In this episode, Dr. Jo Braid tackles one of the most requested — and least talked about — topics in healthcare burnout: the colleague who makes an already demanding job feel almost impossible.

Drawing on her own experience as a doctor of over 20 years, alongside research on workplace incivility and the neuroscience of threat response, Jo explores why certain people trigger us so deeply and why that reaction makes complete sense.

She introduces the SPACE framework — a practical, five-step tool for protecting your energy, setting quiet but firm boundaries, and reclaiming your sense of power in difficult workplace dynamics — without burning professional bridges.

This episode is the first in a powerful new series shaped entirely by listener survey responses, with the next ten episodes diving into everything from financial stress and time poverty to organisational factors like workload, fairness, and recognition.

If you've ever dreaded a shift because of one person, this episode is your reminder that you cannot change them — but you absolutely can change your response.

Resources: Book Dr Jo as a speaker via: https://drjobraid.com

Join the free Healthcare Leadership Hub: https://bit.ly/3LAIDqq

Connect with Dr Jo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burnoutrecoverydr

Connect with Dr Jo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraid

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Dr Jo explores how to create your personal burnout prevention plan using fire readiness parallels—from recognizing early warning signs to building defensible space around your time and energy. She breaks down the critical 80/20 reality: 80% of burnout stems from systemic workplace factors, not personal failings, and shares how to distinguish between organizational and individual risk factors. Learn about the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index, a validated 16-item assessment tool that measures both burnout and professional fulfillment. Download the free Burnout Recovery Checklist to assess where you are across the four pillars (Mindset, Movement, Sleep, Support) and create your actionable recovery roadmap with immediate, short-term, and long-term strategies.

Resources:
Burnout Recovery Checklist: https://drjobraid.com/recovery-checklist
Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index: Check your score here
Join The Healthcare Leadership Hub: https://bit.ly/3LAIDqq

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we explore where your mental energy really goes and why healthcare professionals feel so depleted. I share the story of Kate, a coaching client running her own allied health clinic while navigating the demands of the sandwich generation, and the profound exhaustion she experienced. We dive into the neuroscience of cognitive load—including how the brain uses 25% of our body's metabolic energy—and why chronic overload increases burnout risk. You'll learn practical tools for conducting your own energy audit, identifying drains, and implementing optimisation strategies using my sleep, support, mindset, and movement framework. This episode will help you understand the limits of your mental energy and what you can do to protect and replenish it.

Resources:
Book Dr Jo as a speaker via: https://drjobraid.com

Join the free Healthcare Leadership Hub: https://bit.ly/3LAIDqq

Connect with Dr Jo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burnoutrecoverydr

Connect with Dr Jo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraid

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Jo shares her raw, honest experience as a locum doctor in a Sydney trauma hospital, where perfectionist expectations led to sleepless nights, self-doubt, and rumination over clinical decisions.

She explores the crucial difference between adaptive perfectionism that drives professional growth and maladaptive perfectionism that fuels burnout and anxiety. Drawing on Stanford WellMD research and neuroscience, Jo reveals how asking for help transformed her experience and why vulnerability creates psychological safety for entire healthcare teams.

This episode offers practical tools for managing perfectionist tendencies, including movement strategies, sleep hygiene techniques, and reframing methods that prioritize patient care over ego protection.

Resources:
Join the free Healthcare Leadership Hub: https://bit.ly/3LAIDqq
Connect with Dr Jo on Instagram: www.instagram.com/burnoutrecoverydr
Connect with Dr Jo on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraid
Website: https://drjobraid.com

Drs4Drs: 1300 374 377
Lifeline: 13 11 14

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeling exhausted before your day even starts? In this episode, Dr. Jo shares how a simple 5-minute morning micro-recovery can transform anticipatory dread into intentional energy. Drawing from Stanford neuroscience research on the "physiological sigh," she explores evidence-based techniques that shift your nervous system from stress to calm in minutes. Through a real coaching story and practical self-coaching tools, you'll discover how to reclaim agency over your day before it begins. Perfect for healthcare professionals seeking burnout prevention strategies that actually fit into busy schedules.

Resources:

Join the free Healthcare Leadership Hub: https://bit.ly/3LAIDqq

Connect with Dr Jo on Instagram: www.instagram.com/burnoutrecoverydr

Connect with Dr Jo on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraid

Website: https://drjobraid.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Dr. Jo shares her personal struggle with social media comparison when she started her coaching business five years ago and how she overcame the constant feeling of professional inadequacy. She explains the neuroscience behind why social comparison activates our threat-detection systems and becomes a significant burnout trigger for healthcare professionals who are already operating with heightened stress responses. Dr. Jo introduces the "Authenticity Audit" - a practical weekly practice to curate your social media feeds by unfollowing accounts that trigger comparison and following those that inspire and educate instead. The episode emphasizes how understanding the connection between comparison and burnout helps us recognize that feeling triggered by social media isn't a personal weakness, but a predictable physiological response we can learn to manage.

Resources:

Join the free Healthcare Leadership Hub: https://bit.ly/3LAIDqq

Connect with Dr Jo on Instagram: www.instagram.com/burnoutrecoverydr
Connect with Dr Jo on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraid
Website: https://drjobraid.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Dr. Jo Braid explores how our devices can become sources of chronic stress and burnout for healthcare professionals, sharing a personal story about digital overwhelm while building her coaching business alongside her medical practice. She dives into the latest neuroscience research, explaining how notifications simultaneously trigger dopamine cravings and cortisol spikes, while "attention residue" from constant interruptions takes 15-23 minutes for our brains to recover from each distraction. Dr. Jo provides practical tools within her four-pillar framework and introduces three essential digital boundary strategies: conducting a notification audit, implementing scheduled check-ins, and using the 15-minute rule to break automatic phone-checking patterns. The episode emphasizes that without proper digital boundaries, our devices keep our nervous systems in hypervigilance, preventing the neural recovery essential for avoiding burnout. Listeners will leave with actionable steps to reclaim their attention and create intentional relationships with technology that support rather than sabotage their wellbeing.

Resources:

Join the free Healthcare Leadership Hub: https://bit.ly/3LAIDqq

Connect with Dr Jo on Instagram: www.instagram.com/burnoutrecoverydr

Connect with Dr Jo on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraid

Website: https://drjobraid.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever feel like your brain never gets a break?

In this episode, Dr. Jo explores the invisible cognitive burden that healthcare professionals carry and how it's damaging the relationships that matter most.

Drawing from Stanford WellMD research showing that over 40% of physicians report work negatively impacting their personal relationships, discover practical strategies to break the mental load cycle.

Learn the 4-Step Relationship-Protective Mental Load Reset and workplace advocacy strategies that protect your personal time.

Key Takeaways Mental load = cognitive + emotional + invisible labour that follows you home Stanford research: 40% of physicians report moderate to high Impact of Work on Personal Relationships Impacted relationships correlate with higher burnout and more patient complaints The 4-Step Reset: Acknowledge → Externalize → Transition → Connect

Join the free Healthcare Leadership Hub: https://bit.ly/3LAIDqq

Connect with Dr Jo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burnoutrecoverydr

Connect with Dr Jo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraid

Website: https://drjobraid.com

Thank you to our sponsors:
MIGA: https://miga.com.au & Heidi Health: https://heidihealth.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.