The Biology of Burnout (Part 2): What Understanding Can't Do

In part one, we learned why so many of us stay stuck despite trying everything. This episode reveals what actually worked for the dogs in that study. Spoiler: it wasn't understanding. It was movement. I share Claire's breakthrough moment standing at her kitchen sink. What she felt in those 90 seconds changed everything.

Get the full episode breakdown at Biology of Trauma® Podcast - Episode 154: The Biology of Burnout (Part 2): What Understanding Can't Do

In this episode you'll learn:

• [01:08] How the Dogs Learned to Jump Again: Researchers had to physically move their legs—explaining jumping didn't work

• [03:30] Why Understanding Isn't Enough: The gap between knowing what to do and being able to do it

• [05:09] Claire's Aha Moment: Why all her knowledge hadn't created lasting change

• [08:30] What Happens When We Don't Complete Stress: Two options—complete it or head into burnout

• [10:04] The Startle Response: How to stop activation before it becomes a full stress response

• [12:09] The Cost of Not Looking: Avoiding problems drains the energy we need for real demands

• [15:19] Trying Better, Not Harder: Starting small creates new experiences instead of depletion

• [18:18] Claire's Kitchen Sink Moment: What completing a stress response actually feels like

• [20:02] Stress as a Sprint: Why we need the exhale, not just the push

• [23:35] The Body Already Knows: Our nervous system knows how to complete—we just block it

Resources/Guides:

• Biology of Trauma book - Available now everywhere books are sold. Get your copy

• Becoming More Calm Alive - A song about the exhale. Learning to let our body complete what it's been holding.

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 153 (Part 1): The Biology of Burnout: Why Pushing Through Stops Working

• Episode 121: Finding Your Why: How to Break Free from Burnout and Build Meaningful Work