Living a Life in Balance
Work Addiction & Executive Burnout: Why High Achievers Can’t Switch Off
With Obi Unaka
Obi Unaka explores work addiction, executive burnout, and why high achievers can find it difficult to switch off.
Listen to the conversation
Work Addiction & Executive Burnout: Why High Achievers Can’t Switch Off
Obi Unaka
Inside this conversation
What Is Work Addiction? Signs, Symptoms, and When Hard Work Becomes Unhealthy
The Psychology of Work Addiction: Why High Achievers Struggle to Switch Off
Burnout Warning Signs: How Therapy Helped Identify a Destructive Work Pattern
More themes
- Finding Purpose After Burnout: Transitioning from Finance to Mental Health
- High-Pressure Careers, Executive Stress, and the Risk of Work Addiction
- Executive Burnout, Substance Use, and Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms in High Performers
- What Causes Burnout? Perfectionism, Internal Pressure, and Emotional Exhaustion
Find a moment
All chapters
The guest
Obi Unaka
Obi Unaka is an addictions therapist, clinical supervisor, trainer and treatment consultant. As Chief Clinical Officer at Samarpan, he works on clinical standards and the connection between residential, outpatient and continuing care. His experience spans community, criminal-justice and treatment settings in the UK and India. That perspective informs this conversation about overwork, achievement and recovery. Official professional biography.
From the host
Reflections on the conversation
What stayed with me from this conversation
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Speaking with Obi Unaka, I was struck by the way this conversation connected addiction, emotional pain and the conditions that make sustainable recovery possible. These subjects are often discussed separately, although in a person’s life they can influence one another continuously.
I was reminded that stopping a behavior is only one part of recovery. Lasting change often depends on understanding what the substance or behavior provided, what becomes exposed when it is removed, and which relationships and structures can support a different way of living.
This is also why relapse should be examined with honesty rather than reduced to moral failure. Safety and accountability matter, but shame rarely provides a stable foundation for change. A coherent plan must address the person, their environment and the period after intensive support ends.
My broader reflection is that balance is not a fixed destination. It is the capacity to notice what is happening, understand what may be driving it and respond with greater awareness. Professional support can help create that capacity, but it must remain grounded in the person’s circumstances, choices and safety.
Episode summary
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In this episode of Living A Life In Balance, Obi Unaka, Addiction Therapist and Relapse Prevention Specialist, joins me, Founder and CEO of THE BALANCE Rehab Clinic, for an insightful conversation about work addiction, executive burnout, emotional regulation, recovery, and the hidden costs of high achievement.
Drawing from his own personal experience, Obi shares how a successful career in finance eventually led him to recognize that work had become more than a profession; it had become an addiction. After losing important relationships, experiencing severe stress-related symptoms, and struggling to disconnect from work, he began a journey of recovery that ultimately led him into the field of psychotherapy and addiction treatment.
• How work can become a behavioral addiction similar to gambling or substance use
• Why many high performers struggle to switch off and find balance outside of work
Throughout the discussion, we return to the importance of looking beneath visible symptoms or behaviors. The aim is not to force one explanation onto every experience, but to understand the combination of history, relationships, body, environment and meaning that may be relevant for this individual.
The full transcript
Original-language transcript · EN