We all know about burnout—that state of being completely exhausted from overwork. But have you ever heard of rust out? It’s kind of the opposite. While burnout comes from doing too much, rust out happens when you’re not feeling challenged, engaged, or growing in your work. It creeps in when things feel repetitive, when you’re not excited about what you’re doing, and you feel stuck. It can be just as damaging as burnout, but in a quieter way.
In this edition of Hot Seat Coaching, we’re diving into Denise’s story. Denise is a News Director for a local news program, and while she’s always been passionate about storytelling, lately she’s feeling like her role has become stagnant. The same routines, the same types of stories, the same day-to-day responsibilities—it’s left her feeling uninspired, underutilized, and unsure of what’s next. She’s hit with rust out, and it’s holding her back from feeling fulfilled in her career.
So how did Denise start moving out of rust out and back into a place of growth and excitement? Here are three strategies that helped her, and can help you too:
1. Rediscover Your Strengths
Sometimes, when we’re deep in the day-to-day grind, we forget about what truly makes us tick...our strengths, our passions, our unique talents. Denise had lost touch with what made her excited about news directing in the first place. So we worked on rediscovering her strengths and finding ways to bring those into her work in new ways.
Denise always loved finding fresh, untold stories, but lately, she’d been caught up in the administrative side of things. We created a plan for her to carve out time each week to brainstorm new story ideas and pitch them to her team. This reignited her passion for creative storytelling and made her feel more engaged.
2. Create Opportunities for Growth
One major cause of rust out is a lack of growth. When you’re not learning or taking on new challenges, it’s easy to feel stuck. Denise realized she hadn’t been pushing herself outside her comfort zone in quite a while, so we focused on creating new growth opportunities within her current role.
Denise decided to take on a mentorship role within her team, helping to develop younger reporters. This not only gave her a new challenge but also reignited her sense of purpose, as she helped others grow in their careers while rediscovering her own leadership potential.
3. Reframe Your Mindset
Rust out often comes with a lot of negative self-talk. “Am I really making a difference?” “Is this all there is?” Denise found herself spiraling in these thoughts. So, we worked on shifting her mindset to focus on possibilities rather than limitations. Instead of seeing her role as “stuck,” we reframed it as an opportunity to innovate.
Denise started looking at her news program as a platform for change. She began experimenting with new formats, like interactive digital segments, and partnered with the community to bring fresh voices into the newsroom. By reframing her mindset, she turned her rust out into an opportunity to be a trailblazer.
So, where do you start? What are your strengths, and how can you bring them into your work in new ways? Let’s all take a page from Denise’s playbook and shake off the rust!
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