Wired for Wellbeing Clare Downham : Bouncing back from Burnout
Aug 18, 2025
Clare Downham, a transformational coach, speaker, and author, shares her journey from burnout to breakthrough, revealing the toll high achievement takes on mental health. She discusses the importance of redefining ambition and prioritizing self-care. Clare emphasizes embracing emotions as sources of wisdom, promoting a holistic approach to well-being. Her insights encourage vulnerability and authenticity, illustrating how acknowledging shared struggles fosters deeper connections and clarity in life. It's a conversation about finding freedom from self-doubt without complex strategies.
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Collapse That Sparked A New Path
- Clare Downham walked out of work on 31 March 2015 and never returned, later discovering she had burned out rather than just depression.
- She spent a year physically unable to function and eventually resigned, which began her long healing and career change.
High Achievement Without Pause
- Clare describes a high-achieving lifestyle: full-on work, intense social life, single parenting and constant activity that ignored bodily warning signs.
- Her body eventually shut down with adrenal burnout after chronic overdrive and repeated illness.
Understanding Changes The Relationship With Self
- The Three Principles shifted Clare from constantly trying to fix herself to noticing thought and stepping back from self-judgment.
- She now experiences ambition more playfully and can recognise when to rest and look after herself.