Black Girl Burnout

Healing isn't another achievement to unlock—it's a relationship we cultivate with ourselves over time. In this conversation, Kelley sits down with therapist, trauma-informed movement specialist, and holistic health coach Jayden Aubren to explore why lasting healing begins with honoring our capacity instead of pushing past it. Together they unpack the connection between trauma, movement, nervous system regulation, and intentional living, offering practical ways to build sustainable habits that support healing without burnout. If you've ever felt pressured to "fix yourself" faster, this episode is an invitation to embrace a softer, more sustainable path.
Key Takeaways
Healing becomes more sustainable when we honor our body's capacity instead of chasing perfection or quick fixes.
Small, consistent practices—like mindful movement, breathwork, quality rest, and intentional routines—create lasting transformation over time.
Building a healing lifestyle means shifting from solving isolated problems to nurturing your whole ecosystem: body, mind, relationships, and daily habits.
Episode Highlights & Timestamps
00:00 — What does healing on your own terms actually look like?
Kelley introduces Jayden Aubren and explores why healing should honor our whole humanity—not just our productivity.
15:45 — Why your body needs less, not more
Jayden explains trauma-informed movement, the nervous system, and why slowing down often creates better long-term results than pushing harder.
39:30 — Building a healing lifestyle through small daily habits
The conversation turns toward practical ways to reconnect with your body through sleep, movement, food, breathwork, and mindful routines.
59:10 — "What brings you joy?"
Jayden shares a memorable answer about finding joy in themselves, followed by Kelley's reflections on nurturing the relationship we have with ourselves.
Gentle Invitation
This week, choose one small practice that helps you reconnect with yourself. Maybe it's taking three intentional breaths before your next meeting, eating one meal without distractions, going for a short walk, or simply allowing yourself to rest without trying to earn it. Notice how that one small act shifts the way you move through your day. Healing doesn't have to be rushed to be real.
Support the Show
If you'd like to make a one-time gift in honor of this milestone and support the continued work of Black Girl Burnout, you can donate through Ko-fi at ko-fi.com/blackgirlburnout. Thank you for being part of this community.
Like, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout.
Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time.
Stay in Touch
Join our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley.
Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops.
Our Sponsors
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What happens when you stop trying to fit into expectations and start building a life that actually fits you?
In this deeply affirming conversation, Kelley sits down with artist, bestselling author, and creative visionary Morgan Harper Nichols to explore the intersection of creativity, neurodivergence, boundaries, and self-advocacy. Morgan reflects on receiving diagnoses of autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder in adulthood, and how having language for her experiences gave her freedom—not because it erased challenges, but because it gave her a framework for understanding herself with compassion.
Together, Kelley and Morgan unpack the hidden ways burnout shows up, especially for Black women who are often praised for being capable, adaptable, and endlessly giving. They discuss why boundaries must become a practice—not just a theory—and how asking "What's in it for me?" is an essential act of self-preservation.
The conversation also dives into creativity as a way of reclaiming yourself. Morgan shares how building her creative career started with nothing more than an iPad and a corner of a kitchen counter, proving that creativity isn't about having the perfect space—it's about giving yourself permission to begin where you are.
Finally, they explore legacy, community, and joy, reminding listeners that our greatest impact often lives not in what we create, but in how we inspire others to create for themselves.
Key Takeaways
Naming your experience creates freedom. Having language for your challenges doesn't erase them—it gives you the tools to understand yourself with greater compassion and build a life that supports your needs.
Boundaries become powerful when they're practiced. Moving beyond people-pleasing requires asking whether relationships, opportunities, and commitments are truly reciprocal and life-giving.
Creativity doesn't require perfect conditions. You don't need more space, more time, or more permission to begin. Creativity grows when you make room for it with whatever you already have.
Episode Highlights & Timestamps
00:04 – Finding Freedom Through Diagnosis
Morgan shares how receiving her autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder diagnoses helped her replace confusion with clarity and compassion.
17:45 – Why Boundaries Must Become a Practice
A conversation about burnout, reciprocity, and learning to ask the transformative question: "What's in it for me?"
31:40 – Creativity Doesn't Need Perfect Conditions
Morgan explains how her entire creative career began with an iPad and a small corner of her kitchen counter—and why creativity is about permission, not perfection.
57:10 – Building a Legacy Through Community & Protecting Joy
Morgan reflects on creating work that lives on through other people and shares the practical rituals she uses to protect her own joy and creative energy.
This Week's Gentle Invitation
Take ten uninterrupted minutes this week to make space for something that brings you joy—not because you're productive, talented, or trying to achieve something, but simply because it makes you feel more like yourself.
Then ask yourself:
What would my life look like if I gave myself permission to create, rest, and receive without earning it first?
Support the Show
As we celebrate over 500 episodes of Black Girl Burnout, thank you for being part of this incredible community.
If the podcast has encouraged you, inspired you, or supported your healing journey, one of the best ways you can help us continue this work is by supporting the show through our Ko-fi community. 
You can support the podcast here:
ko-fi.com/blackgirlburnout
Like, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout.
Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time.
Stay in Touch
Join our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley.
Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops.
Our Sponsors
Super.com: super.com/credit
Savvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/
Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Super.com and use my code super.com/credit for a great deal: https://super.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this deeply personal milestone episode, Kelley celebrates 500 episodes of Black Girl Burnout by reflecting on the journey that brought her here—and the one she's stepping into next. She begins by honoring the incredible team behind the podcast before sharing how laying her father to rest at Arlington National Cemetery became an unexpected invitation to slow down, remember, and reconnect with herself.
Kelley explores the idea that healing is not a destination but a lifelong practice, and that waiting until we're "fully healed" before embracing joy keeps us from fully living. Instead, she invites listeners to make room for delight, whimsy, and softness alongside grief, growth, and ambition.
She also offers an honest look at the current state of podcasting, particularly for Black women creators, and explains why she's committed to building Black Girl Burnout in a way that doesn't recreate the very burnout it's designed to help people overcome.
Finally, Kelley shares exciting news about the future of the podcast, announces an eight-week behind-the-scenes creative sabbatical, and invites listeners into the next chapter of Black Girl Burnout—a chapter centered on healing, community, delight, and becoming more fully ourselves.
Key Takeaways
Healing isn't a finish line—it deserves companions. Joy, whimsy, rest, and delight don't belong at the end of your healing journey; they belong alongside it.
You can't teach people not to abandon themselves while abandoning yourself. Sustainable work requires creating boundaries and building a life that aligns with your values.
Our lives are meant to hold more than survival. The goal isn't simply recovering from burnout—it's creating a life spacious enough for wonder, connection, and joy.
Episode Highlights & Timestamps
00:00 – Celebrating 500 Episodes & Gratitude for the Village
Kelley reflects on the milestone of reaching 500 episodes and honors the people who helped build Black Girl Burnout behind the scenes.
08:30 – Honoring Her Father & Rediscovering Herself Through Grief
A moving reflection on laying her father to rest and how remembering his life inspired Kelley to reclaim forgotten parts of herself.
20:15 – Healing Needs Delight, Too
Kelley introduces a powerful new philosophy: healing isn't something to finish before experiencing joy—healing and delight belong together.
33:45 – The Future of Black Girl Burnout
Kelley shares why she's taking an intentional eight-week creative sabbatical and unveils her vision for the next evolution of the podcast.
Gentle Invitation
This Week's Gentle Invitation
Ask yourself one simple question:
What part of yourself have you been waiting to bring back until life feels "better"?
Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, choose one small act of delight this week—something that reminds you you're more than your productivity, your healing, or your responsibilities. Let joy walk beside you, not behind you.
Support the Show
As we celebrate 500 episodes of Black Girl Burnout, we'd love to celebrate with you.
Share the journey by sending us a DM and telling us about your favorite episode or a moment that truly moved you.
You can also email us at info@blackgirlburnout.com to share your reflections, and if you haven't already, leaving a review is one of the most meaningful ways to help others discover the show.
If you'd like to make a one-time gift in honor of this milestone and support the continued work of Black Girl Burnout, you can donate through Ko-fi at ko-fi.com/blackgirlburnout. Thank you for being part of this community and for helping us make the next 500 episodes possible.
Like, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout.
Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time.
Stay in Touch
Join our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley.
Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Super.com and use my code super.com/credit for a great deal: https://super.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We often think expansion should look loud, visible, and impressive. More followers. More money. More accomplishments. More proof that we're growing. But what if the most important growth happens where no one else can see it?
In this episode, Kelley uses the metaphor of roots and blooming to explore a different path to expansion. She challenges the idea that success requires constant striving and invites listeners to embrace seasons of quiet growth, deeper self-trust, and intentional living. Through personal reflections and practical examples, Kelley shares how community, joyful movement, financial peace, and self-acceptance can become powerful forms of expansion that nourish you long before anyone notices the bloom.
Key Takeaways
The most transformative growth often happens out of sight. Just as roots develop underground before a plant blooms, your quiet seasons may be building the foundation for sustainable expansion.
You can desire more without rejecting who you are today. Growth becomes healthier when it's rooted in self-acceptance rather than self-criticism.
Expansion doesn't have to be performative. Deepening community, embracing joyful movement, and pursuing financial peace can be powerful expressions of growth that don't require external validation.
Episode Highlights & Timestamps
02:09 – The Growth No One Sees
Kelley introduces the concept of rooted expansion and explains why the most important growth often happens beneath the surface before any visible bloom appears.
17:03 – Wanting More Without Rejecting Yourself
A powerful reflection on holding ambition and self-acceptance at the same time, rather than using growth as a reason to criticize yourself.
21:57 – Rooting Yourself in Community Instead of Performance
Kelley shares practical ways to deepen relationships through presence, connection, and community care rather than social media performance.
36:20 – You Don't Need to Earn Your Bloom
A moving closing reminder that joy, celebration, and expansion don't have to wait until you've achieved the next milestone.
A Gentle Invitation
This week, ask yourself:
Where am I being called to root instead of rush?
Choose one area of your life where you've been measuring growth by visibility, productivity, or achievement. Then experiment with a quieter form of expansion—deepening a friendship, taking a joyful walk, creating a budget that supports peace, or simply giving yourself permission to pause.
Your roots matter just as much as your bloom. And sometimes the most meaningful growth is happening long before anyone else can see it.
Support the Show
Like, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout.
Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time.
Stay in Touch
Join our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley.
Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops.
Our Sponsors
Super.com: Visit Super.com for more details.
Sista Afya Community Care: www.sistaafya.com
Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Super.com and use my code super.com/credit for a great deal: https://super.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Over the past several weeks, Kelley has been exploring the idea of thawing—what happens when you move from survival mode into a space where you can finally feel again. In this episode, she examines another form of freezing that often goes unnoticed: outrage.
Through reflections on social media discourse, cultural conversations, and personal experiences, Kelley explores how outrage can offer certainty in uncertain times while simultaneously limiting curiosity, connection, and healing. She invites listeners to consider the difference between accountability and punishment, certainty and nuance, and asks a powerful question: What life might be waiting on the other side of anger?
Key Takeaways
Outrage can become a freeze response. While anger provides important information, living in a constant state of outrage can limit curiosity, growth, and emotional freedom.
Healing requires nuance. Real life exists in complexity, and thawing often begins when we become willing to ask questions instead of rushing to certainty.
Accountability and punishment are not the same thing. We can address harm, seek truth, and hold people accountable without losing our humanity or engaging in cruelty.

Episode Highlights & Timestamps
04:30 — How Outrage Can Become a Frozen State
Kelley explores the difference between healthy anger and chronic outrage, and why certainty can feel safer than curiosity during uncertain times.
12:15 — Projection, Social Media, and the Emma Grede Conversation
A discussion about cultural discourse, assumptions, and what happens when we stop seeing people as individuals and start treating them as symbols.
28:40 — Accountability Versus Punishment
Using public conversations around Cheyenne Bryant as an example, Kelley examines the difference between addressing harm and participating in public cruelty.
46:50 — Returning to Softness and the Thaw
Kelley closes with a reflection on vulnerability, nuance, and the possibility of creating a fuller life beyond outrage and reactivity.
A Gentle Invitation
What Are You No Longer Available For?
Take a moment this week to notice where certainty may be keeping you stuck.
Ask yourself:
"What might become possible if I chose curiosity over certainty in one area of my life?"
You don't have to abandon discernment or ignore harm. Instead, consider one place where you can create space for nuance, softness, or a deeper question. Sometimes healing begins when you stop reacting long enough to listen to what your heart is trying to tell you.
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Like, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout.
Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time.
STAY IN TOUCH
Join our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley.
Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops.
OUR SPONSORS
Super.com: Visit Super.com for more details.
Sista Afya Community Care: www.sistaafya.com
Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Super.com and use my code super.com/credit for a great deal: https://super.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy