L&D Must Change 39. Lead the Change, Don’t Absorb the Burnout with Holly Burkett
Change isn’t an event, it’s the air we breathe. In this episode, Jess talks with Holly Burkett about reframing change management as energy management, tackling stacked changes that drain capacity, and recognizing burnout as a workplace issue and not a personal failing. They explore how L&D can read the room on organizational readiness, coach managers to have safe workload conversations, and push for small pilots over all-or-nothing launches. L&D pros have the potential to be powerful change agents.
Jess and Holly Discuss
- Why change/disruption is the context for learning and performance
- Stacked changes,” fatigue, and how burnout shows up at work
- Capacity vs. capability: measuring energy to absorb new demands
- Reframing resistance as a signal of limited capacity
- Practical levers for L&D: business cadence, pilots, after-action reviews
- Equipping managers for safe, honest workload conversations
- Framing tradeoffs in business terms: “Are we willing to risk it?”
- Self-care, recovery rituals, and modeling boundaries for teams
About Holly Burkett
Holly Burkett is an accomplished talent builder, change leader, evaluator, and workplace learning professional with over 20 years experience as a trusted consultant and business advisor. She is passionate about helping leaders and teams build change-ready learning and performance capabilities that foster high engagement, employee wellbeing, and operational excellence. As a Prosci® certified change practitioner, a Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach®, Associate of The ROI Institute, and select member of The Conference Board, she is a sought-after speaker, coach, and facilitator who is invited to speak regularly at international conferences held by ATD, ACMP, ISPI, and the OD Network.
Holly is a frequent contributor to many industry resources including ATDs “Handbook for Measuring and Evaluating Training” (2025), ATDs “Organizational Development Handbook “(2023) – where she wrote the Change Management chapter -- and ATDs Handbook of Training and Talent Development (3rd ed, 2022). An enthusiastic life-long learner, foodie, and travel junkie, she also wrote the award-winning book “Learning for the Long Run”. She earned a doctorate in Human Capital Development and a Masters in Human Resources and Organization Development.
Find and Connect with Holly Burkett
- Website: www.hollyburkett.com
- Article: Become a Change Agent (TD, August 2025)
- Article: Combatting Change Fatigue (TD, Jan 2024)
- Article: 5 Essentials for Better Change Management (ATD Blog, April 2024)
- Article: Building Change Management from the Ground Up (Chief Talent Officer)
- Book: Learning for the Long Run
Find and Connect with Jess Almlie
- Website: www.jessalmlie.com
- Book: Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
- Subscribe to Jess's Weekly Newsletter: L&D Must Change
Additional Links from this Episode
- L&D Must Change Episode 35: Conducting Tiny Experiments in L&D with Anne-Laure LeCnuff