CBC news anchor shares why she left job in BC’s biggest market

A Canadian reporter and TV host took to Twitter Tuesday to share why she left her job at CBC Vancouver after working there for nearly two years.

Isabelle Raghem said she’s taking a break from her career in journalism because she was suffering from burnout while working at the national public broadcaster.

She says burnout isn’t a CBC-specific problem, and has nothing but good words for her colleagues and the importance of local journalism. But she needed to step back, and her announcement has sparked an outpouring of support from former colleagues and viewers  praising her for prioritizing her health.

For more than a year, Raghem said she suffered from low energy and little to no creativity.

“Haven’t been able to read a book for months, felt the creative juices completely dried up,” she said on Twitter. “Constantly low energy. Never feeling rested. Feeling like a worker robot just checking off a list of to-dos.”

Guess I’ll take this opportunity to share I’ve decided to leave @cbcnewsbc. SO grateful for my time but I need to focus on my well being. For ~1yr+: little-no creativity, low energy, rarely rested. SO concerned I’ve been going to Drs for tests… turns out it was burnout 😩🤭💁🏽‍♀️ https://t.co/GZ9aTc8MKU

— Isabelle Raghem (@IsabelleRaghem) October 26, 2022

The symptoms concerned her so much that she sought medical attention, only to discover it was burnout.

“Funny/not funny because I was confused for so long — what was happening to me?”

Despite the challenges she was dealing with, Raghem was clear she enjoyed working with her colleagues at the broadcaster — and thanked them for supporting her during her time there.

“So honoured to have worked with them and forever amazed by their work. They’re incredible,” she said.

Raghem was inspired to share more details about her departure when former colleague Andrea Ross revealed she’s been feeling more creative since leaving journalism.

I miss the chaos, for sure! But my attention span is better — I can read a book for hours again. Little crafty things are suddenly interesting to me. Random ideas and pitches spring up organically and feel exciting! Anyway it’s cool to discover who you are outside of your job

— Andrea Ross (@_rossandrea) October 26, 2022

Ross was a reporter, editor, and senior producer at CBC before she left for a communications role with the BC Securities Commission earlier this year.

“I haven’t really talked about life since leaving journalism on here but the biggest thing I’ve noticed is how I’ve weirdly become more creative,” Ross said. “I feel like I emerged from years of heavy workload survival mode and another part of my brain woke up.”

Ross also said she missed the chaos of a broadcast newsroom and said she wouldn’t rule out going back to journalism in the future.

Colleagues and viewers came out in droves to wish Raghem the best with her next steps career-wise. Some former journalists also chimed in to say leaving the industry did wonders for their mental health, while others shared their own struggles with stress-related symptoms on the job.

Happy for you and wishing you the best Isabelle! Everyone’s experience is different, but leaving journalism was probably the best thing I ever did for my mental health. Cheers to putting yourself at the top of the priority list 💕

— Bailey Nicholson 🐌 (@bcjnicholson) October 26, 2022

I’ll miss running into you out on the field, Isabelle. Happy to hear you’re doing what’s best for you.
And know you’re not alone: I had weird headaches & almost fainted (twice) on-air when I was anchoring mornings. MRIs, CT scans and specialist visits to conclude it was burnout.

— Jordan Armstrong (@jarmstrongbc) October 26, 2022

Raghem came to CBC from CityNews Vancouver in Fall 2020 and before that worked at CHEK News, according to her LinkedIn profile. She’s currently travelling in Bali, according to her latest tweets.