Celebrating 300 Episodes with a Fresh New Tool for Our Listeners!
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 takes more than bubble baths and boundary scripts. It asks you to let yourself receive.To celebrate 300 episodes of FRIED, Cait Donovan and Sarah Vosen are getting real about what it took to get here… emotionally, financially, and logistically. What do you do when your mission is to serve others, but you’re maxed out behind the scenes? How do you keep showing up with integrity when your inbox is full of amazing guest pitches you don’t have the capacity to accept?Cait opens up about the guilt that still shows up when she says no, and the tension between wanting to help everyone and needing to protect her own energy. She and Sarah talk about money, sustainability, and the shift from giving endlessly to allowing themselves to receive in equal measure.They also unveil a new tool made just for you: the FRIED Episode Finder, a searchable archive that helps you find exactly what you need without scrolling through 300 titles. Type in a keyword, a name, a question, and it serves up the episodes that match. (Burnout recovery with a little delegation joy? Yes, please!)This milestone episode is full of gratitude, behind-the-scenes truth, and hard-earned wisdom for anyone working to stay well while helping others do the same.Episode Breakdown:00:00 300 Episodes of FRIED!02:14 Behind the Scenes05:09 Boundaries, Guilt, and Saying No06:44 The Real Cost of Podcasting10:00 Learning to Receive13:05 Using ChatGPT to Set Boundaries15:09 Pricing Your Work Without Apology17:00 Burnout Recovery Is a Long Game19:13 Listener Impact and Gratitude23:58 Introducing the FRIED Episode Finder28:32 Delegation Joy Is Real30:26 Send Us Your QuestionsLinksLooking for the right episode? Use the free FRIED Episode Finder to search by keyword and find the support you need, fast: bit.ly/friedfinderConnect 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
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#straightfromcait: What Is Stress Resilience? And How Do You Get More Of It?
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]Stress resilience isn’t a mindset trick. It’s built on your biology, your history, and whether or not you actually use the support available to you.This week on #straightfromcait, Cait Donovan challenges the idea that self-awareness is where resilience begins. What if your stress response was shaped long before you ever had a chance to influence it? Cait walks through how genetics and early experiences, like trauma or family dynamics, lay the groundwork for how your body handles stress. Some people’s systems are just wired differently, and that wiring matters.Cait breaks down the difference between reacting to stress and being truly resilient. Real resilience means facing your reality as it is, staying connected to what you care about, and adjusting when things go sideways. Are you living in a way that actually supports your nervous system, or are you just white-knuckling it through your day?Cait also spotlights two powerful but often overlooked tools: leaning into your natural strengths and asking for help. Not just once, but consistently and without guilt. These choices expand your capacity and give you a better shot at bouncing back when life gets hard.Self-awareness still plays a role, but it works best when it’s used to build a life that fits you, not a version of you that’s always running on empty.Episode Breakdown:00:00 What Stress Resilience Really Means01:20 How Genetics Shape Stress Response01:55 The Role of Upbringing and Trauma04:09 Three Core Traits of Resilience06:01 Skills, Support, and Expanding Resources07:49 Why Using Resources Matters09:02 Self-Awareness as a Tool, Not a Starting Point11:01 Signs Your Resilience Is Holding Up11:22 Three Ways to Improve Resilience12:25 Realignment and Radical HonestyLinksInitial 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
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Sarah Swanberg: To Create a Sustainable Business (and Life) This is What You Need
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
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#sarahshares: Afraid you won’t ever feel joy or want to work again? Let Yourself.
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]Sarah Vosen is back for another #sarahshares with a question many of us have quietly wondered: could you be happy if you never wanted to work again? This episode unpacks the deeper story behind that fear: the fight between the part of you that craves freedom and the voice that demands you stay responsible and practical.Sharing her own experience, Sarah describes what happened when she finally stopped forcing herself to heal the “right way” and started listening to the rebel inside her. She opens up about letting go of the endless lists of shoulds and trusting herself to choose what actually felt good. How would your life change if you stopped living by rules that were never yours to begin with?Sarah also talks about the idea that real recovery often means letting yourself receive help, even when every instinct tells you to stay independent. Are you willing to loosen your grip on doing it all alone? Could accepting support be the thing that changes everything?This episode will leave you thinking differently about burnout, healing, and the way you treat the voice inside you that simply wants more joy.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Introduction00:52 Fear of Never Wanting to Work Again01:25 Freedom Versus Responsibility02:07 Breaking Free from Burnout and Self-Imposed Rules05:08 Letting the Inner Rebel Lead06:02 Building Trust and Safety with Yourself08:00 Accepting Help and Embracing Vulnerability09:57 Prioritizing Freedom and Happiness11:03 Finding and Honoring Your True Desires13:07 Choosing Joy and ContentmentLinksConnect 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
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#straightfromcait: Can't Quit Your Job? Here's How You Recover from Burnout.
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
Real. Raw. No Holding Back. Stories from people like you who've burnt out and come back to tell the tale. From thought leaders to your friend down the street, there's a story in FRIED that you will relate to, guaranteed. You are not alone. You might be fried crispy at this point, but I promise you there is a way through. Each week, there is a story of breakdown and build back up and we don't skip over the nasty bits. The journey through burnout is rarely a beautiful one, but it creates some pretty amazing careers and lives. The point of this space is to assure you that you aren't alone and that there is a way through. If one week doesn't resonate, be sure that another week will. There's a solution for every story and we will cover them all. I promise. And - the help doesn't stop there. UNFRIED is a small group coaching program (under 10 people per cohort) that is available for you. Find the info here. (bit.ly/UNFRIED)
South Africa