Adrien Cotton: Stages of Perimenopause + Burnout Overlap
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]Perimenopause and burnout often hit at the same time, and when they do, it can feel like something is off but you’re not quite sure what. Cait Donovan talks with wellness expert Adrien Cotton about the confusion so many women face in midlife. Adrien shares how years of high-pressure work and unresolved health issues led her into what she calls a “perimenopause prison,” and how she eventually found her way out by learning to understand her body on a deeper level.How do you tell the difference between burnout and hormonal shifts? Why do symptoms like headaches, sleep issues, and mood swings so often get brushed aside? Adrien offers clarity without oversimplifying and reminds us why it matters to track our cycles, lift heavy things, and rethink the stories we’ve been told about our bodies.Adrien doesn’t promise a quick fix. She offers tools, context, and the encouragement to pay closer attention. She also shares how her program, Master Menopause Now, helps women approach this phase with more knowledge and less shame. If you’ve been feeling off and haven’t been able to explain why, this episode will help you start making sense of the changes and remind you that you’re not alone in them.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Welcome to FRIED. The Burnout Podcast02:21 Adrien Cotton’s Burnout and Perimenopause Story05:18 Debunking Common Myths About Perimenopause06:06 Why Tracking Your Cycle Matters08:00 Early Signs of Hormonal Shifts12:12 Weight Gain, Insulin Resistance, and Sleep Disruption18:08 Symptoms of Late Perimenopause23:18 Distinguishing Burnout from Perimenopause24:52 How Menopause Specialists Can Help32:22 The Power of Commitment in Health Changes37:02 Rethinking Diet Culture and Food Relationships42:13 Strength Training as a Tool for Resilience48:38 Life and Relief After MenopauseLinksConnect with Adrien:https://adriencotton.com/https://adriencotton.com/master-menopause-now/ Use the coupon code FRIED25 for a special discount only for FRIED listeners!https://www.instagram.com/adrienmcotton/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriencotton/ https://adriencotton.com/newsletter/Connect 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 - Here’s Why Your Anxiety is at a 11/10 Lately
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]Summer has a way of turning up the volume on everything, including your anxiety. And if you’re already feeling stretched thin, that shift can feel like a lot.In this #sarahshares episode, Sarah Vosen talks through why things like racing thoughts, trouble sleeping, and that wired-but-tired feeling often ramp up this time of year. She shares a story from one of the UNFRIED program graduates who was doing well, until suddenly, she wasn’t. No major life changes, no clear trigger. Just a growing sense of unease she couldn’t quite explain.So what gives? Sarah breaks down the role of seasonal energy shifts, especially the intensity that comes with the summer solstice. She explains how an overload of yang energy can stir up anxiety in people already running on empty, and why yin (your body’s natural anchor) is so important for balance. Do you feel hot in your chest but cold in your feet? Do you wake up tired even after a full night’s sleep? Are your thoughts racing before bed no matter how calm your day was?Sarah offers ways to cool down, both physically and emotionally. From hydration tips and grounding foods to self-massage and stress release techniques, everything she shares is rooted in helping you reconnect with your body and find some steadiness. There’s also a gentle invitation to ask your heart what it’s still carrying, and to actually listen. If summer feels a little too loud right now, this episode might give you exactly what you need.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Welcome to FRIED. The Burnout Podcast00:53 How Seasonal Shifts Impact Anxiety02:08 Understanding Yang Energy During Summer03:33 The Link Between Yin Deficiency and Burnout06:00 How to Cool and Anchor an Overheated System08:12 Foods and Practices That Support Cooling and Grounding09:57 How to Calm Your Spirit and Process Emotional Overload12:30 Regaining Control When Anxiety Feels Overwhelming14:49 When to Seek Additional SupportLinkshttps://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/g0jnpnf74i9en1q6vdlkw/Fire-balancing-water-meditation-at-Malibu-Surfrider-Beach.m4a?rlkey=0dllk328n1h87am177m4p55zh&st=7yyy29rd&dl=0Connect with Sarah:Book a call with Sarah: bit.ly/callsarahvBook acupuncture with Sarah: https://acusimple.com/access/7008/#/appointments/8888/schedule/42506/Connect with Cait:Initial Call with Cait: bit.ly/callcaitBurnout 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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Jen Fisher: Burned Out at the Top—and Changed Corporate America
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 isn’t a personal failure. Sometimes it’s a sign that the system around you never made space for you to ask what’s actually sustainable.Kicking off Season 10 of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast, Cait Donovan is joined by Jen Fisher, the founder of The Wellbeing Team and the former Chief Well-being Officer at Deloitte, for a conversation that goes straight to the heart of what burnout really is, and why so many people are still afraid to talk about it honestly. Jen shares why, in her own experience, burnout was harder than cancer, and how the workplace responded to each in very different ways. Why do so many people feel like burnout is their fault? And what would shift if organizations started treating well-being as a core skill set, not a side conversation? Jen introduces the idea of well-being intelligence, a teachable approach to helping leaders spot the signs of burnout early and change the way teams operate. She and Cait talk about why clear language matters, what modeling healthy behavior actually looks like, and how leaders often fail to support their own well-being while trying to take care of everyone else.This episode leaves listeners with a strong reminder: hope is more than wishful thinking. It’s a strategy, and one that’s available to anyone willing to take the next right step.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Meet Jen Fisher02:00 Why Burnout Was Harder Than Cancer07:00 What Burnout Really Means (And What It Doesn’t)12:00 How Work Culture Fuels Burnout17:00 Rethinking Success, Sacrifice, and Leadership22:00 Building a Well-Being Strategy Inside Big Organizations28:00 What Is Well-Being Intelligence?35:00 How Leaders Can Learn to Prevent Burnout39:00 Hope Isn’t Wishful Thinking but a Tool for RecoveryLinksConnect with Jen Fisher:https://www.instagram.com/jenfish23/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-fisher-7403868/ https://jenfisher.substack.com/Connect 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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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
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