FRIED. The Burnout Podcast

Merel Kriegsman is the CEO and founder of her own company which helps women achieve their full wealth potential by marketing their most valuable gifts. She has helped countless women become successful entrepreneurs by assisting them with selling premium offers and programs. Merel began her career as an opera singer and then started her own business as a conversion copywriter which quickly grew into a business mentorship program. As she fought to maintain her expanding career, raise her children, be the main earner for her family, and confront blindspots in her worldview, Merel began to succumb to burnout. She shares how she got herself through burnout, adopted an abundance mindset, and learned how to listen for signs from her nervous system. Tune into this episode to learn more.  “It became sort of like this perfect storm of postpartum, mental health fragility, plus sort of questioning everything about myself and my business and it just created this perfect storm where I stopped sleeping,” shares Merel Kriegsman when asked about her burnout experience. Merel realized that when her mental health slipped, her boundaries did as well, because she no longer had the energy to maintain them. She found her way out by learning to listen to signals in her body that were trying to tell her when someone or some situation was making her uncomfortable. At first it can be difficult to walk away from clients who are violating boundaries, because of the fear that there won’t be new clients to replace them. To counter this, Merel chose to take on an abundance mindset, realizing that as an entrepreneur she would get to actually create those opportunities for herself. She found moments of healing in taking some time to herself to rest, read erotica, and reset her boundaries.  Tune into today’s episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast for a conversation with Merel Kriegsman about boundaries, mental health, erotic fiction, and recognizing our most valuable work for what it is. Learn how to adopt an abundance mindset, to discover your zone of genius, and to give yourself permission to be a little bit less of a perfectionist.  Quotes · “It became sort of like this perfect storm of postpartum, mental health fragility, plus sort of questioning everything about myself and my business and it just created this perfect storm where I stopped sleeping.” (6:47-7:06 | Merel) · “I honestly feel I go through the seven year cycles where I just need to go into my shell and mass consume what probably would be described by most people as fresh and smut, and then I come out. And I mean, in the last seven year cycle, I put three children on this earth and I built a multimillion dollar business from scratch, and changed literally 1000s of lives and moved to a different continent. (20:34-21:11 Merel)  · “Last time I went through this, I also thought about what was wrong with me and if I were to ever come out of this, and I did. And then it's almost like I have so much fuel to just go.” (22:51-23:03 | Merel) · “Whenever I don't know something, I just study the shit out of it.” (25:48-25:51 Merel) · “We tend to undervalue what is actually our most valuable work. And those tend to be huge blind spots for us. So we often build offers around the things that are maybe in our zone of excellence, but not in our zone of genius, because we're not even seeing what's in that zone of genius, because we take it for granted.” (36:03-36:27 | Merel) Links Connect with Merel Kriegsman: www.merelkriegsman.com https://www.instagram.com/merelkriegsman/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/merelkriegsman/ https://merelkriegsman.com/how-to-raise-your-rates XOXO, C If you know that it’s time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you’ve been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com/quiz Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you been trying to live a linear lifestyle in a cyclical world? The truth is, Western society tends to look at life through a linear lens with a big focus on getting from point A to point B. In reality, life is cyclical and when we live out of sync with those cycles, we can be more susceptible to burnout. In this week’s #straightfromsarah episode, FRIED Burnout Coach Sarah Vosen talks about how we can honor the natural cycles in our world by acknowledging them and aligning our lifestyles to better match up.  We know that our world runs on cycles, so why do we act like life is linear? Our planet cycles, our seasons cycle, our moon cycles, and even our hormones cycle. The hustle culture of constantly grinding through life is in direct opposition to living within nature’s cycles. If we are always forced to rise before the sun, stay up too late, and eat heavy foods because it is all that we have access to in the fifteen minutes we are allowed for lunch, it will be very hard to honor the natural cycles of the day and the seasons. When we are aligned with the cycles going on around us and within our bodies, we can be better in tune with our needs and better equipped to combat burnout.  Tune into this week’s #straightfromsarah episode to learn more about cycles and how to live your life in a way that honors nature and wards off burnout.  Quotes · “When we think about life being point A to point Z we miss out on the wisdom we gain when we have awareness of what we learned through repetition.” (1:24-1:32 | Sarah) · “Our circadian rhythm guides many processes in our body and is therefore a key player in determining our overall health. This is why you hear lots about the importance of morning routines and sleep hygiene. It's because it optimizes circadian rhythm.” (3:10-3:24 | Sarah) · “When we understand this correlation of seasons to phases, and the similarities we experienced hormonally during each, we can use our knowledge of the season to guide us throughout our cycle. This takes that complicated chart with the lines going in all directions that we were shown in puberty that was supposed to describe what was happening for us inside and makes menstruation a much more user friendly experience.” (8:05-8:28 | Sarah) · “When we embrace where we are in our cycles and utilize what our hormones are doing inside of us, we can surrender into ease with the process. This is much more desirable than fighting with ourselves and being frustrated with the pressure to be something we are currently not.” (8:43-8:58 | Sarah) · “Burnout culture demands we be consistent, reliable, productive, happy, successful, thin and toned, faster and better forever and ever.” (15:15-15:23 | Sarah) · “We are not linear. We cycle, life cycles, our day cycles, our moon cycles, our seasons cycle year after year. And it's not just women that cycle. It's now known that men also have hormonal cycles…We do not experience the same inner or outer environment moment after moment. So how can we expect to act, feel, or have the same needs in each moment?” (16:14-16:49 | Sarah) Links  Fried Masterclass July 2022: https://www.caitdonovan.com/offers/wBzaoPr7 COUPON CODE: CYCLES XOXO, C If you know that it’s time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you’ve been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com/quiz Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa Zamy, The Business Defibrillator, is a keynote speaker, business expert, and bestselling author with her own consulting company. Her burnout occurred when she was working in a corporate job for a toxic, narcissistic boss while also trying to support and grow her new business on the side. She tried for months to make things work with her boss all while the universe kept sending her signs that it was time to leave that environment. Vanessa shares her experience with toxic work environments, how she built her side hustle into her dream career, and her tips for being the core of your own life. Tune into this episode to learn more. “That is what kept me going was knowing that, okay, this environment is not the one. But there is hope in this other thing,” explains Vanessa Zamy. After ignoring signs from the universe repeatedly, Vanessa was dealing with severe pain, inflammation, and discoloration in her fingers that no doctor could explain. When her office closed due to the pandemic, her fingers returned to normal and she realized that it had been a physical manifestation of her burnout from working in a toxic environment. Then, Vanessa discovered the path of entrepreneurship and began running her own business on the side. Even though Vanessa was dealing with stress at her job due to a toxic boss, she was able to get through the day because her side hustle was providing her with so much hope for the future. As soon as she learned to treat her 9 to 5 as her side job and her side job as her career, things started to turn around.  Tune into today’s episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast for a conversation with Vanessa Zamy about handling toxic work environments, starting a side hustle, and centering yourself in your own life. Learn how to listen for signs from the universe and how to put yourself first so that your business can thrive.  Quotes  ∙ “You have these signs, right? The signs that your body is approaching burnout. So then the universe sends you a bigger sign and it’s like wake up and you are like ehh and then they have a bigger sign until eventually, some people, they just end up in the hospital. And that's their wake up call.” (10:02-10:20 | Vanessa)  ∙ “Before I even went to the HR office, I had tried for nine months to do different things.” (19:10-19:15 | Vanessa)  ∙ “I was pretty much the only person on the team who was sharing my grievances with other people. People on the team kind of was doing what you just said where they had the issue, but they were like, I'm just gonna complain about it and just live with it and deal with it and not really trying to fix it’.” (23:36-23:49 | Vanessa)  ∙ “There’s always that beginning stage where you still have that employee mindset, you still have that I work for someone else mindset. But at some point, your business becomes your main priority. And your day job is now treated like your side business.” (25:53-26:06 | Vanessa)  ∙ “If it doesn't work, it just doesn't work.” (28:36-28:37 | Vanessa)  ∙ “That is what kept me going was knowing that, okay, this environment is not the one. But there is hope in this other thing.” (35:55-36:03 | Vanessa)  ∙ “You are the core of your business. And so as the core of your business and the core of your life, as entrepreneurs and business owners, it is important that you take care of you because otherwise, if you don't show up, no one else is going to show up either.” (43:59-44:08 | Vanessa) Links https://yourvisionscatalyst.com/ http://power.vzamy.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/zamyvanessa/ https://www.instagram.com/zamyvanessa/?hl=en https://yourbusinessrevival.com/checklist https://yourbusinessrevival.com/ XOXO, C If you know that it’s time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you’ve been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com/quiz Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 speaking at work, at home, or with friends.  The first step you need to take before initiating any conversations about your burnout is to make some decisions and collect data points. When speaking with clients, you should first figure out your answers to certain key questions they are sure to have such as whether you will be shifting a deadline, if you are stopping a project, and if you’re planning to refer them out. If you work for a company, you will need to talk to your HR department and should have a script in mind that clearly explains the symptoms burnout is causing you and what you need from your employer in terms of recovery. When speaking with your partner or spouse, it is important to be as honest as possible to help them understand how burnout is impacting you and how things might need to change at home. Making a plan and collecting data will help you to have clear, factual conversations with the people in your life about your burnout and their reactions to your requests will provide you with additional data about your environment.  Tune into this week’s #straightfromcait episode for a conversation about how to tell other people about your burnout. Learn what to say in specific situations at work, at home, and with friends so that you can get the support you need for recovery.  Quotes • “Before you have any conversations, you need to collect your data points and you need to make some decisions. This has to happen first.” (2:33-2:43 | Cait) • “If you know you're burnt out and you definitely need some time away, you might go to your HR professional and say, ‘Listen, I feel like I'm experiencing burnout. These are some of my symptoms. I'm unable to be as productive as I used to be at work, I'm completely disengaged. What I think I might need is XYZ. But I am not sure what the company offers as far as burnout recovery support. So I am here to find out what the possibilities are, and how we can set this up so that the company stays solid and gets everything it needs and I still get the time that I need to recover’.” (7:11-7:46 | Cait) • “Giving people the opportunity to also use their voice because you've used yours, I think is really important.” (11:03-11:10 | Cait) • “If you don't know what you need, it might be time to get a coach.” (13:54-13:58 | Cait) • “Your burnout is going to be difficult for your partner. It’s going to be difficult for them to understand, it's going to be difficult for them to deal with. And they are likely to get irritated now and again that they are pulling extra weight. And I need you as much as you're granting grace for yourself in the recovery process, I need you to also grant grace to your partner and your family members who will need to adjust things for you.” (15:14-15:40 | Cait) • “Just because you prep doesn't mean it will go well. But prepping will help you to feel solid and more neutral within the conversations. Because you're speaking about facts, and not necessarily about emotions.” (26:09-26:22 | Cait) Links  https://facebook.com/groups/friedtheburnoutpodcast https://caitdonovan.com/resentment-journal https://caitdonovan.as.me/sarah https://caitdonovan.as.me/free XOXO, C If you know that it’s time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you’ve been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com/quiz Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 more. “What we have come to define empathy as is intentional understanding of yourself and others,” explains Dr. Kristen Donnelly. Dr. Donnelly reports experiencing several burnouts throughout her life, but says that her worst was in 2020 when the lockdowns started happening. Empathy played a large role in getting her through burnout, because it allowed her to change her perspective. By de-centering herself from the experience, Dr. Donnelly realized that everyone was human and was doing their best. She shares that empathy requires intentionality and curiosity. She was able to understand that while she could not control what was happening in the world, she could control her own reactions and use her privilege to help make things better for others.  Tune into today’s episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast for a conversation with Dr. Kristen Donnelly about what empathy actually means and how to work at it until it becomes a natural reflex. Learn how to shift your perspective and appreciate the things that are within your control and how empathy for yourself and others can help you to heal from burnout.  Quotes • “All of us want to be heard and understood. So how can I heal from this exhaustion of not being understood? I can seek to understand others.” (11:00-11:11 | Kristen) • “What can I control? What can I handle because there's people on this planet right now, who can control almost nothing in their lives? So in honoring them right now, I have control and power. How can I leverage my control and power over my own life in respect to the fact that they have none? So part of de-centering yourself is understanding your place in global humanity, which I think then lets you really understand that on most days, you're doing okay.” (14:04-14:32 | Kristen) • “For me, the best way to feel heard and understood was to seek to hear and understand others. (12:10-12:19 | Kristen) • “What I know deeply is that If we decenter ourselves from our life experience, perspective becomes easier to obtain.” (12:48-13:03 | Kristen) • “If you can choose to see comparison as a fact rather than an emotion, things get a little bit easier to navigate.” (19:17-19:25 | Kristen) • “It is important for me to understand that I do not have it as bad as other people in some ways. I also have to understand that does not invalidate what I am going through. Multiple things can be true at once.” (25:32-25:50 | Kristen) • “What we have come to define empathy as is intentional understanding of yourself and others. It's making less assumptions and asking more questions.” (36:01-36:16 | Kristen) Links http://www.argooddoctors.com     http://www.instagram.com/abbeyresearch        http://www.linkedin.com/in/kristendonnellyphd        http://bit.ly/ARDigest https://www.abbey-research.com/words-we-dont-say-anymore-online-training/ XOXO, C If you know that it’s time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you’ve been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com/quiz Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Vosen, FRIED Burnout Coach, discusses the importance of knowing and accepting yourself to accelerate burnout recovery. She shares how personality quizzes helped her realize her career mismatch and advocates for aligning lifestyle choices with personality type for a more fulfilling life.

Helena Lucia, trauma-informed money coach, shares insights on interrupting old patterns, healing burnout, and redefining money relationships post-cult experience. Discusses the importance of meeting basic needs, escaping a cult, breaking unconscious patterns for positive change, navigating money, burnout, and sexuality, and exploring the Finnish concept of Sisu and its relation to money.

This podcast discusses how self-care is essential for burnout recovery and explains the 8 factors within our control that can help in healing. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing internal and external factors contributing to burnout and taking steps to address them, including setting boundaries and meeting basic bodily needs.

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,” explains Nneka Roberts, operations consultant at Sage Simple Solutions. Nneka’s burnout came a few years into starting her life coaching practice. She loved her career, her clients and the freedom she had, but she did not enjoy the business aspect of running the practice.  Nneka waited too long to build systems into her business and ended up burning out. She learned afterward that systems are not only necessary, but they are a form of self care. Not having support systems in place caused Nneka to get stuck doing the parts of her job that weren’t helping her grow as a coach. These tasks sucked up not only her time, but also a lot of the joy she had for her career. By investing in systems you can avoid burnout and help yourself and your business thrive for years to come.  Tune into today’s episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast for a conversation with Nneka Roberts about the importance of implementing systems regardless of if you are a solopreneur or are in charge of a team. Learn how to get started recording your daily processes to create your own systems and how to utilize tools as part of your systems.  Quotes • “The first few years it was like a dream come true. I had the freedom that I wanted to have. I was doing great work. I loved my clients. I was very passionate. But what started happening and I think every entrepreneur kind of goes through this, while I love the act of coaching like I enjoy coaching a lot. I did not enjoy the business thing of coaching, like finding clients and having sales goals and that sort of stuff.” (3:52-4:25)  • “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.” (9:10-9:23)  • “Yes, the time is one thing, the hours, minutes or seconds, you get that back for sure. But it's the mental space that it's taking up in your brain that's chomping at your capacity to create as a coach or as a creative. It's like you are focused on these little things that really don't matter. It doesn't help your creative mind. It is taking away from your creativity, as opposed to nourishing it and building it and multiplying it.” (12:10-12:39) • “Systems are those lived rituals that you've had for doing things in your business. But they are in a form that can be shared with a team, or implemented in a tool.” (16:26-16:39) • “Your work is needed. That's what I want to share with people, your work is needed. Your work is needed for your people today, it's even needed for you for today. It's needed for your people today. And it's gonna be needed in generations to come. So you want to build your business so that it's available for generations to come.” (40:57-41:18) • “I would say that systems are self care. They are the fourth prong in your business, they call it they help you help to support you. And make the time, take the time to invest in them.” (50:18-50:33) Links https://sagesimplesolutions.com/     https://www.instagram.com/sagesimplesolutions/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nnekakelly/ bit.ly/ssswhotohire XOXO, C If you know that it’s time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you’ve been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait Check out the FRIED Burnout quiz: https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com/quiz Register for the May 2022 FRIED Masterclass: https://www.caitdonovan.com/offers/fSKNzXzh Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FRIED burnout coach Sarah Vosen discusses rebuilding trust with yourself during burnout recovery. Learn how to listen to your body's signals, prioritize self-care, and start the process of rebuilding self-trust. Understand the importance of tuning in to what your body needs and responding accordingly to aid in burnout recovery.