Morpeth businesswoman opens up on battle with burnout

Sam Spoors with PRsonal host Charlotte Nichols.

An award-winning businesswoman has bravely opened up about her battle with burnout which prompted a major career change.

Recruitment guru Sam Spoors realised it was time to quit her corporate career after it dawned on her that she no longer had any boundaries between her home and work life.

That decision acted as the catalyst to launch her own in-house recruitment firm, Talentheads.

However, on the PRsonal podcast, she discussed being on the brink of a nervous breakdown - and how that ultimately changed her career for the better.

“I would get home after a full week’s worth of work and I would try and get my girls in bed with me for the weekend, as I couldn’t physically get out of bed because I was so tired,” revealed Sam.

“There was a part of me that genuinely thought I’ve lost it – I thought ‘I’m having a nervous breakdown’.”

She said she had “lost perspective”, often spending time away from her young family at work events.

With the corporate lifestyle taking a toll on both her physical and mental wellbeing she realised that it was time for a change.

Yet on the show, produced by North East PR firm Harvey & Hugo, Sam revealed that when she walked away from her corporate career in 2018 it couldn’t have come at a more dramatic period in her personal life.

“My marriage was also failing and everything came to a head at once,” she admitted.

“I handed my notice, something happened within my marriage – everything ended - and I went into the world with no job (and) two small children who needed to be rehoused with me.

“I had to setup my life again.”

Yet since launching Talentheads in 2020, Sam’s career has skyrocketed.

The Morpeth-based recruitment specialists have grown at a blistering speed, with a string of new hires this year having already moved to a bigger office due to high demand.

Earlier this year Sam was named North East Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’, capping off a rollercoaster five years that thankfully has had a happy ending.

“I’ve brought my children with me on the journey of Talentheads, and I think they are quite proud of the business we are creating together,” she said.