Dr. Michele Kerulis on Career Burnout, Reinvention, and Finding Support

What happens when the career you planned no longer feels right? How do you recognize burnout when you still care deeply about your work? And where do you turn when you know something needs to change—but you’re not sure what comes next?

For Dr. Michele Kerulis, those questions connect her own career journey with the work she does helping others navigate challenges.

In this episode of Off Course, part of our Science of Reinvention series, Kerulis joins Walter Lis to discuss unexpected career paths, the importance of community, and the small steps that can move us toward a more fulfilling life.

A Clinical Professor at The Family Institute at Northwestern University and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Kerulis also serves as a mental health and wellness consultant for U.S. Soccer and directs the Chicago Marathon’s Chicago Psyching Team. Her experiences offer a perspective that reaches beyond athletics: even people pursuing individual goals benefit from having others in their corner.

An Unexpected Path Can Still Be a Meaningful One

Kerulis originally envisioned a career in medicine. But volunteering in a hospital emergency room during college helped her realize that becoming a physician wasn’t the right fit.

Her interest in the connection between mind and body remained. As a psychology student and group fitness instructor at Loyola University Chicago, she found inspiration in an especially memorable participant: Sister Jean.

Seeing Sister Jean participate enthusiastically in fitness classes helped shape Kerulis’s interest in helping people thrive across different ages and physical abilities.

She went on to earn a master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology, intending to work with athletes. Her first job, however, took her somewhere she hadn’t anticipated: a residential treatment center serving adolescent girls who had experienced abuse and neglect.

That work introduced her to another area of counseling and deepened her understanding of human resilience.

Her career eventually expanded into counselor education, university teaching, and work with elite athletes. The route was different from the one she had imagined, but each experience contributed to what followed.

Kerulis credits mentors and a strong support system with helping her navigate those transitions. Their guidance mattered especially when the next step wasn’t obvious.

Burnout Can Happen Even When You Care

One of the most revealing parts of the conversation is Kerulis’s account of recognizing burnout in herself.

After years in residential treatment work, she still cared deeply about her clients and colleagues. What changed was her energy outside of work.

She felt tired. Activities she ordinarily enjoyed became harder to sustain. Maintaining her professional energy was coming at the expense of her personal life.

A supervisor also noticed a shift in her outlook. He encouraged her to spend time in positive settings beyond the treatment environment—to reconnect with experiences that offered a broader view of life.

That feedback helped her consider whether it was time for a different chapter.

Her experience raises a useful question for anyone assessing their own situation: What is sustaining your work costing the rest of your life?

Recognizing that cost doesn’t require dismissing the value of the work. For Kerulis, caring about her profession and needing a change existed at the same time.

Everyone Can Benefit From a Support Team

Through her work with the Chicago Psyching Team, Kerulis helps marathon participants prepare for the emotional demands of training and race day.

Some runners train with groups. Others spend months preparing alone. Either way, she encourages them to recognize that support is available.

During the marathon, that support can take different forms. A runner whose race ends with an injury may need help processing disappointment. Someone crossing the finish line alone may need another person to acknowledge what they have accomplished.

Kerulis describes the importance of helping people feel seen in those moments.

The same idea applies to career transitions and personal change. Support might come from a mentor, a professional community, a trusted friend, or a counselor.

She emphasizes that counseling can help people work through life transitions even when they don’t have a serious mental health diagnosis. Sometimes the need is simply for someone who can help them think through a difficult decision.

What Elite Athletes Share With Everyone Else

Working with U.S. Soccer gives Kerulis a close view of athletes who have dedicated themselves to performing at an exceptional level.

Their commitment is distinctive, but their human needs are familiar. They have personal identities, relationships, difficulties, and individual ideas about success.

Behind their performance is a network of people supporting their preparation, competition, and well-being.

For listeners pursuing their own goals, that offers a useful perspective. Receiving support is part of the process, including for people operating at the highest levels.

Kerulis also encourages people to recognize small successes. During uncertain periods, noticing what is going well can help us see progress that might otherwise be overlooked.

A Practical Starting Point: Imagine Tomorrow

For someone feeling stuck, Kerulis suggests stepping back and considering what matters most.

She introduces a reflection exercise known as the miracle question: imagine that the changes you hoped for happened overnight. What would be different tomorrow?

Consider the details:

• How would you spend your time?
• What would have more room in your life?
• Which parts of your current routine would change?
• How would your actions better reflect your values?

Then bring the exercise back to the present: What is one thing you could do today to move closer to that future?

Kerulis acknowledges that financial responsibilities and the need for stability are real. A more fulfilling life doesn’t always require leaving a secure job. Some people may find ways to express important values through relationships, interests, service, or activities outside their careers.

The starting point is understanding what feels missing and identifying a manageable action.

Listen to the Off Course Conversation

Watch the full conversation with Dr. Michele Kerulis to hear more about recognizing burnout, navigating unexpected transitions, and finding encouragement along the way.

Learn more about Dr. Michele Kerulis and her work at Northwestern University.

About Off Course: Hosted by Walter Lis and presented by Chicago Golf Report, Off Course explores the psychology, science, and human behavior behind performance, personal growth, and meaningful change. Our Science of Reinvention series examines why people change, what holds them back, and how they can build more fulfilling lives.