Freelance writer portfolio
Yvonne Lee-Hawkins
Corporate insider turned holistic career and burnout coach — writing at the intersection of high performance, human wellbeing, and what it actually costs to succeed.
- Career coaching
- Burnout & recovery
- Leadership
- Workplace wellness
- Women in corporate
- Pacific Northwest
About
I spent nearly 20 years inside some of the most demanding companies in the world — Amazon, Blue Origin, and Target — leading teams, shaping HR strategy, and performing at a level most people call impressive. What they didn't see was the burnout I was carrying. I didn't just study this. I lived it.
I'm now an IPHM-certified Holistic Career and Burnout Coach, and I write the stories that professionals recognize but rarely see in print: the physical toll of ambition, the career pivots that no one talks about honestly, and what it actually takes to lead without losing yourself. My writing blends corporate-insider credibility with the warmth of someone who has walked out the other side.
I'm based in the Auburn/Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington State, and I bring a Pacific Northwest lens to national conversations about work, burnout, and sustainable leadership.
Credentials
Certification
IPHM-Certified Holistic Career & Burnout Coach
Corporate background
Amazon · Blue Origin · Target
Location
Auburn / Seattle-Tacoma, WA
Publishing
LinkedIn Newsletter (670+ subscribers) · yvonneleehawkins.com
Selected writing
Career · Personal essay
It's not just a job, it's your life
A first-person reckoning with how a high-pressure role accelerated physical health changes — and why choosing yourself isn't weakness, it's strategy.
Leadership · Op-ed
When layoffs became a strategy: how we lost the plot on leadership
A sharp critique of short-term cost-cutting masquerading as bold leadership — and what fiduciary responsibility actually means for people and culture.
Burnout · Advice column
I'm miserable at work. What do I do?
A coaching-style advice column that walks professionals through diagnosing career misalignment vs. burnout — and making decisions from clarity, not fear.
Wellness · Nature
Nature as treatment for burnout recovery
An evidence-based exploration of biophilia, cortisol regulation, and why the simplest burnout remedy is outside your front door — with actionable steps.
Wellness · Play
Why play is essential for professionals
The case for reclaiming joy as a burnout prevention strategy — with the science of play and what it unlocks in high-achieving adults.
Burnout · Time management
Managing burnout through effective time management
Practical delegation, prioritization, and boundary-setting strategies drawn from 20 years of corporate leadership — with real examples that don't feel preachy.
Burnout · Self-assessment
Can measuring success prevent burnout?
An argument for proactive self-assessment as a burnout prevention tool — how checking in on your own state regularly changes everything.
Burnout · Overwhelm
Taming the overwhelm: how to regain control of your workload
Actionable strategies for professionals drowning in competing demands — from a coach who has done it all while raising three kids.
Media & features
Beating Burnout: 5 things you should do if you are experiencing work burnout
From burnout to balance: pranic healing, holistic wellness, and reclaiming energy
Ongoing series on career wellness, leadership, and burnout — 670+ weekly subscribers