Battling Burnout and Backlash: A Month in Toby McCosker’s Life

There Are Months That Feel Like a Year

Some months don’t pass—they drag. They test. They strip everything down to your core and force you to decide: fold or keep fighting.

For me, this past month was exactly that. Burnout, backlash, pressure from all angles—and yet, I kept showing up. Not because I had the energy. Not because it was easy. But because I’ve built too much to walk away when things get loud.

The Burnout Hits Harder When You’re Leading

When you're at the top—whether of a company, a build site, or a decision tree—burnout feels different. You don’t get to clock out. You don’t get to collapse.

I was waking up tired. Fighting fires I didn’t light. Carrying reputations, responsibilities, and regrets like bricks in a backpack. But I’ve been here before—and I knew the signs.

Sleep didn’t fix it. Neither did silence. But stepping back to assess what mattered most? That started the shift.

Backlash Is the Tax of Visibility

I’ve learned the hard way that if you’re visible, you’re vulnerable. When your name is out there—when you lead from the front—you’ll catch fire from every angle.

This month, I copped it from people who didn’t know me, from clients with short memories, and even from supposed allies. The backlash wasn’t just frustrating—it was personal.

But I’ve also learned this: you can’t build and defend at the same time. Sometimes you have to let the noise pass and keep laying brick.

My Strategy: Build in Public. Heal in Private.

Burnout forced me to slow down. Backlash reminded me why I started.

So I did two things:

1. Protected my energy—stepped away from distractions, leaned on routine, gave my body and mind space to recalibrate.

2. Doubled down on my mission—refined workflows, reconnected with people who matter, and remembered that critics don’t pay invoices.

Resilience Isn’t a Buzzword—It’s a Battle Plan

Resilience isn’t about avoiding pressure. It’s about building your life so pressure doesn’t break you. That means systems. It means truth-telling. It means accepting that sometimes, the price of doing it your way is doing it the hard way.

I’ve battled worse. But this month reminded me: the war isn’t just external. It’s internal. And winning means mastering both.

Conclusion: If You’re in the Fire—You’re Forging Something

I’m Toby McCosker, and I want to say this to anyone stuck in their own heavy month:

Keep going. Burnout doesn’t mean failure—it means you care. And backlash? It means you’re visible. You’re leading. You’re doing something that matters.

Not every day needs to be a sprint. Just don’t stop building.

More from Toby McCosker

Lessons from the Frontline: Leading Through Adversity
How pressure shaped leadership beyond the job site.

Reputation vs. Reality: What the Media Got Wrong
Why headlines don’t always tell the full story.

Tobias (Toby) McCosker is the founder of Built By Toby. After two decades in construction and business, he now shares raw lessons from the frontline.
Explore more at BuiltByToby.com.au