunday-afternoon exercise.
One question for you this week.
If you had to step away at the end of this season, the way Pep is stepping away from City. Not due to performance, but because your tank was empty, what early signal would you have missed?
For me, there are always several warning signs. Sleep, both in quality and duration. Also, what is my default tone with my players? If it is short and impatient, it is a sign that I need to pay attention.
Write the honest answer. Not the version you think other coaches would respect. But the one you experience when your season is its hardest.
Then ask yourself whether anyone in your life is in a position to see that signal before you are. If so, have them hold you accountable for being the best version of you, not one who empties their tank without thinking about what it takes to keep going.
Build something lasting.
🎧 The Ultimate List of Coaching Podcasts
For years, I kept a list of my favourite coaching podcasts. Somewhere along the line, I stopped updating it. But I took some time and added to it. Over 160 hours of top-notch professional development for free.
One of the simplest ways to sharpen your thinking, broaden your perspective, and stay connected to the best ideas in leadership and performance is by listening to podcasts. They give you access to world-class coaches, sports scientists, and leadership minds, often during the time you were already going to spend driving, walking, or working out.
Over the years, podcasts have become part of my own development rhythm. Some challenge my assumptions. Some give practical tools I can use the next day. And some simply remind me that the best coaches are lifelong learners.
That’s why I’ve put together The Ultimate List of Coaching Podcasts. It's a curated collection designed to help you:
✅ Build stronger culture
✅ Improve how you teach and communicate
✅ Deepen your mental performance toolbox
✅ Stay current with modern player development
✅ Grow your leadership from the inside out
Whether you’re a veteran coach or just getting started, there is something in here that will stretch your thinking.
👉 Dive into the list and pick one new voice to learn from this week.
Because the best coaches don't stay static…
They keep evolving.
Are you or your athletes struggling to be their best?
Let's find a solution together.
I help coaches thrive.
As a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and a basketball coach with 25 years of experience, I understand the barriers to peak performance for both you and your athletes.
I would love to help you or your team build a competitive advantage. Here are a few ways I can help:
- Consult with your team or coaching staff
- Teach mental skills to your team via Zoom
- Work 1-on-1 with coaches
- Work 1 on 1 with athletes
Book a Free Discovery Call
If you’re feeling the weight of expectations, pressure, or burnout, you don’t have to figure this out alone.
A discovery call is simply a chance to talk through your season, your goals, and your process with another coach who’s been there. No pitch. No obligation. Just a meaningful conversation.
Schedule a discovery call here.
Shoot me an email at jasonpayne@evolutionmpc.com. I love talking about coaching and seeing how I can help you.
Coaching is hard; let's make it easier.
Check out my website at http://jasonpayne.ca
Thanks for reading, and have a great week.