Matt Martens on Burnout, Mental Health, and Building a Resilient Workplace

Mental health challenges aren’t always obvious. Sometimes the people carrying the heaviest load are still your highest performers. In this episode of It’s Time for Success: The Business Insights Podcast, Sharon DeKoning sits down with Matt Martens to talk about burnout, workplace mental health, resilience, and how business owners and leaders can recognize when someone may be struggling. Drawing from his years in oil and gas, leadership experience, personal journey, and work as a facilitator with Empowering Minds, Matt shares why noticing changes in behaviour can be an important first step. Matt and Sharon discuss the subtle signs of burnout, including changes in appearance, communication, mood, work habits, and behaviour. They explore why leaders don’t need to become therapists or have all the answers. Their role can simply be to notice, ask thoughtful questions, listen without immediately trying to fix the problem, and help connect someone with appropriate resources. Matt also explains the importance of creating space for recovery, setting boundaries around work and technology, developing self-awareness, and understanding that resilience isn’t about pretending everything is okay. The conversation also turns the lens toward business owners and leaders themselves. Who watches out for the person who is watching out for everyone else? Matt shares his own experiences with counselling, personal challenges, burnout, and recovery, and explains why taking care of your mental health can be preventative maintenance, not simply something you address during a crisis. For entrepreneurs, managers, employees, and anyone carrying a heavy workload, this episode is an important reminder to pay attention to the people around you while remembering to put on your own oxygen mask too. **About Matt Martens** Matt Martens is a facilitator with Empowering Minds and a featured presenter for the You Make the Difference Foundation, where he is helping communities build greater awareness around mental health, suicide prevention, and becoming a “first identifier” for someone who may be struggling. Before stepping into this work, Matt spent much of his career in Alberta’s oil and gas industry. A journeyman in welding, steamfitting, and gas fitting, he went on to work as a consultant and later spent 18 years with a midstream company, eventually moving into leadership. Matt’s passion for mental health advocacy is deeply personal. His experiences with burnout, isolation, counselling, major life challenges, and his own mental health journey helped shape his desire to support others. Today, he is focused on helping people recognize changes in those around them, start difficult conversations with compassion, and connect people with the resources they need. Matt and his wife are also building Martens Pet Cremation Services. **Resources discussed in this episode:** - Empowering Minds - You Make the Difference Foundation - 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline (Call or text 9-8-8 in Canada for suicide crisis 24/7) — **Contact Sharon DeKoning | It's Time Promotions:**  - Website: itpromo.ca - LinkedIn: Sharon DeKoning - Facebook: It’s Time Promotions - Google: It’s Time Promotions **Contact Matt Martens | Martens Pet Cremation Services :**  - Website: Martens Pet Cremation Services - LinkedIn: Matt Martens