Leadership burnout isn't just about long hours. According to 30-year veteran leadership coach Mercedes Martin, it's a "burnout cost" that comes from a lack of authenticity. She calls this "living on a hyphen" - the constant, draining pull leaders feel between profit vs. purpose, and productivity vs. human impact.
In this insightful conversation, Mercedes shares a global perspective on leadership, contrasting the US model with human-centred, authentic approaches she sees emerging in the Global South. She explains why psychological safety initiatives often fail (hint: it starts with the leader) and provides a powerful 5-step framework for "unwiring" old command-and-control habits to "rewire" a more sustainable, human-first leadership style.
In this episode, you will learn:
(00:00) The "Burnout Cost": Why leaders are burning out from performance and inauthenticity, not just overwork.
(02:30) A Global Perspective: How leadership conversations in India and Latin America differ from the US, focusing more on cultural identity and spirituality.
(07:30) "Living on a Hyphen": Mercedes' personal and professional framework for understanding the core tensions modern leaders face.
(13:00) The Practical Fix: Why creating "safe and brave places" at the team level is the key to building trust and rewarding vulnerability.
(14:45) Why Psychological Safety Fails: "You can't align a team... when you, yourself are confused." The leader must hold up the mirror first.
(16:00) The "Frozen Middle": Identifying the middle manager as the role holding the most tension in an organisation.
(18:30) The "Boarding School" Leadership Model: A fascinating look at how old models of leadership (squashing vulnerability) were formed and why they're failing today.
(24:30) The Core Task: How do you "unwire" to "rewire" your leadership identity?
(25:00) A 5-Step Plan for Rewiring Your Leadership:
Excavate your personal leadership narratives and identity stories.
Create safe places, starting with yourself.
Build trusting, transformational relationships, not transactional ones.
Hold the "Both/And": Manage the short-term and the long-term view.
Build external alliances to counteract the tendency to work in silos.
(33:45) The Leader Mercedes Admires: Ajay Banga (President of the World Bank).
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Mercedes Martin:
Email: Mercedes@MercedesMartin.co
Platform: Sutra
Programs:
Rewire Leadership Journey (launching 2026)
Buddha Diva Retreats (for women leaders)
Leader Mentioned:
Ajay Banga (President of the World Bank, former CEO of MasterCard)
Music, jingles, and images - attribution.
Podcast Background Track: https://pixabay.com/users/poorartistt-45918667/
Guitar Jingle: https://pixabay.com/music/introoutro-guitar-intro-ident-151972/
Swoosh Sound Effect: https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/
Images: https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation/ & https://www.perplexity.ai/
Background: https://pixabay.com/users/tommyvideo-3092371/
Thank you for watching/ listening.
Follow LevelUp!
https://www.levelupleadership.uk/
Disclaimer.
LevelUp and the podcast host do not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for any products, services, views, or claims presented by guests during podcast episodes. Any opinions or statements made by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of LevelUp or its representatives.
© 2025 LevelUp.
This episode is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
