I Ignored the Warning Lights… Until My Engine Failed

In the late 2000s, I bought what felt like my dream car.

Up until that point, my cars had been… questionable. At one point, the AA joked that my Nissan Micra was 30% rust. That probably tells you everything you need to know.

So this car - a gunmetal grey Ford Focus saloon - felt like a huge step up.

For the first time, there was space.
No more squeezing a buggy into the back seat with my two boys.
No more compromises.

This car represented something bigger than transport.

It represented freedom.

One weekend we’d be in Northumberland.
Another, London.
Cornwall.
Even France once.

After my first marriage ended, I used to buy little trinkets to keep in the boot. It sounds strange, but to me, that car carried my life forward.

The Warning Lights Started

Fast forward three years.

We’re driving to Nottingham - my now husband, a newborn, and three boys in the back -when the car starts to chug.

A warning light flashes.

We pull over.

Bonnet up. Quick check.

“It’s fine,” I’m told. “Just a part wearing down - we can keep going.”

And we did.

The part got replaced eventually, and life carried on.

Until more warning lights appeared.

The Fix That Wasn’t a Fix

Like most people, we did what you do:

We Googled it.
We watched YouTube.
We found a workaround.

An OBD reader.

If you don’t know what that is, it’s a little device you plug into your car… and magically, the warning lights disappear.

Problem solved.

Or so I thought.

The lights would come on.
I’d plug it in.
They’d go off.

It became a permanent passenger in my car.

Then Came Limp Mode

Eventually, the car started going into what’s called limp mode.

If you’ve never experienced that, it’s when your car limits itself to around 50mph to protect the engine.

Which is… not ideal when you’re doing 70 on a motorway.

The power drops.
Horns start beeping.
And suddenly, you’re a risk.

A liability.

But I Didn’t Want to Let It Go

At the time, we told ourselves we couldn’t afford a new car.

So instead, we adapted.

We stayed local.
We avoided long journeys.
We worked around the problem.

And if I’m honest?

I didn’t want to let it go.

Because of what it represented.

The Breaking Point

Eventually, the engine failed.

Completely.

It was costly, stressful, and with some financial help from family, we replaced it.

New engine. Fresh start.

Everything would be fine now.

Three weeks later…

The warning lights came back.

The Real Problem

This time, we dug deeper.

And we realised something important:

• The problem was never the warning lights.

• It wasn’t even the engine.

It was a fault in the exhaust system.

A single part that kept failing.

And that one issue had a domino effect across the entire car.

At that point, there was no avoiding it.

The car had to go.

10 Years Later… I Became That Car

From the outside, my career looked successful.

I was in a senior leadership role.
Working with councils.
Managing teams.
Driving impact.

I genuinely believed I was making a difference.

But my warning lights were flashing.

My Warning Lights

They didn’t look like dashboard symbols.

They looked like:

• Constant exhaustion

• Working late into the night

• Feeling under pressure all the time

• Losing patience

• Questioning myself

And my version of the OBD reader?

“Just finish the report.”
“Just hit the deadline.”
“Just get through this week.”

Each time, the lights would “go off”.

But the problem was still there.

When the Engine Failed

Eventually, my engine failed too.

I went into chronic burnout.

And I want to be clear about something:

• Burnout is not just being tired.

• It’s not fixed by a good night’s sleep.

For me, it meant:

• Losing six months of my life I don’t fully remember

• Sleeping most of the day

• Waking up crying or physically shaking

• A nervous system completely overwhelmed

My jaw would vibrate so intensely it affected my hearing.

I developed swelling behind my ear.

I needed significant support and therapy through the NHS - who were incredible throughout my recovery.

That’s what burnout looked like for me.

Burnout Doesn’t Happen Overnight

The World Health Organisation defines burnout as a workplace phenomenon resulting from chronic, unmanaged stress.

And that’s key:

Chronic
Unmanaged

This isn’t about a busy week.

It’s about stress that never switches off.

Like an engine constantly running in the red.

Eventually, something gives.

The Warning Signs (Before It’s Too Late)

Looking back, there were clear warning signs.

The same ones I now see in others.

1. Exhaustion

Not just tiredness - the kind sleep doesn’t fix.

2. Overload

Too many demands, not enough internal or external resource.

3. Detachment

Losing connection to your work. Going through the motions.

4. Irritability

Snapping. Conflict. Tension increasing around you.

5. Self-Doubt

Questioning your ability. Losing confidence. Feeling like an imposter.

This Isn’t Just Individual - It’s Cultural

For leaders, this matters even more.

Because burnout doesn’t just affect individuals.

• It affects teams.

• It affects culture.

• It affects performance.

Ask yourself:

• Do you really understand your team’s workload?

• Are expectations realistic?

• Do people feel safe saying “I’m struggling”?

• Are boundaries modelled - or ignored?

High performers are often the ones who burn out first.

And they’re also the least likely to admit it.

The Lesson I Learned the Hard Way

My car didn’t fail because of one warning light.

... It failed because I ignored them.

And burnout works the same way.

So Here’s the Real Question

Are you noticing your warning lights?

Or are you still plugging in the OBD reader…

hoping they’ll disappear?

If This Resonates…

It might not be too late to catch this early.

Whether you’re:

• feeling stuck

• losing confidence

• or starting to question your current path

there is a way forward.

And it doesn’t have to come at the cost of your health.

If you want to talk it through, feel free to reach out.