25th February 2025

Breaking the burnout cycle

Bianca Best on balancing ambition and wellbeing

Episode 22

Bianca Best

Global Growth Officer, Performics

Burnout is everywhere. And let’s be honest – agency life isn’t helping. The pressure’s relentless, deadlines never stop and somehow you’re just supposed to keep going. So how can you avoid running yourself and your team into the ground?

Bianca Best is the Global Growth Officer at Performics – the performance marketing arm of Publicis Media. She’s also the founder of The Burnout Business and the author of Big Impact Without Burnout (out March 11). 

In this episode of The Immortal Life of Agencies, Bianca lifts the lid on why burnout is hitting our industry so hard – and more importantly, how to stop it in its tracks. As well as shocking stats (63% of us are thinking about quitting), she offers practical advice to help you keep your energy up and your stress levels down.

From spotting the warning signs to calling out toxic work cultures, Bianca focuses on the things that leaders and individuals can actually change. Because let’s face it – offering your team a free meditation app isn’t going to fix this mess. 

HIGHLIGHTS: 

[02:52] From startup life to agency leadership

[08:38] Why agency burnout keeps getting worse

[10:31] The shocking burnout stats you need to know

[12:56] Why young people don’t want to become leaders

[14:33] How burnout skews towards women

[16:07] Corporate responsibility vs. individual responsibility

[21:11] Why ‘doing it all’ isn’t the goal

[24:59] How to spot burnout before it’s too late

[31:19] Helping junior talent avoid burnout

[36:21] How leaders can change the conversation about wellbeing

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Chris Johnson

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