Interview: Sabine Lehner — Turning Burnout into Clarity and Growth
For Sabine Lehner, transformation isn’t theoretical — it’s personal. After a decade in the high-pressure world of finance and corporate consulting, she found herself completely drained, sitting on her living room floor and realizing that something fundamental had to change. That moment of collapse became the start of a new life chapter — one that would later become Turnaround Practice, her own coaching and hypnotherapy company helping leaders break the burnout spiral and rediscover their confidence and purpose.
From Breakdown to Breakthrough
Sabine grew up around psychological distress, which gave her an early understanding of how anxiety and trauma shape human behavior. Like many high achievers, she learned early on to cope by doing more — chasing recognition through achievement. That drive carried her into an impressive early career in finance and international business. But success came at a cost. The long hours, constant pressure, and corporate crises left her exhausted and disconnected from any sense of fulfillment.
Six months of therapy and reflection helped her rebuild from the ground up. What emerged was clarity — she was most energized not by numbers or management targets but by people, ideas, and transformation. Returning to university, she transitioned into consulting, leading large-scale innovation and change projects across industries and continents. Yet even there, one truth echoed everywhere she went: transformation can’t succeed if the people behind it are silently burning out.
That realization became the foundation of Turnaround Practice. Sabine decided to shift her focus from systems change to human change — helping professionals reconnect with themselves so they can lead and create with calm, clarity, and intent.
A Coaching Philosophy Rooted in the Human Mind
Sabine’s coaching philosophy bridges strategy and neuroscience. Before taking action, she helps clients reset the patterns that keep them from moving forward — clearing mental overwhelm, emotional overload, and subconscious blocks. Her work blends neuroscience-informed coaching with hypnotherapy and EMDR tools to rewire behavior at a deeper level, reducing stress and rebuilding calm before diving into goals.
Across her programs, every journey follows a consistent rhythm:
- Reset the mind and body from stress and overload.
- Rebuild confidence and direction.
- Translate insight into aligned action.
Her two-session Mental Reset and eight-session Be Yourself Again programs both follow this framework. The results are tangible: clients sleep better, make confident decisions, and reconnect with who they are at their core. It’s not simply about performance — it’s about feeling whole, present, and self-assured again.
Transformation Begins with the Self
In her decade of leading transformation projects, Sabine saw the same pattern play out again and again — ambitious, talented professionals struggling silently behind success. That observation continues to shape her work today. Her coaching starts where corporate structures usually stop: at the level of the person. By addressing the mental and emotional roots of burnout, she helps clients not only recover but reinvent themselves.
Her practical yet compassionate approach is tailored to each client’s reality. Whether working with executives at career crossroads or professionals facing self-doubt in senior roles, she emphasizes clarity over complexity and authenticity over image. “Change,” she often tells clients, “doesn’t start with fixing yourself — it starts with understanding yourself.”
The Role of Continuous Learning
Sabine is as committed to her own growth as she is to her clients’. Her multidisciplinary background spans Europe, the U.S., and Australia, with training in neuroscience-based coaching, hypnotherapy, and psychotherapy. She continues to study emerging research in behavioral science to ensure her methods remain grounded in evidence and relevance. “Every client shapes how I evolve as a professional,” she notes — reflecting her belief that curiosity and learning are essential parts of transformation.
Leading with Awareness and Intention
At the heart of Sabine’s message is a simple but profound idea: confidence doesn’t come from control — it comes from self-understanding. When clients learn to observe their patterns instead of being ruled by them, choices become clearer, leadership becomes lighter, and life feels aligned again.
Her work is deeply human, practical, and empathetic — a guide for anyone ready to turn burnout into balance and confusion into calm. Through Turnaround Practice, Sabine Lehner helps people reconnect with their best selves — grounded, focused, and ready to grow.
Sabine Lehner is the Founder of Turnaround Practice, an Executive Coach and Clinical Hypnotherapist based in Sydney, Australia. Trained internationally across Europe, the US, and Australia, she helps leaders recover from burnout, build sustainable success, and reconnect with their energy and confidence. Learn more at turnaroundpractice.au or connect with Sabine on LinkedIn.
