Leadership Coach and longtime pregnancy center director Robin Fuller joined us to discuss something many in ministry struggle with silently: burnout.
This session was packed with honest stories, practical tools, and soul-refreshing wisdom for those carrying heavy loads in pro-life work and ministry settings. Here’s a recap of some of Robin’s most powerful points, with encouragement and insight for anyone navigating nonprofit burnout, ministry fatigue, or just needing a reminder that it’s okay to say “no.”
Robin Fuller is not just a coach — she’s someone who’s walked the road of ministry leadership for over two decades. Before becoming a leadership coach, Robin served as the executive director of three non-profit pregnancy center ministries for more than 23 years. She understands, firsthand, the isolation, challenges, and deep emotional weight that come with ministry leadership.
Now, as a Professional Certified Coach (accredited by the International Coaching Federation), she works with leaders around the world — helping them rediscover joy, strengthen their leadership, and finish well. Robin is also a Strengths Champion Certified Coach using CliftonStrengths. Her top five strengths are WOO, Positivity, Activator, Belief, and Competition.
Outside of coaching, Robin lives in Grants Pass, Oregon, along the stunning Rogue River, with her husband Steve. She’s a coffee-lover, chocolate enthusiast, and enjoys deep conversations, her cats, and her beloved labradoodle, Nellie.
Robin opened with this reassuring truth: burnout isn’t a sign of failure. It’s a signal that you need to refill mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
With over two decades in pregnancy center leadership, Robin knows how easy it is to feel like if you stop, you’re being selfish or letting people down. The need never stops—another client, another fundraiser, another life to save. But if you keep pouring out without refilling, burnout becomes inevitable.
Before burnout sets in, there’s often a sneaky precursor called compassion fatigue. It’s that mental and emotional exhaustion that shows up when you feel too much for your clients. You’re giving and giving, but your tank is empty.
Some symptoms of compassion fatigue include:
The dangerous thing about compassion fatigue is that it can lead directly to full-on burnout—unless you take time to recognize and treat it.
Let’s be real: burnout is not a badge of honor. Robin nailed it when she said, “Burnout is not a badge of honor; it’s a lack of discipline.”
Burnout creeps in when we don’t manage chronic workplace stress. It’s more than being tired; it’s losing your passion, your joy, and even your sense of purpose.
Some common signs of burnout:
“If she chooses life, God gets the glory. If she chooses abortion, God gets the pain.” — A phrase Robin and her team would say aloud after every client to release the burden into God’s hands.
Robin encourages every leader to create a personalized burnout prevention plan tailored to what refuels your body, mind, and spirit. Here are the 14 key areas she recommends:
Break this down into:
Sometimes, the best way to get out of a burnout spiral is to ask for help. Robin talked about how her own coach helped save her from quitting and how important it is for ministry leaders to have someone they can talk to in confidence.
If you want a life coach who truly gets ministry, Robin’s your person. She offers personal coaching and burnout prevention retreats, and she’s passionate about helping leaders finish well.
Burnout happens. But it doesn’t have to be the end of your story. With awareness, grace, boundaries, and a little bit of help, you can find rest, joy, and purpose again.
You are not alone.