burnout
fix it at the leadership level
Your Team's
Isn't Personal...
It's Systemic.
The leadership Problem
Frequency of feeling burnt out
83%
answered 70%-100% of the time
considered leaving the industry
typical weekly work hours
72%
76%
answered yes due to burnout and stress
answered 41-60+ hours per week
mild to severe effects
find it difficult to balance work and personal
75%
81%
effect on professional performance
balancing personal and work life
Over the past year, we’ve conducted in-depth research with over 300 event professionals through surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews—and the results are both undeniable and alarming. What we uncovered goes beyond personal hardship: burnout has become a full-scale business crisis, impacting performance, retention, and the long-term sustainability of the meetings and events industry. Yet in too many organizations, burnout is still normalized; overwork is mistaken for excellence, and the teams driving results are often overlooked until it’s too late. Phoenix Unleashed was created to change that. We’re not just naming the problem—we’re using real data to help leaders understand, address, and prevent burnout before it erodes culture, talent, and client trust.
burnout in the Meeting and events industry is Systemic -and preventable
It limits innovation, reduces productivity, and drains your talent pipeline
BURNOUT ISN'T JUST BAD FOR PEOPLE; IT'S BAD FOR BUSINESS.
why it matters to you
Burnout isn’t just affecting individuals—it’s quietly undermining the performance, creativity, and resilience of your teams. When top talent operates in survival mode, organizations experience increased turnover, disengagement, and declining event quality, ultimately impacting your bottom line and brand reputation.
As a leader, your responsibility goes beyond delivering exceptional experiences—it includes protecting and empowering the people who make them possible.
At Phoenix Unleashed, we equip forward-thinking organizations with the insights, tools, and strategies to embed burnout prevention into their operations, enabling teams to thrive, events to excel, and cultures to lead. This isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about building a sustainable, high-performance future for your workforce and setting a new standard for leadership in the meetings and events industry.
What's the cost of Doing NOTHING?
The Phoenix Shift
it’s not surprising to us—or to you—that meeting and event planning was recently ranked the 3rd most stressful job in the world. The long hours, high stakes, relentless expectations, and “make it perfect at all costs” culture have become the norm.
- 83% of meeting and event professionals report feeling burned out nearly 100% of the time.
Most industry organizations, agencies, and companies are still waiting for someone else to go first. That’s why we’re not just joining the conversation—we’re leading it.
At Phoenix Unleashed, we are the first platform in the industry to tackle burnout as a performance, leadership, and business issue—not just a personal one.
We’re combining data, research, and AI-powered solutions to do what no one else has done:
Create a roadmap for performance without burnout.
We are committed to:
• Disrupting outdated norms that reward exhaustion.
• Educating leaders on how to build healthier, high-performing teams.
• Providing tools, data, and training that prevent burnout before it starts.
We’re calling burnout what it is—an epidemic—and we’re building the infrastructure to solve it. But we can’t do it alone.
If you’re a leader in this industry, you have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to be part of the solution. Let’s fix this together. Let’s create a future where excellence doesn’t cost well-being.
Phoenix Unleashed is ready to lead. The only question is:
our commitment
who’s ready to lead with us?
We provide organizations with data-driven insights, industry-focused education, and executive-level thought leadership to help you take the first step in solving burnout—before it becomes a retention, performance, or brand risk.
Transform your culture
retain top talent
Drive sustainable performance
Phoenix Unleashed is your strategic research partner in understanding and addressing burnout across the meetings and events industry.
Industry Research & Insights
Access exclusive burnout research collected from over 300+ event professionals through surveys, interviews, and focus groups.
White Paper Series
Our flagship publication, The Phoenix Shift, delivers executive-level analysis of burnout’s root causes—and outlines practical, scalable solutions for sustainable performance.
Leadership Case Studies
Real-world examples and insights from leaders actively reshaping culture, timelines, and expectations to protect their people and their bottom line.
Our current offerings include:
Custom Focus Groups
We facilitate strategic conversations with your team to uncover internal burnout trends and surface untapped opportunities for improvement.
Keynote Speaking & Panels
Book our founder and experts for executive briefings, conferences, or leadership retreats to spark high-impact dialogue about burnout, sustainability, and the future of work in your organization.
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our co-founders
Carla’s advocacy for addressing burnout in the meeting and event planning industry stems from her own experience with the condition, which led to struggles with depression and anxiety. Recognizing how widespread burnout is in this high-pressure industry, she is committed to redefining its culture by promoting boundaries, self-care, and innovative work practices.
Lori is a dynamic yet rare type of entrepreneur. Her career began with a Bookkeeping business, which evolved into an Accounting business which then became a full spectrum Operations Consulting business. She's spent 13 years empowering service-based businesses to trade burning out for thriving using innovation, automation and systemization.
Carla Cobos Hull
Lori Spillane
A Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) as well as holding a Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM), Carla has a bachelor's degree in Hospitality and an MBA, reflecting her dedication to professional excellence. She is an active member of the MPI Potomac Chapter, serving on the Membership Committee, and was previously the Career Development Co-Chair, earning the STAR Award in 2020. She also served on the board of MPI Greater Orlando from 2009 to 2011.
Through Phoenix Unleashed, Carla empowers professionals to achieve success without sacrificing well-being, proving that excellence and balance can coexist.
Lori has worked with Meeting & Event Professionals for 10+ years, both for and non-profit, helping them create processes and systems that allow them to eliminate time-heavy tasks and bring balance to both their professional and personal lives. With her bold leadership style, Lori transforms businesses into efficient, well-oiled machines, enhancing productivity, efficiency and profitability. Clients deeply value her as a trusted partner, always available for support and insight.
Her passion to drive change is what led her to co-found Phoenix Unleashed with Carla. Together they are the perfect blend of visionary and tactical brilliance.