How boundaries can prevent event planners reaching burnout

When Dr Chika Oriuwa steps onto the keynote stage at IMEX America this year, delegates will hear more than an inspiring success story. They’ll be invited into an honest, deeply personal conversation about burnout, resilience, equity, and what it truly takes to create cultures of care - in medicine, in events, and in every high-pressure environment.

Oriuwa wears many hats: physician, psychiatrist, slam poet, internationally recognised advocate for equity and mental health, and mother of two with another child on the way. In 2020, she became the first Black woman to be sole valedictorian of the University of Toronto’s medical school in its 179-year history - a moment that drew worldwide attention. A year later, she was honoured by the Barbie Role Model Program with a doll created in her likeness.

Her story is one of resilience, and at its core is the message that authenticity is essential to wellness.

“If you can lean into your authenticity, if you can lean into your vulnerability, then that is the heart of wellness," she says.

“If you can lean into your authenticity, then that is the heart of wellness”

People become unwell when they’re burnt out: when they’re overworked, stressed, undervalued, or losing a sense of purpose.

“When you feel disconnected from gratitude, those factors clearly drive burnout," says Oriuwa. "But there are also more subtle undertones that often get missed. One of the biggest is when we stop showing up authentically, when there’s a disconnection between who we really are and how we present ourselves at work."

And those daily compromises, those “micro tears”, build up over time, she says.

“We alter who we are, and it chips away at our confidence, our mental health, even our cognitive abilities."

However, when you’re able to be authentic and compassionate with yourself, you’re actually smarter.

“You can engage your prefrontal cortex more fully, you connect better with other people, and that connection itself becomes a protective mechanism for wellness," she adds.

“But when you feel disconnected from others, when you lack a sense of community, or when you believe your true self won’t be accepted - that’s when you start to shrink, to minimise yourself, or to find different ways to show up. And that directly impacts both the quality of your work and the foundation of your mental health."

Boundaries as strength

One of Oriuwa’s central messages is that resilience isn’t about gritting your teeth and enduring the impossible. It’s about recognising limits and setting boundaries without apology.

“The first step is identifying when you’re not well,” she says. “Many of us just soldier through, we normalise exhaustion. Sometimes it takes someone else pointing out that you don’t look well before you realise it yourself.”

Her own turning point came when she requested accommodations during pregnancy, recognising that she could not work marathon shifts while raising young children. Instead of martyrdom, she chose sustainability.

“I had to say: I’ll give 100 per cent during the hours I can, but I will not destroy my health to prove myself. Boundaries are not a weakness; they are essential.”

It’s a lesson event planners can take to heart. Long hours, relentless schedules, and client expectations can easily push professionals beyond their limits. Oriuwa’s reminder: true resilience lies in creating systems that protect people, not break them.

Therapy, stigma, and the courage to seek support

As a psychiatrist-in-training, Oriuwa is equally candid about the role therapy plays in her own wellbeing.

“I have a wonderful therapist. If people can access therapy - through insurance, affordability, or other means - it can be life-changing, even life-saving.”

But she acknowledges the stigma that still surrounds mental health in many communities, including her own West African heritage. Therapy, she says, is too often equated with weakness or instability, when in fact it can be a lifeline.

Her willingness to be open about seeking support is part of her broader mission: breaking the silence that keeps people suffering in isolation. For event professionals, who often operate behind the scenes in high-stress environments, this message is particularly timely.

Why wellbeing matters for events

Oriuwa is clear that her keynote is not just about medicine, it’s about human systems everywhere.

“Events are an opportunity to demonstrate what a culture of care looks like. If you design spaces where people feel seen, supported and energised, those lessons can ripple far beyond the conference walls.”

That might mean building in quiet spaces for reflection, making schedules more humane, diversifying speaker line-ups, or simply acknowledging that people need rest as much as stimulation. For Oriuwa, wellbeing is not a luxury or a “nice-to-have.” It’s fundamental to how communities thrive.

Diversity, representation, and belonging

Another major theme of her advocacy is representation. As someone who has broken barriers in medicine, she knows first-hand the power of visibility and inclusion.

“Representation changes the conversation. It brings in new ideas, new ways of seeing the world, and ultimately creates richer experiences for everyone.”

For event planners, this means curating programmes that reflect a diversity of voices and designing experiences that allow all delegates to feel welcome and valued.

Looking ahead

The months ahead are as demanding as ever for Oriuwa: completing residency, delivering keynotes around the world, continuing her advocacy, and welcoming a new baby in January. Yet through it all, her focus remains clear: redefining resilience not as doing it all, but as doing what matters most, with honesty and humanity.

Her keynote at IMEX America promises to be both a wake-up call and a source of encouragement, reminding planners that behind every packed agenda and polished event is a human being who deserves to be valued, protected, and well.

“Boundaries, therapy, community, these are not luxuries. They are necessities. And if we can normalise them, we can change the culture of entire professions.”

Dr Oriuwa's keynote, Workplace wellness that’s smart for business, takes place on Tuesday 7 October at 8:30am - 9:30am at IMEX America 2025