FRIED. The Burnout Podcast

Explore the intriguing concept of stress resilience, which goes beyond mindset to include biology and personal history. Discover how your genetic wiring and early experiences shape how you manage stress. Learn about the vital distinction between merely reacting to stress and cultivating true resilience. Cait emphasizes the power of leveraging your natural strengths and consistently seeking support without guilt. It's about aligning your life with your values to better support your nervous system and thrive amid challenges.

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Burnout doesn’t always look like falling apart. Sometimes it looks like holding everything together, until your body makes it clear you can’t keep going this way.Cait Donovan is joined by her longtime friend Sarah Swanberg, a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine and co-founder of Indigo Wellness Group. They talk about what burnout really feels like for women moving through major life phases such as fertility, postpartum, perimenopause, and why so many of us miss the signs until we’re deep in it.Sarah shares how she left a high-pressure career in visual effects and followed a quiet sense of curiosity into acupuncture, eventually building a multi-practitioner wellness practice that supports both patients and providers. What does it take to build something sustainable? How do you know when it’s time to change course, and how do you do it without losing yourself?This episode digs into the deeper patterns behind burnout, from the pressure to “do it all” to the fear of asking for help. Cait and Sarah offer a grounded, honest look at what it really means to care for yourself, your work, and your future.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Introduction 02:00 Sarah’s Career Shift from Visual Effects to Acupuncture08:00 Spotting Burnout and Rethinking Success10:00 Letting Go of the Sunk Cost Fallacy14:00 Burnout, Perimenopause, and the Role of Yin20:00 Restorative Practices and Sustainable Living24:00 Building a Collaborative Wellness Practice34:00 Overcoming Fear and Asking for Help40:00 Resourcing Yourself for a Resilient LifeLinksConnect with Sarah Swanberg:https://sarahswanberg.com https://instagram.com/sarah.theacudoc https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahwswanberg/ https://sarahswanberg.com/free-downloadConnect with Cait:Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcaitInitial Call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahvBurnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Explore the fear of never wanting to work again and the tug of war between freedom and responsibility. Discover how breaking free from self-imposed rules can lead to genuine joy and healing. Embrace your inner rebel to prioritize what truly feels good in life. Learn the value of accepting support from others when recovering from burnout, and see how it can transform your journey. This conversation will inspire you to rethink your relationship with work and happiness.

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Burnout recovery doesn’t always come with the luxury of stepping away from your job, and Cait Donovan knows that firsthand. In this episode, she speaks directly to those who feel stuck in burnout but still have to show up for work every day.Cait offers a starting point: pick one small shift and commit to it for a few weeks. Just one. She lays out two clear paths, depending on how you're feeling right now.If you’re angry, the Resentment Journal mini course is your first step. Resentment shows up when you're pouring energy into something that gives little or nothing back. Identifying those moments and adjusting them where you can help you reclaim the energy you need to move forward.If you’re not angry but just numb or depleted, Cait recommends rebuilding the basics of self-care. That means responding to your body’s most essential needs: rest, hydration, nourishment, movement. Even something as simple as peeing when you need to (yes, really) can rebuild your ability to listen to your body and regulate emotions.Once you’ve started to clear some space, Cait suggests exploring proprioceptive writing to access deeper emotional clarity. Because while burnout follows patterns, your story is your own and so is your recovery.Wherever you begin, the message is clear: start small, stay kind to yourself, and don’t wait for the perfect moment to begin healing.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Introduction01:09 How to Recover from Burnout Without Quitting Your Job01:33 Step 1: Start with the Resentment Journal03:55 Step 2: Foundational Self-Care That Actually Works07:05 Rebuilding Awareness Through Small Body Signals08:30 Step 3: Try Proprioceptive Writing10:06 Two Tools for Burnout Recovery That Work in Any CircumstanceLinkshttps://caitdonovan.com/resentment-journalhttps://www.caitdonovan.com/blog/why-you-need-proprioceptive-writing-even-if-you-ve-never-heard-of-ithttps://pod.link/1469939920/episode/ce0aa3d0c445b69d1c6ad6f3a31d2251Connect with Cait:Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcaitInitial Call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahvBurnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Anger is a message from your body that, if ignored, can quietly fuel burnout.This week, Sarah Vosen digs into something most of us don’t talk about enough: why spring often brings a spike in anger, and how that ties directly to burnout. Could your short fuse or simmering resentment have more to do with your body than your circumstances? According to Chinese medicine, the liver and gallbladder take center stage this time of year. When they’re overwhelmed, emotional tension builds.Sarah breaks down what that means in real life, and more importantly, what to do about it. She offers five ways to process anger before it turns into something heavier. Some are physical. Some are emotional. All are meant to help you feel more grounded and less reactive.If you’ve been feeling off lately but can’t quite explain why, this episode might give you a new lens. What if your anger is trying to move through you? And what would happen if you let it?Episode Breakdown00:00 Introduction00:55 Why Spring Triggers Anger01:27 How Chinese Medicine Explains Emotional Shifts03:24 Five Ways to Process Anger04:06 Move Your Body06:16 Express and Release Emotion08:03 Ground Yourself10:01 Connect with Nature15:00 Support Your Liver with Lemon Water and SleepLinksConnect with Cait:Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcaitInitial Call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahvBurnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Returning to work after burnout can feel overwhelming, but understanding the environment is crucial. Cait Donovan explores whether a workplace is toxic or simply a bad fit. She shares a valuable three-step process for self-assessment, emphasizing the importance of self-respect and intention. Discover how old habits can resurface and learn to navigate workplace challenges with self-compassion. This discussion focuses on prioritizing mental health and finding balance in career paths after recovery.

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Self-sabotage isn’t a personal flaw. It’s your nervous system doing its best to keep you safe.In this whole new episode of #FRIEDguides, Cait Donovan and Sarah Vosen take a closer look at why so many people feel like they’re getting in their own way during burnout recovery. What if those moments where you fall back into old habits aren’t failures, but signals that your body is overwhelmed and reaching for something familiar? What if the behavior you’re judging is actually trying to protect you?Cait and Sarah break down how our nervous systems react to change, why recovery often feels messy, and how shame can make everything harder. Instead of trying to push through with force, they talk about how to meet yourself with compassion, curiosity, and a little more patience.They also get personal. Cait shares her ongoing relationship with sugar and the deep-rooted comfort it represents. It’s a reminder that coping strategies aren’t always the problem. Sometimes they’re part of the process.If you’ve ever wondered why change feels so hard, or why you can’t seem to stick with “good” habits, this conversation will help you see things in a new light. Recovery is a dance. You’re allowed to take small steps, shift directions, and give yourself grace along the way.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Introduction03:04 Why Cait and Sarah Don’t Believe in Self-Sabotage05:00 The Nervous System’s Role in Familiar Behaviors07:04 Shame, Judgment, and the Myth of Failure09:27 Coping Mechanisms and What They’re Really Doing10:41 Burnout Recovery as a Non-Linear Process13:21 Listening to Your Body and Meeting Yourself with Compassion22:05 Redefining Progress and Practicing Gentleness Along the WayLinksConnect with Cait:Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcaitInitial Call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahvBurnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Kim Bolourtchi, a keynote speaker and executive consultant, dives into the concept of being strategically unruly to unlock personal potential. She shares her journey from a buttoned-up lawyer to a vibrant Latin dance champion, highlighting how many societal rules drain our energy. Kim emphasizes the importance of authenticity and recognizing resentment as a clue to our true desires. Listeners are inspired to challenge internalized beliefs and take small steps toward meaningful change and burnout recovery, fostering a life that truly resonates with them.

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Burnout recovery isn’t just about resting more. It’s about finding the energy to live fully, set boundaries that protect your peace, and show up in ways that actually matter.When the world feels chaotic, how do you stay committed to your healing? In this #FRIEDguides episode, Cait Donovan and Sarah Vosen dig into the challenges of burnout recovery when external stressors feel overwhelming. They talk about why carving out a space for yourself—one that isn’t flooded with nonstop news and social media noise—isn’t avoidance. It’s survival. Cait shares her own experiences with burnout and the turning point when she realized self-care wasn’t a luxury. It was a necessity.The duo also get into the power of community, why individual healing creates a ripple effect, and how recognizing your own limits can actually make you more effective. There’s a sharp distinction between honoring hard emotions and getting stuck in them, and Cait and Sarah break down how to move through them without getting consumed.If you’ve ever felt guilty for stepping back, this episode will change how you see it. Taking care of yourself isn’t checking out, but making sure you have the capacity to engage with the world in a way that’s sustainable, meaningful, and real.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Introduction03:00 Coping Strategies for Burnout05:01 Maintaining Balance and Center06:02 Focusing on Self-Care07:05 Community Support in Burnout Recovery10:20 Personal Activism and Self-Care14:15 Burnout Recovery as Activism17:08 Finding Calm in Immediate Environment20:00 Allowing Time for EmotionsLinkshttps://open.spotify.com/episode/0WGHqwQAVbZEY1qLC9XyZL?si=f5da7095baa444f2Connect with Cait:Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcaitInitial Call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahvBurnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Burnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]​​Your brain craves creativity, and the arts might be the secret weapon against burnout. Genein Letford joins Cait Donovan to break down how music, movement, and self-expression fuel emotional resilience, sharpen thinking, and restore energy. Why does chronic stress shrink key areas of the brain? How can creative outlets like music and movement reverse the damage? And what’s the deal with brain capital, and why should you care?From brain breaks to the magic of third places, Genein shares science-backed strategies to help your brain recover and thrive. Whether burnout has dulled your creativity or you’re looking for a fresh way to recharge, Genein and Cait’s discussion might just change how you think about art and your own well-being.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Introduction 03:22 The Power of Music on the Brain05:59 Brain Structures and Music07:22 Music’s Impact on Emotional Intelligence10:47 Burnout and Brain Health15:54 Self-Awareness and Personal Preferences17:21 Understanding Brain Capital21:21 Rebuilding Brain Health Post-Burnout25:03 Importance of Brain Breaks29:00 Third Places for Social Connection32:08 The 2-5-7 Strategy for Brain Health38:39 Enhancing Focus Through the Arts45:25 Social Connection and Neural SynchronizationLinksConnect with Cait:Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcaitInitial Call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahvBurnout Recovery works better with support. UNFRIED is our small group (5 people max!) coaching program to help guide you through your recovery. Apply now! [http://bit.ly/unfried]Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm