Healing happens faster with guidance. Give yourself permission to ask for and receive help: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching

Most people think they’ve failed at change when they’ve actually just hit the part where being human takes over.

Cait Donovan is taking a closer look at why behavior change is so hard to maintain and why relapse isn’t a sign of weakness but proof that your brain is doing exactly what it’s designed to do. She explains how old habits never fully disappear, they just sit quietly, waiting for a moment of stress or fatigue to reappear. Change takes effort, repetition, and compassion for the part of you that’s still learning.

Cait shares how progress depends on context and patience. A new habit might feel strong at home but crumble at work, and that’s normal. The real work isn’t about erasing the old pattern but building trust in your ability to return to the new one again and again. This episode is a reminder that being human is not the problem, it’s the process.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Understanding Why Behavior Change Feels Impossible

01:39 How the Brain Builds and Keeps Old Habits

04:10 Why New Behaviors Don’t Stick in Every Environment

06:20 Relapse as a Normal Part of Behavior Change

09:01 Final Takeaways: Being Human Is the Process

Connect with Cait:

Initial Call with Cait

Initial Call with Sarah

Healing happens faster with guidance. Give yourself permission to ask for and receive help: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

You don’t have to carry burnout alone. The right support can help you breathe again—start here: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching

Burnout doesn’t always look like collapse; sometimes it hides in the moments when you’re still performing, but your spark keeps flickering out, and that’s where this honest coaching session begins.

In this episode, Sarah Vosen sits down with Jennie, an attorney and mom unsure whether what she’s feeling qualifies as burnout. Together they unpack the World Health Organization’s markers of burnout—exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy—and what those look like in real life. Is it possible to feel functional yet fried? How do you know when your capacity is shrinking faster than you realize?

As Sarah guides Jennie through a clearer understanding of her patterns, practical steps begin to emerge: protecting space on the calendar, creating buffers between meetings, and rebuilding small habits that restore energy. The conversation also touches on the role of perimenopause in stress and recovery, giving Jennie a compassionate framework for why her old pace no longer fits.

The episode leaves listeners with a grounded reminder: burnout recovery isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing differently, one small boundary at a time.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 What Burnout Really Looks Like

04:10 Understanding the WHO Definition of Burnout

10:06 Small Doable Steps for Burnout Recovery

14:51 Setting Boundaries and Time Blocks That Stick

22:32 Learning to Control What You Can Control

25:14 Dropping Self-Judgment and Reclaiming Energy

34:54 The Connection Between Burnout and Perimenopause

39:36 Building a New Operating System for Sustainable Work

45:07 Grace, Compassion, and Real Recovery

Links

If you’re ready to take the next step toward healing, you can explore 1:1 coaching with Sarah Vosen at bit.ly/unfriedcoach

Download the Web of Causation Exercise to uncover the layers behind your burnout and begin creating your recovery plan: https://www.caitdonovan.com/freebie-web

Connect with Cait:

Initial Call with Cait

Initial Call with Sarah

You don’t have to carry burnout alone. The right support can help you breathe again—start here: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

You deserve to feel whole again. Sarah Vosen’s coaching can help you get there—start here: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching

Admitting you’re burnt out can feel like failure, but as Heather learns in this live coaching session, it’s actually the first brave step toward freedom.

In this coaching conversation, she opens up about the shame of slowing down and the fear that rest will undo everything she’s worked for. For years, she’s equated effort with worth, believing that if she just pushed a little harder, she’d finally feel secure. Now, even basic motivation feels impossible, and the idea of taking a real break feels terrifying. Through grounded, compassionate coaching, Sarah Vosen helps Heather untangle the shame that keeps her stuck and recognize that burnout isn’t a reflection of weakness, it’s what happens when capacity runs out but expectations don’t.

The turning point comes when Heather admits she needs more time than she’s willing to allow herself. That moment of honesty marks the real beginning of recovery. This episode is a reminder that stepping back isn’t quitting; it’s choosing to rebuild your life at a pace that actually sustains you.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Welcome to Fried: The Burnout Podcast

00:53 Live Coaching with Heather: Admitting Burnout

04:50 The Shame and Fear Behind Taking a Break

09:11 Capacity vs. Capability: The Core Burnout Distinction

15:17 When Burnout Becomes an Existential Crisis

20:24 Restoring Your Inner Ecosystem

22:24 Learning to Stop and Rest Without Guilt

25:07 Fear as a Symptom of Burnout

31:09 How Unconscious Coping Leads to Burnout

36:35 Taking the First Step Toward Recovery

41:01 Reframing Burnout as an Opportunity for Renewal

44:05 Reflections and Encouragement

Links

Sign up for our email newsletter and office hours invites

Join our Facebook group

Connect with Cait:

Initial Call with Cait

Initial Call with Sarah

You deserve to feel whole again. Sarah Vosen’s coaching can help you get there—start here: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm