FRIED. The Burnout Podcast

If I’ve learned anything from my experience with burnout, both in my own life and in my clients’ lives, it’s that burnout can present itself in endless ways. While there must be three components present in order to identify burnout (physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism and detachment, and a feeling of purposelessness), there are several other symptoms that tend to show up frequently in burnout patients.   On this week’s #straightfromcait episode, we will explore the most commonly experienced physical burnout symptoms, according to 73 health questionnaire responses. Some of the symptoms, such as headaches, neck tension, digestive upset and sleep issues, may seem obvious. However, others, such as hives, PMS symptoms and frequent urination might come as a surprise for many listeners.   As always, I would love to hear from you, too! What were your predominant symptoms while you were burnt out? Or, if you are in the midst of working through your burnout, what symptoms are you currently dealing with? Comment on any post from this week with your thoughts! And remember: no matter what your symptoms, I believe you and am here to support you in your burnout journey.   P.S. Season 3 of the podcast is coming to a close, with the last episode airing on July 18! If you would like to influence what happens on FRIED. The Burnout Podcast in upcoming seasons, join our Facebook group (linked below), so you can share your suggestions. We can’t wait to have you!   Quotes • “In order to identify burnout, according to researcher Christina Maslach, there must be at least three components present. And those components are: physical and emotional exhaustion, that’s number one; number two is cynicism and detachment; and number three is feeling purposeless, unimpactful and unaccomplished.” (4:54-5:13) • “Seventy three percent of people experiencing burnout report having neck tension, and this might explain the high headache and migraine reports. If everyone’s necks are tense, it’s logical that headaches and migraines will arise. This also tells us where we should focus should we want to help the body decrease burnout symptoms, i.e. why things like acupuncture are so useful!” (7:06-7:26) • “If a menstruating person is experiencing burnout, there’s a 78% chance that they are going to be experiencing some disruption in their menstrual cycle, some PMS, and some difficulty around their cycle.” (11:55-12:10) • “The range of symptoms you can experience are from head to toe, from physical to emotional, and everything in between.” (13:33-13:40)   Links FRIED Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/friedtheburnoutpodcast   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   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erica Cuni’s burnout story begins with a Mack Dump Truck, which hit her as she was on her way to work as a licensed therapist. In the ensuing months, Erica not only had to learn how to walk again after almost losing her foot, but she also lost her job, ended a long-term toxic relationship, found herself in extreme debt, and ended up living with her parents again in her mid-thirties. But this is not where Erica’s story ended. Instead, she used this stress-inducing time in her life to reevaluate her priorities, get back into her body and kick start her journey towards mental, physical and spiritual health.   Now, Erica works as a full-time burnout recovery and prevention educator, a podcast host and a Reiki practitioner. She is living her #UndeniableTruth and has made a career out of helping others do the same. According to Erica, #UndeniableTruth is what she wished she had in her life when she was falling apart and didn’t have a roadmap to help her rediscover who she was or what she needed to thrive. Now, Erica uses wisdom from her own burnout experience to guide her clients as they heal from burnout, find their truth and learn to live with intention.   Tune into this week’s episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast to hear more about Erica’s journey from burnout victim to Burnout Professor. Learn about the things Erica wishes she was taught in grad school, the importance of working with a trauma-informed therapist if you are in the throes of burnout and why breathwork is absolutely essential for grounding yourself and navigating stress. Most importantly, learn how Erica refused to let her burnout get the best of her and instead capitalized on her burnout to positively reshape her future.   Quotes • “Anyone that experiences burnout knows that it’s not just related to work. It affects every piece of your life.” (4:37-4:44) • “I lost myself somewhere, and I didn’t know when I lost myself. I didn’t understand because I thought I was doing everything right….I had a Master’s degree, I was helping other people figure their stuff out, I was trained in all these different types of modalities on how to help people get there, but I was like, ‘I’m still missing something!’” (8:22-8:40) • “In order for us to get success out of talk therapy, our brains have to be in a calmer state, our bodies have to be in a calm state. And so when you do the body work first...and you get someone back into the body, back into the present moment, that opens up the brain so that they can start to self-reflect because talk therapy’s all about self-reflection.” (16:00-16:20) • “When you get burnt out, it’s about learning a new lifestyle afterwards….Find something that engages your body back into the present moment, and that sends signals up to your brain that, ‘Hey, I’m back here in this world!’....because ultimately we want to have people understand that it’s safe to take risks and enjoy life. It’s safe to enjoy your life. You don’t have to stay in this stressed state where you’re afraid to do anything.” (27:16-27:55) • “If for whatever reason you don’t believe in meditation, I do believe you believe in sitting still and being in the moment and learning how to do that because you know that you feel better and calmer.” (34:50-35:00) • “Knowing my breath is what helped me get in tune with my body, so that I could listen to it so that I could make decisions that were aligned with me versus my mind trying to dictate what I was supposed to be doing.” (38:18-38:33)   Links https://www.theburnoutprofessor.com https://www.instagram.com/theburnoutprofessor  https://www.linkedin.com/theburnoutprofessor  https://www.facebook.com/theburnoutprofessor https://www.theburnoutprofessor.com/burnout-quiz   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   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID has sucked, there’s no question about it. But at the same time, the pandemic has given us an unexpected excuse with which to better uphold our boundaries. Now that COVID regulations are loosening, this automatically acceptable justification is beginning to disappear. So, how do you uphold your boundaries even after social distancing and mask mandates are lifted?   The key is getting honest with yourself about your values. I recommend first completing my Living According to Your Core Values worksheet (which is free on my website and linked below!). This will help you identify the values that are most fundamental in your daily life. Then, I suggest creating action statements around each of these values. For example, if a value of yours is family, an action statement might be “Eat dinner together as a family 5 nights a week with no phones.”   Not only will this exercise allow you to better incorporate your values into your day-to-day life, but it will also allow you to uphold your boundaries in a clear, kind and concise way. When it comes to boundaries, it’s important to avoid white lies, passive aggression and wiggle room. By integrating your values into your life in a tangible way, you can honestly and efficiently express your boundaries to others.   Like anything, boundary building takes practice. If you need a little support along the way, I’ll be watching the hashtag #buildbetterboundaries all week to help clear up your boundary statements (if you’re brave enough to write some!) and make sure there are no thorns, no lies and no wiggle room!   This is one of the most important skills you need to recover from burnout and prevent it in the future. You’ve got this!   Quotes • “So, how do you keep the pieces of the pandemic that really worked for you and still have space for adding some community time, friendship time and extended family time to your calendar?...You start by getting really honest about your values.” (2:44-3:01) • “When you are able, with clarity, to define your values, your decision making process becomes easier and then the language you use to build boundaries becomes clearer and it becomes easier for you to say, easier for you to share and easier for other people to accept and just move on from.” (3:29-3:50) • “When boundaries are well-stated, they are clear, kind and concise...When boundaries are well-stated, they avoid lies, thorns and wiggle room.” (7:30-7:47) • “The more you practice...making sure your boundaries are clear, kind and concise, the easier it becomes because you realize that it actually improves all of your relationships. No one’s wondering if they’re putting you out because you’re not letting anybody put you out. You’re not worrying if somebody’s pushing you too far because you don’t let people push you too far. The boundaries that you create speaking this way will make all of your relationships better if you give it enough time.” (10:41-11:13)   Links https://caitdonovan.com/freebie-values   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   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On paper, Sumeena Gupta was leading what looked like the perfect life. She and her husband were running a resort on a breathtaking Balinese island, which to many people might seem like a dream job in a dream location. But, Sumeena wasn’t happy. Instead, she was stuck in a constant state of despair. And this feeling of hopelessness, stress and exhaustion was only compounded by the sense of shame she experienced when people told her how lucky she was. Even her husband failed to really hear and validate Sumeena’s burnout, leaving her feeling more alone than ever.   It wasn’t until Sumeena started putting a name to her burnout that things began to change. Sumeena explains that she began utilizing the many wellness modalities available to her in Bali, which allowed her to ground herself and regain the sense of freedom she had lost in the chaos of running her own business. Five years later, Sumeena’s business is ten times more successful. She has found peace and support in her relationship with her husband, has been able to travel around the world with her family and is running her business better than ever, all because she addressed and overcame her burnout.   Now, Sumeena is an Expert Business Mentor to Womxn and makes a point to discuss her deeply felt experience of burnout with her clients. She hopes that this will allow them to learn from her own mistakes, so they can set boundaries, identify their core values and avoid falling into the burnout cycle.   Tune into this week’s episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast for a conversation with Sumeena about recognizing, addressing and recovering from burnout. Learn about the importance of trusting your intuition and instincts, why it’s crucial to acknowledge rather than smooth over others’ discomfort, and why Balinese massages are the most magical massages out there.   Quotes • “Most of us, we don’t know we’re in burnout when we are…I was in that cycle 100% probably for three or four years, which is a long time now that I reflect back.” (4:42-5:00) • “I remember how often people would say to me, ‘Oh you’re living the dream….You’re so lucky. I wish that was me’....And my burnout was wrapped up in shame, actually, because I was like why do I feel so disconnected from the way that I should feel?” (5:42-6:02) • “I’m really embedded in my values….and I was completely out of alignment with my values because one of them is freedom. And so, being out of alignment with my values was contributing to my burnout. Now what happened was, when I was able to work through that and able to still integrate freedom, for example, into my life, my business actually thrived.” (14:45-15:13) • “Allowing things to go through you is one of the best ways to recover from burnout.” (22:18-22:22) • “It works out if you do step back and you allow yourself to do the healing because long term you are going to be so much better off.” (24:37-24:46) • “I’ve seen you talk about this a lot, how wellness professionals need their own wellness. And that’s exactly also what I believe about decision makers and leaders. We also need other people to help us make decisions sometimes and lead us sometimes because it’s exhausting to be the only person to be doing that all the time.” (39:49-40:08)   Links https://www.sumeenagupta.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sumeena_gupta/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumeenagupta/ https://www.facebook.com/sumeena.gupta/ Womxn who Business Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/WHB YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/YouTube_Sumeena   Know your values worksheet: https://www.caitdonovan.com/freebie-values   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   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So you’re feeling burnt out, but the typical advice isn’t working? You’ve tried gratitude journaling, yoga, meditation, connecting with nature, and just about every Instagram “self-care” tip in the book….but you’re still just as burnt out as you started   Unfortunately, there is often a conflation between burnout recovery and burnout prevention. While you can absolutely use these tips to prevent burnout, they’re honestly pretty useless when it comes to recovering from it. When your brain is already fried and your body is in a constant state of fight or flight, trying to rest in these ways will only cause additional stress. So how do you rest restoratively without aggravating the burnout cycle even further?   Here are three rules that I have found useful for both myself and my clients in recovering from burnout.   1. Make it small. At the start of your burnout recovery, any attempt to intentionally rest for over 5 minutes is too long and will likely engage your stress response. One tip that I give my clients is to choose a song that they love and makes them feel connected to themselves. This does NOT have to be a calming song!! Just turn on the song and breathe while you listen to it. That’s your work for the day.   2. Release the need to have gratitude and create space for anger and resentment. We often have a preconceived notion that resentment and anger are “bad.” This is not the case at all. Instead, these emotions are telling us something important about ourselves, our bodies and our boundaries. Rather than constantly quieting these emotions, try listening to them.   3. Your rules are more important than mine! If something doesn’t feel right for you, then don’t do it. Or make the modifications you need to make it feel good in your own body and mind. Just because Instagram tells you to try something does NOT mean it is a solution that will work for you.   If you are feeling alone in your burnout, I am here to support you. Schedule a free consultation today using the link below OR join our brand new FRIED Facebook group to join a community of people that really gets it. We’re ready for you...are you ready to heal   Quotes • “Burnout recovery and burnout prevention are not equal. They are not the same things.” (3:41-3:46) • “If you’ve never been burnt out, and you’re giving burnout healing advice, you’re probably doing it wrong. I understand that your intentions might be good, but until you’ve faced the absolute despair and inability to function that true burnout presents as, you simply don’t understand that adding a morning or evening routine to your day or setting up a new exercise plan, just isn’t going to f*cking happen.” (3:51-4:18) • “Burnout is not simply being stressed and tired. Burnout is exhaustion. Burnout is despair. Burnout is feeling like this is how life is always going to be and wanting to crash into a tree so that you get a ‘break’ in the hospital. Burnout can overlap with depression, but burnout is not depression. They are separate things.” (4:47-5:11) • “If we can start creating space to actually see and feel resentment, anger and irritation and transform it, we can start rebuilding the fences that we need around our energy to keep us safe, which actually helps us allow rest to be restorative. When our boundaries are strong and we feel safer, our amygdala starts to back down...because it doesn’t need to keep us safe when we’ve decided that we can do it. The more resentment we transform into boundaries, the easier restorative rest becomes.” (12:24-13:06)   Links FRIED Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/friedtheburnoutpodcast The Resentment Journal Mini Course: https://caitdonovan.com/resentment-journal   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   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When was the last time you were bored?” asks Jeff Harry, Founder of Rediscover Your Play, in our discussion about self-soothing. Nowadays, we are constantly surrounded by screens and stimulation, which can often serve as a mechanism of avoidance. By never turning away from our phones, shutting off Netflix or allowing ourselves to experience true boredom, we can hide from our emotions. But while this technique may feel temporarily comforting, it ultimately prevents us from confronting, overcoming and accepting ourselves in our most authentic form.   For a long time, Jeff himself was using a similar method of escapism to ignore his burnout. But after years of working on the campaign trail with long hours, unending urgency and little sense of purpose, Jeff finally decided to switch paths. Now, Jeff combines positive psychology and play to help individuals and companies tap into their true selves in order to feel their happiest and most fulfilled. His primary areas of focus include: dealing with toxicity in the workplace, addressing office politics, playing with your inner critic, helping your staff rediscover their flow, and navigating these uncertain times through play.   Tune into this week’s episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast for an in-depth and animated conversation about toxic positivity, faux authenticity and the difference between your rational and intuitive mind. Learn why Jeff has a name for his inner critic (it’s Gargamel, in case you were wondering) and why you don’t have to do it all to find healing, happiness and purpose. Sometimes, you just have to play.   Quotes • “Burnout, at its deepest level, is the sum total of hundreds and thousands of tiny betrayals of purpose.” (6:25-6:36) • “This is why I talk a lot about play: I feel like everyone’s already playing at work, meaning they’re showing up and being a certain character, right? ‘I’m a senior manager. I know what I’m talking about, blah, blah blah’...right? And it’s just like, it’s exhausting when you have to carry that. That’s why we’re burnt out because we’re being someone else.” (8:34-8:55) • “We have to understand what the inner critic is. It’s your rational mind; your inner critic lies in your prefrontal cortex and your rational mind is there to keep you alive. That’s it! It’s there to keep you alive! So why do we go to it and be like, ‘Hey, should I take this risk?’ Because, guess what? Your rational mind’s gonna be like, ‘No, you should binge watch Netflix and stay under your duvet for the rest of your life.’” (18:06-18:30) • “What positive psychology is is just simply studying what’s right with people and recognizing that other people matter….But it’s also about accepting all of the emotions that are happening and having you feel the whole emotion instead of denying that. Because when you’re denying it, you’re actually denying a part of how you should be living.” (26:37-27:02) • “People pleasing is actually not people pleasing; it’s people manipulating. You are trying to manipulate people to like you, so then you’re going out of your way to help somebody….[even though] they never asked for your help. You’re giving them all this stuff, and then finally when you ask them for help, they don’t help you. And you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, I can’t believe after everything I’ve done.’ It’s just like, they never asked.” (39:23-39:52)   Links https://www.rediscoveryourplay.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jeffharryplays/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-harry-6991a94/  https://medium.com/@jeffharryplays  http://bit.ly/RediscoverYourPlayBonus   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   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a coach, it can often be difficult to develop integrity around your abilities and limitations. Because coaching isn’t regulated, there can be some ambiguity surrounding what coaches are actually able to do and how they should advertise their offerings. Too often, I have heard stories about coaches who unintentionally triggered past traumas for a client, since they didn’t have the tools to address what was really going on.   In my coaching practice, even though I have a wealth of knowledge in the world of emotions and health, that doesn’t make me a therapist or a counselor. For example, I am not equipped to deal with deep-seated trauma, and I feel an obligation to relay that to my clients if they are in need of a licensed professional. Not to mention, there are plenty of therapists out there who are not trauma-informed and may not be able to support a client if they need to do extensive trauma work!   When you are a small business owner, it can be difficult to turn away clients, even those you may not be able to truly help. But by accepting clients you can’t fully support, you are doing a disservice to both them and the integrity of your coaching practice. The reality is that you will not be able to help everyone who crosses your path. So instead, cook the dish you have the ingredients for. Serve the people that you are designed for. Delight them with your work….and go home with your integrity intact.   Quotes • “Chinese Medicine, instead, simply notes that emotions can affect the body and the physical body can affect the emotions. It’s a two-way street. You can become depressed because you’re injured and unable to really engage with life. It happened to me.” (2:49-3:04) • “Just because [trauma and burnout] are closely linked, that does not make me a trauma-informed therapist.” (4:03-4:10) • “As coaches, as people that work in a coaching space, what can we do within our own businesses to ensure that we are keeping people safe and that we aren’t taking on clients that need different support than we offer?....We decided it boils down to integrity. Do you feel safe enough in your business to turn people away that are willing to hire you because you know that they need different care than what you offer?” (6:49-7:24) • “Coaches, therapists, guides….let’s normalize giving people the opportunity to work with exactly what they need. Let’s normalize centering the needs of the people that reach out for our help. Let’s normalize staying in our integrity and being honest about where our particular brand of genius is the most helpful. Let’s release the need to help everyone all the time and realize that we are not the only helpers. There are so many helpers out there, and each person deserves to find the humans that are perfect for their individual journeys.” (17:14-17:54)   Links https://socialiquegroupe.lpages.co/quality-organic-leads-on-demand/ https://www.caitdonovan.com/newsletter-office-hours Other Burnout Coaches I love: https://www.caitdonovan.com/blog/10-burnout-professionals Healing Generational Trauma: https://khadijahtishan.com/work-with-me/ Akashic Record Readings: https://www.akashicreadings.eu/ New Book by Martha Beck on Integrity: https://amzn.to/2PaGogc Peer Hopes: https://peerhopes.com/   NOTE: Trauma informed therapists will generally be licensed by state and it will be important for you to find someone that is local, even if you’re working online. This page on Psychology Today will help you: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/trauma-and-ptsd   Free Breakthrough Burnout Call with Cait   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I don’t have to live up to someone else’s expectations of how my brain should be wired,” explains Roxanne Jarrett, Coach for Entrepreneurs with ADHD. Although she realizes this now, Roxanne spent a great part of her life trying to compensate for her ADHD symptoms without ever having received a diagnosis. It wasn’t until more recently that Roxanne put a name to her lived experiences and started developing the supports she needs to avoid becoming burnt out.   Roxanne explains that adults with ADHD are four times more likely to suffer from depression than the general population for just this reason. Many are constantly trying to meet others’ expectations of what they “should” be, even though their neurology prevents them from neatly fitting into this prescribed box.   Roxanne now works as an artist and educator coaching creative entrepreneurs with ADHD. Her signature systems help to prevent burnout by giving motivated innovators the tools and techniques they need to launch their offerings with more joy and less stress. Roxanne says that nothing makes her happier than when her clients develop a “fuck-you” attitude and realize that they don’t have to behave like a neurotypical person in order to find fulfillment and feel joy.   Tune into this week’s episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast for a conversation with Roxanne and host Cait Donovan about ADHD and its connection to burnout. Learn why setting timers is an excellent strategy for individuals with ADHD (or anyone, honestly!), why your health is your real wealth, and why learning how to delegate is essential. As Roxanne explains, “Having more moments in your life that you enjoy, that thrill you – that’s your birthright.” This episode is the perfect introduction to several of the tools you need to get started on this path to fulfillment.   Quotes • “I finally filled the order….made thousands of dollars. So great problem to have, right? It’s not that my stuff wouldn’t sell. And very promptly had a breakdown and ended up in the psychiatric hospital.” (8:17-8:41) • “If success is gonna kill me, then maybe I don’t want it. But at the same time there was a big pining for things that I wanted to achieve. But then this thought that, well, maybe I just can’t hack it. Maybe I’m just not built to achieve the types of dreams that I have. My dreams are too big for me.” (12:17-12:37) • “Being aware of the movement of time and how to measure it and how to look into the future to plan – that is a typical difficulty for people with ADHD.” (21:50-22:03) • “If you are supremely interested in something, and you have ADHD, you can become so engrossed in it. There is no deficit of attention….But you might not realize how much time passed. That’s the issue.” (30:15-30:31) • “Children with ADHD, by the time their childhood is over, they’ve been ‘corrected’ by adults at least 20,000 more times on average than a neurotypical child.” (32:13-32:28) • “A diagnosis: it’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation. It’s a place to start, to start to understand how an ADHD brain works if that’s yours and how to live and how to thrive.” (33:44-34:08) Links https://www.swellhead.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/roxannejarrett/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxannejarrett/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoxanneOnTheRox/ Free Road Map: https://www.swellhead.com/freeroadmap  roxannejarrett.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   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever heard the saying, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life?” Well, I can tell you from personal experience that this is often NOT the case.   This idea sent me down a 6-year path of feeling burnt out, but unable to admit it. I loved what I did, but I also felt tired, angry and worn down all the time. I spent years looking for what was wrong in my life rather than examining the needs of my mind, body and soul.   Then, I started hearing the word “burnout” pop up everywhere. At first, I didn’t even know what it meant. And after extensive research, what I learned was disheartening – that burnout belonged in hospitals to doctors and nurses and in corporations to high-level managers. Burnout didn’t apply to me, the female entrepreneur.   That’s when I started doing some more internal digging. And what I discovered was that burnout is ultimately caused by feelings of unworthiness. I didn’t feel deserving of true fulfillment, and so I never achieved it. This started me on a journey of making small, manageable changes in my life to rediscover my self-love and self-worth. Four of the things that helped most me along the way were: • Practicing small boundaries (like allowing myself to pee when I needed to!) • Getting out of other people’s knots (Listen to the episode to learn about Knot Theory, and how it has radically changed my life.) • Yoga nidra • Regularly reviewing my values   Lastly, I want to remind you that it is never too late to start the process of burnout recovery. No matter how burnt out you are, there is always an opportunity to re-establish your sense of worthiness. It’s all about taking small steps to remind your body, your mind and your spirit what true fulfillment feels like.   Quotes • “In my own life, I felt like I had been sold a dream that sounded like this: ‘Work really hard, do your best, follow your heart, let your passions guide you and you’ll never feel like you’re working a day in your life.’ Have you ever heard that? The idea that if you love what you do, it’ll never feel like work? That idea sent me down a 6-year path of being burnt out and unable to admit it.” (2:06-2:32) • “I thought I knew what my values were, but when I did an exercise to unveil MY core values, what I came up with was different than what I expected. I was living according to values that I had inherited, from both my family and my community. The rules and expectations I was following had nothing (or very little) to do with how I actually wanted to live my life. Getting reacquainted with my OWN values was eye-opening and now something I revisit to check in with regularly because they change, because I change, because the world changes!” (13:00-13:35) • “My feelings of worthiness started to naturally build as a result of simply acknowledging my needs and allowing myself to meet them.” (15:02-15:15) • “Recovering from burnout should be slow, gentle and kind. It is built of pebbles and stones instead of bricks and cement blocks. It is built of tiny moments of self-love and care and attention in between hours and days and weeks of self-doubt and questioning your value and your worthiness. It is constantly reminding yourself what IS your knot and what isn’t. It is checking in with your values over and over again and allowing yourself to make aligned decisions. It is saying more YES to yourself, so much so that you don’t automatically say yes to everyone else around you when they have a need that pops up. It is allowing space and time for your nervous system and brain to rest, to heal and to reset at a lower level of functioning, to allow yourself to go at your own internal speed limit instead of putting the pedal to the metal at all times.” (16:20-17:23)   Links Free Breakthrough Burnout Call with Cait   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennifer Cassetta first experienced burnout after a near death experience on September 11, 2001. At the time, she worked as an event planner at a loft downtown, located only three blocks south of the World Trade Center. On 9/11, she spent the morning frantically searching for shelter amongst smoke and ash, and finally found safety at her local dojo. In the months following, this dojo became the place where Jennifer was able to find the physical, mental, and spiritual grounding she needed to help her cope with her PTSD. After beginning to experience the incredible, multifaceted benefits of her HapKiDo practice, Jennifer decided to make a career out of helping others find similar empowerment through self-defense.   Unfortunately, 9/11 was not Jennifer’s only burnout story. Several years later, Jennifer was still living in New York City and experienced an emotionally traumatic breakup. As a result, she ultimately ended up moving out of NYC to California in order to create the distance and space she needed to heal. It was during this time that Jennifer realized the powerful ability of her martial arts practice to defend her from internal wounds.   Now, Jennifer is a speaker, author and consultant, who empowers audiences around the country through keynotes, self-defense and success coaching. Equipped with her 3rd degree black belt in HapKiDo, Master’s degree in Nutrition and NLP certification, Jennifer helps women release their inner warrior and feel strong, safe and confident from the streets to the boardroom. Jennifer’s first book, Hear Me Roar: How to Defend Your Mind, Body, and Heart against People Who Suck, employs personal anecdotes from her own life to inspire others to take back their power for a lifetime of health and happiness.     Quotes • “It became like this metaphor. All I wanted to do was go to that dojo. I started to feel all of these amazing benefits. Physically, my body was getting stronger; mentally, I started to feel more confident again; spiritually, I started to feel grounded and not just like hyper- hyper-sensitive. And I know looking back that that really saved me from gosh knows what else. Obviously, then, the story continues to build an entire career out of wanting to share those benefits, those mental, physical, spiritual benefits with as many people as I could. And the story continues to get me to now where I am speaking about it all over the country.” (6:32-7:13) • “There’s a lot of principles in HapKiDo that are similar to an Aikido....which is more defensive strategies, basically taking on your opponent’s negative energy, not taking it on but blending with it and redirecting that energy either out into space or back at the attacker. Hapkido has those circular motions and also the ‘I’m gonna kick your ass afterwards.’ So there’s like a very nice balance of the soft and the hard.” (11:26-12:03) • “Not everybody knows what your boundaries are. And to expect that is impossible, right? So sometimes a nice soft boundary, a nice reminder like, ‘Hey, what you just said, it makes me feel like this. Was that your intention?’ So a softer block can be a redirect of that energy, asking a question, bouncing back a question to the other person, holding their gaze, waiting for an answer, which holds them accountable is an interaction which is soft, yet powerful at the same time. And I think those types of interactions are really important.” (13:47-14:23) Links https://jennifercassetta.com https://instagram.com/jenncassetta https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-cassetta/ https://facebook.com/JenniferCassetta https://jennifercassetta.com/confidence-course/   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   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices