THE BIG BURNOUT EPISODE: ADHD burnout and the cost of pushing through

In this episode of LATE BLOOMERS, Rox talks openly about going into burnout for the second time — and how this one crept up after things were finally going well. After launching the podcast, releasing her debut album, touring, writing a children’s book, running ADHD Love, and stacking her diary with self-imposed deadlines, she explains how momentum turned into pressure and rest slowly disappeared.

Rox and Rich unpack the warning signs she ignored along the way: telling herself she was “just tired,” flooding the bathroom twice by leaving the tap on, and pushing through weeks with no gaps at all. When they finally stopped and went on holiday, the burnout fully hit. Rox describes crying every day, feeling overwhelming shame, and experiencing burnout as a deadening of the spirit — where the world no longer looks blue, just grey.

Things intensify when Rox has to go on tour alone, terrified she won’t be able to do her job. She shares how she survived by switching into performance mode, crashing afterwards, and slowly realising that burnout didn’t come from failure — it came from pushing too hard for too long. This episode is an honest look at ADHD burnout, self-imposed pressure, and the real cost of always pushing through.