Women Leaders Spotlight: Adrienne Burgos on Burnout and Leading with Intention
Spotlight on Women Leaders Series
👉Celebrating women leaders across industries and advancing the conversation on leadership—reflecting CFW Careers’ expertise in retained executive search, global executive search, and professional coaching.
Welcome to our Women Leaders Spotlight blog series, part of our Changing the Conversation initiative. This series reflects our founding commitment to advancing women in leadership by moving beyond identifying barriers to focusing on solutions, supporting women in their careers while also influencing organizational practices and policymaking.
At CFW Careers, we combine the reach of global executive search with the insight of professional coaching serving leaders and organizations. Since 1973, we’ve been committed to opening doors, creating opportunities, and helping anyone on the rise in their career not just succeed but thrive.
Adrienne Burgos | Founder and CEO of CEA Staffing
Today, we’re featuring Adrienne Burgos, the Founder and CEO of CEA Staffing. Adrienne, can you start by introducing yourself and your work?
My name is Adrienne Burgos and I am the founder and CEO of CEA Staffing, an experiential and event staffing agency based in Chicago with a nationwide reach. I started this business completely on my own when I was just 24 years old, and over the years I’ve grown it into a trusted partner for some of the biggest brands and events in the country.
My role is very hands on and a bit of everything. I oversee everything from high-level strategy and client relationships to the operational details of building strong, reliable teams for each activation. Beyond logistics, what drives me is creating jobs for people nationwide and building an agency culture where our teams feel valued, supported, and empowered to do great work.
You’ve shared that burnout has been a part of your experience as a business founder and owner. Burnout can be especially challenging for women leaders who are balancing growth, clients, and teams. From your experience, what does burnout look like, and how did you recognize the signs in yourself?
As a business owner, burnout isn’t always loud or obvious to others. But it can feel that way internally. It doesn’t usually show up as a dramatic collapse at work, but it can feel like you’re falling apart inside. There’s also subtle signs like losing excitement about work, feeling irritable over small things, experiencing that brain fog that doesn’t allow you to focus and takes away your motivation to do things both business and personal. It’s that feeling of being so exhausted that even simple simple decisions feel overwhelming. It’s second guessing yourself to the point of not feeling confident in any decisions you are making.
For me, burnout looked like everything I mentioned above. Like physical and mental exhaustion, feeling completely overwhelmed and not being able to get things done, checking things off a list but not feeling present or proud of what I was building. Recognizing those moments was the first step to changing how I managed my time and energy.
What strategies or practices have you found most effective in protecting your energy while still growing your business and supporting your team?
One of the biggest shifts for me was learning not to beat myself up for not crossing 20 things off my to-do list in a day. Instead of focusing on what didn’t get done, I started giving myself credit for what I had accomplished and extending myself more grace. That change alone lifted a lot of pressure.
I also began reconnecting more with people in my circle and having conversations with them as often as I could. It helps me realize I’m not the only one feeling what I feel, and it’s incredibly comforting to know we’re all in this together. By talking to people and having an outlet, it becomes a release of all those overwhelming feelings. It clears up space in my mind which then turns into the clarity I need to be able to refocus on the things that matter most with my business, and then I have the capacity to execute those things as well.
Additionally, I had to carve out more time for exercise and just more me time. The exercise helped with the low energy and brain fog, and finding me time means shutting work off. Doing things like redesigning my home and activities with my daughter. Those are two things I love and enjoy, and everyone needs to find things that they love and enjoy to help reset them when they feel that burnout.
I learned to prioritize quality over quantity, trusting that showing up with focus and clarity matters more than cranking through endless tasks. These shifts made me not only a better leader, but also a more grounded version of myself.
What advice would you give other women founders and professionals about preventing or addressing burnout while building their careers?
Treat rest as a strategy, not a reward. Protect your energy the same way you protect your revenue. Your business can only be as strong as you are mentally, and taking care of yourself is one of the most important leadership decisions you can make.
How can people connect with you and learn more about your work?
People can connect with me by visiting my website at www.ceastaffing.com. You can also follow along on Instagram @ceastaffing to see our work in action.
Through our work in retained executive search and leadership development, at CFW Careers, we’ve seen the powerful impact of amplifying women’s voices in business. This series celebrates women leaders across industries, sharing their perspectives and paving the way for the next generation.