About Lovena
Prevent burnout.
Build sustainable resilience.
Being strong is not the same as being well.
I’m Lovena Patten, a burnout prevention, burnout recovery and confidence coach for ambitious professionals who are used to being the strong one.
Welcome
I became very
good at coping
For years, I thought success meant working harder, carrying more and never letting anyone down. I built a demanding career while navigating IVF, motherhood and, later, my husband’s serious illness.
From the outside, I looked capable and successful.
Inside, I was exhausted and running on empty.
That experience shapes how I work with every client. Today, I help ambitious professionals recognise the signs of chronic stress and burnout, recover their energy and confidence, and create a healthier way to succeed, without becoming less ambitious.
Over the years
From innocence, to burnout,
to RECLAIM
Age 2The island girlSunshine, sea and freedom. Life measured in adventures and curiosity, not achievements.
No plans. No pressure. Just possibility.
Teenage yearsThe adventurerI climbed a mountain I’d been warned about. We got lost. A search party was sent.
Curious. Determined. Not easily put off.
UniversityBuilding confidenceTwo jobs while studying. When a booking glitch left us stranded in France, I spoke up. A lecturer gave us somewhere to stay.
Resourceful. Persistent. Ready to speak up.
CareerFighter spiritFrom defence intelligence to international business, I became known for solving problems and refusing to let go.
My greatest strength. Also my greatest challenge.
And thenLife asked moreMarriage, then IVF, then career pressure. Appointments, uncertainty, hope and disappointment. And I kept going.
Burnout arrived quietly. Still achieving, still telling myself I was fine.The turning point
Then life stopped arriving
one thing at a time
Then, just as our family was settling into parenthood, my husband became seriously ill. Suddenly I was balancing motherhood, family responsibilities, marriage, work, and the health of someone I loved deeply.
So I did what I had always done.
- I became stronger.
- I carried more.
- I pushed harder.
Until I realised: being strong is not the same as being well.
Learning to succeed differently
Burnout isn’t always about
having too much to do
Eventually I knew something had to change. I started paying attention to my own wellbeing instead of simply pushing through. The more I learned about burnout, the more I recognised parts of myself in it.
Sometimes it’s about who we believe we have to be.
The change didn’t happen overnight. It happened one step at a time, and that journey eventually led me to train as a coach through an accredited Level 7 advanced diploma programme. Recovery wasn’t about becoming less ambitious. It was about learning how to succeed without sacrificing myself in the process.
Why I coach
Achievement and health
are not opposites
Many of my clients remind me of the person I used to be. Capable. Responsible. Reliable. The one everyone depends on. From the outside, life looks successful. Inside, they’re often exhausted, overwhelmed, or wondering when they stopped feeling like themselves.
I know that feeling because I’ve lived it. My work helps people create a version of success that doesn’t come at the expense of their wellbeing.
- You can pursue your goals and protect your energy
- You can rebuild your confidence without becoming someone else
- You can succeed without losing yourself along the way
- You don’t have to wait until you’re burnt out to make a change
- Recovery isn’t going back — it’s deciding how you lead from here
The framework
RECLAIM — the method
my own recovery built
Seven stages for preventing burnout, recovering from it and rebuilding confidence. You don’t have to wait until you’re burnt out to start, and recovery isn’t about going back to who you were before it’s about deciding how you want to live and lead from here.
And now
Still ambitious.
Just no longer at my own expense.
I’m still determined, and still a little like a dog with a bone when something matters to me. But I’ve learned something my younger self didn’t know.
For years I thought strength meant carrying more — more responsibility, more pressure, more expectation. It isn’t about how much you can carry. It’s about knowing what matters most, what deserves your energy, and what you can finally put down.
“I’ve still got the fight. I’ve just learned to choose my battles.”
Lovena PattenBurnout doesn’t have to become your normal. You can reclaim your confidence, your energy and yourself — and prevention starts with one conversation.