There comes a time when you may need to tell the people in your life about your burnout. Certain people like your HR department or your spouse will need to know in explicit detail in order to support your recovery to the best of their abilities. Others like co-workers or clients may not need to know as many details, but still need to know how it will impact them. In today’s #straightfromcait episode, Cait explains how to approach these conversations differently depending on whether you are speak...
Jun 19, 2022•29 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Dr. Kristen Donnelly, one of The Good Doctors of Abbey Research, is an international empathy educator. She has two decades of experience and an educational background in social work. Dr. Donnelly uses her PhD in social sciences to help people all over the world learn about empathy through her Ted Talks and hybrid, in-person, and virtual coaching. She shares her tips for how to use empathy to counter burnout after it helped her get through her own burnout in 2020. Tune into this episode to learn ...
Jun 12, 2022•50 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Do you feel like you’re not actually suited for the role you are trying to fill in your life? That role might not be the ideal one for you! In this week’s #straightfromsarah episode, FRIED Burnout Coach Sarah Vosen talks about ways to get to know yourself better and how to apply what you learn to help lead a more fulfilling and more burnout-proof life. When Sarah realized she wasn’t thriving in her chosen profession, she could not understand why at first. However, once she started taking some pe...
Jun 05, 2022•11 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Helena Lucia, founder and CEO of SISU Journey, is a speaker, podcast host and trauma-informed money coach. Her experiences growing up in an extreme fundamentalist religious cult led her down a path where she became passionate about helping others heal from childhood trauma through gaining a better relationship with money. She shares her tips for interrupting old patterns of behavior, healing from burnout, and rethinking how we view money. Tune into this episode to learn more. “Instead of having ...
May 29, 2022•52 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Many articles that talk about burnout make the mistake of devaluing self-care as a burnout prevention or recovery tool. But self care isn’t all just pedicures and massages, and it can be a huge factor in burnout recovery. When you take away self-care, it puts the entire focus on the systems in place that cause burnout, which may lead people to believe there is nothing they can do to influence their burnout recovery. In today’s #straightfromcait episode, Cait explains 8 factors affecting burnout ...
May 22, 2022•21 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Nneka Roberts, operations consultant at Sage Simple Solutions, has worked designing systems for 20 years. She now works with consulting clients teaching them how to implement systems to improve their businesses and lives. She shares her tips for using systems to help avoid burnout. Tune into this episode to learn more. “I think what ends up happening is that we get on the marketing, sales delivery rollercoaster, and we forget to build in support, which is a key component of your business,” expla...
May 15, 2022•53 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Do you struggle with trusting yourself? If you’re experiencing burnout it can be extremely difficult to trust yourself. You’ve been ignoring your body’s signals for a long time, not taking care of yourself properly, and you likely feel like a shell of yourself. To recover from burnout, you must rebuild that trust. In the first ever #straightfromsarah episode, FRIED burnout coach Sarah Vosen talks about how to begin the trust building process. Learning to listen to your body is essential to burno...
May 08, 2022•16 min•Season 5Ep. 6
“If you are no longer curious, the best of your life is behind you because the best of your life is being curious,” shares Dan Sykes, Founder of the Somatic Training Network and author of Somatic Fanatic. Dan’s burnout came as a result of a midlife crisis. He found relief in the somatic arts, the art of training the nervous system, and aims to share the importance of nervous system training with the world. Dan found himself experiencing a midlife crisis after his divorce, in part because he had ...
May 01, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Are you a healer that struggles with asking for help? When you’re used to wearing all the hats and doing everything yourself, it can be really difficult to realize when you need to reach out. In this week’s #straightfromcaitandsarah episode, Cait and FRIED Burnout coach Sarah Vosen talk about how to recognize hyper-independence and how to ask for what you need. Highly sensitive people have a strong pull toward helping others, but often neglect themselves. If you try to do everything yourself, yo...
Apr 24, 2022•53 min•Season 5Ep. 4
“I think that it all comes down to understanding your priorities and letting those shift and evolve,” explains Frenchie Ferenczi, Business Growth Strategist who works with entrepreneurs to maximize their income. When Frenchie first experienced burnout, she did not immediately recognize it for what it was. As she learned more and recovered, Frenchie changed her career path and began to teach her clients how to protect themselves from burnout. Frenchie worked in hospitality for her entire career a...
Apr 17, 2022•48 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Are you struggling with your workload as an entrepreneur? You could be headed toward burnout without even realizing it. Studies done on burnout often overlook entrepreneurs, but there are many ways the studies can still apply whether you work for a company or for yourself. The top job characteristics that can lead to burnout include workload, time pressure, role conflict, and role ambiguity. Without HR to go to for help, entrepreneurs must have these difficult conversations with themselves to de...
Apr 10, 2022•17 min•Season 5Ep. 2
“An open heart can hold everything,” shares Dr. Kristin Neff, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, self-compassion research pioneer, and author of bestselling novel Self-Compassion . Dr. Neff developed the Mindful Self-Compassion program along with her colleague, Chris Germer, which is now taught internationally. She turned to self-compassion to help her overcome burnout. Dr. Neff’s burnout came when she was being a caregiver for her autistic son when he was young. She explains that le...
Apr 03, 2022•51 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Are you constantly changing yourself to try and adjust to other people’s values? When you sacrifice your core values for other people, this will often lead to burnout. Recovering from burnout requires you to set limits for your life that will keep you safe and healthy. By pushing perfectionism just to make other people happy, you risk burning out. Focus on your own core beliefs and do what you need to do to support yourself instead of constantly focusing on others. You have intrinsic value and d...
Mar 20, 2022•10 min•Season 4Ep. 31
“My experience with burnout personally is that it can be much more of a spectrum. It’s not an on/off switch. It’s an unfolding relationship to our energy,” explains Lopa van der Mersch, Founder and CEO of Rasa, the adaptogenic coffee alternatives revolutionizing people’s relationship to their energy. Lopa’s burnout came during a tumultuous stretch of time where she experienced a series of traumatic events that caused intense dysregulation of her central nervous system. In 2015, Lopa left a cult,...
Mar 13, 2022•58 min•Season 4Ep. 30
“I had attached my entire self-worth basically to being successful in this job that I hated,” shares Sally Clarke, Burnout Coach and Author of Protect Your Spark: How to Prevent Burnout and Live Authentically . Sally worked for many years as a finance lawyer until burnout changed the trajectory of her career. She now works as a coach helping clients through their own burnouts. Sally’s burnout came when she was working 60 to 70 hour weeks as a finance lawyer for a prestigious global law firm. She...
Mar 06, 2022•51 min•Season 4Ep. 29
“Prioritize your sleep and life will be a lot, lot better,” emphasizes Riley Jarvis, Founder, and Owner of The Sleep Consultant. Riley created The Sleep Consultant after realizing how much of an impact sleep had on his burnout recovery process. Through his company, he helps CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other high achievers optimize their performance with individualized scientific lab testing. Riley’s burnout came when he was in the early stages of his career and began experiencing severe fatigue. Wh...
Feb 27, 2022•41 min•Season 4Ep. 28
“You can get to the top of a particular mountain and feel success-empty,” explains Shelley Paxton, speaker and author of Soulbattical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life . Shelley worked for many years as a marketing executive including a glamorous career as the Chief Marketing Officer of Harley-Davidson. However, while she may have looked extremely successful from the outside, inside she was experiencing full-fledged burnout. Five and a half years into her sexy motorcycle-ridin...
Feb 20, 2022•53 min•Season 4Ep. 27
Are you spiritually bypassing your own emotions? It’s one thing when other people force toxic positivity on us, but another thing entirely when we do it to ourselves. Trying to only focus on your own mindset and ignoring the external negative factors impacting you is a form of false positivity. Burnout requires more than just a change in mindset. Instead, you also need to be honest with yourself about what external factors need to change in order to reduce your stress. You can’t “gratitude” your...
Feb 13, 2022•11 min•Season 4Ep. 26
“Part of love and care is knowing when you need to bring in help. Even if you’re not providing the direct care, by getting appropriate care, adequate care, supervised care, you are providing care,” emphasizes Michelle Melendez, a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience. Michelle’s caregiving journey began 13 years ago when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At her private practice, she now specializes in supporting clients as they work through burnout and caregiv...
Feb 06, 2022•52 min•Season 4Ep. 25
Are you fed up with all of the positivity memes on your Instagram feed? Do your friends tell you that you would feel better if you just changed your outlook on life? If so, you are likely a victim of toxic positivity. While positivity may sound good in theory and in many cases can be helpful, to the burnt-out brain positivity is not likely to fix anything. Tune into this week’s #straightfromcait episode for a conversation about the damage positivity can have on an already burnt-out brain. Learn ...
Jan 30, 2022•13 min•Season 4Ep. 24
“That was a really, really low point for someone who should’ve known better. I was a hormone expert, and I completely destroyed my hormones,” shares Dr. Brooke Kalanick, licensed naturopathic doctor, author, and host of popular podcast, The Dr. Brooke Show. As someone who suffers from PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) herself, Brooke specializes in helping women identify the root cause of their hormone imbalances and get back to feeling better with targeted diet and lifestyle changes. On today’s ...
Jan 23, 2022•53 min•Season 4Ep. 23
“The most compassionate people are the most boundaried,” says Sarah Vosen, FRIED’s newest burnout coach. As an HSP and an empath, Sarah is deeply tuned into the emotional experiences of the people around her. We are thrilled to welcome her to the FRIED team, where she will be offering coaching sessions alongside Cait. On today’s episode, Sarah and Cait discuss Sarah’s personal burnout story as well as the new perspectives and approach she will bring to our burnout community. Cait has known Sarah...
Jan 16, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 22
“That fear of burning out again – of course it’s driving me because I don’t want other moms to feel this way,” says Dr. Jacqueline Kerr, Behavioral Scientist. “But the reality is, we are going to experience this, and it’s about how we grow.” Jacqueline realized she was burning out when she started routinely crying on both her way to work and on her way home. At her lowest point, she experienced suicidal ideation, panic attacks, high cortisol levels, and loss of purpose. However, while Jacqueline...
Jan 09, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Do you ever feel like there are so many things to get done that relaxing is downright impossible? Are your body and brain so busy that sitting still just doesn’t feel like rest? If you are feeling this way, you are far from alone. The art of resting and sitting with your emotions takes patience and practice; it is something I have been working on for years and have yet to perfect. The most important thing to realize is that rest looks different for everyone. Whether it is watching a lighthearted...
Dec 19, 2021•16 min•Season 4Ep. 20
“What does this have to do with what I came to the world to be?” This is the one-question reset that Dr. Sandra Lewis poses to herself each time she encounters an obstacle in her life. No matter what problem she might be facing, this question helps Sandra ground herself, return to her inner purpose, and make a conscious decision about whether the issue at hand aligns with her personal goals. A Clinical Psychologist and Personal Energy Strategist, Dr. Sandra has a unique ability to blend evidence...
Dec 12, 2021•59 min•Season 4Ep. 19
What strategies can I use to make my transition back to work during/after burnout recovery as smooth as possible? This question was recently posed in our FRIED Facebook Group, and the conversation that ensued was incredibly powerful. I decided to follow up on our discussion with a #straightfromcait episode that addresses some of the most helpful suggestions. While this list is certainly not exhaustive, here are seven tips for returning to work during/after your burnout recovery: • Watch out for ...
Dec 05, 2021•13 min•Season 4Ep. 18
“My life looked great, my Instagram looked great, my CV looked great, but behind the scenes of that, I was burning out in a big way,” says Maggie Supernova, Burnout Prevention and Recovery Coach. In a former life, Maggie worked for 12 years as a marketing executive in the live entertainment industry, a career that took her from the West End of London to Broadway and beyond. While teenage Maggie would have been thrilled by this career path, which had been a lifelong dream, grownup Maggie did not ...
Nov 28, 2021•57 min•Season 4Ep. 17
If your car were a person (and let’s be honest, don’t most of us name our cars?), would it feel guilty for using up a tank of gas and needing more? The logical answer is no: our cars are designed to use fuel! And while we humans are much more complex than machines, our energetic systems function in much the same way. Just as we are designed to be on the move, we are also designed to rest. In today’s #straightfromcait episode, I dive deep into the logic behind rest: why we need it and why it is c...
Nov 21, 2021•13 min•Season 4Ep. 16
“I lost my vision working for a company that provides vision,” says Erika Ferszt, Founder of Moodally and former Media & Digital Director at Ray-Ban. During her ten years at Ray Ban, Erica loved her job, loved the people she was working with and for, and loved her life...or so she thought. Then, one morning Erika woke up with no vision in her right eye, and the immense stress of her work life began to catch up with her. While Erika thought she was “happy,” her body was telling her otherwise....
Nov 14, 2021•56 min•Season 4Ep. 15
Many people do not fully understand the gravity of burnout and the devastating effects that it can have in both the long and short term. In an effort to illuminate the head to toe list of severe health issues that burnout can cause, I recently asked members of my Facebook and Instagram communities to share their biggest and most shocking burnout symptoms. On today’s #straightfromcait episode, I read a list of these responses, which powerfully speak to the severity of burnout rock bottom. Some of...
Nov 07, 2021•13 min•Season 4Ep. 14
