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FRIED. The Burnout Podcast — Health & Fitness
FRIED. The Burnout Podcast

Your best people aren't lazy. They're burned out. And there's a difference — one that costs you performance, retention, and culture if you can't spot it.

FRIED: The Burnout Podcast is a top 1% global show with over a million downloads, hosted by keynote speaker and burnout expert Cait Donovan. It's the show for leaders, executives, HR professionals, and high-responsibility humans who want to understand burnout at a systems level — not just survive it personally.

The core question FRIED keeps asking: Where is the work no longer matching the humans doing it?

Burnout isn't a motivation problem. It's a mismatch problem. When the fit between people, roles, expectations, and organizational systems breaks down — disengagement builds, resentment festers, and your best people start quietly planning their exit. FRIED helps you see those mismatches before they become crises.

Each week you'll get expert conversations on workplace burnout, leadership, organizational culture, employee retention, and sustainable high performance — plus solo episodes where Cait breaks down the hidden dynamics driving disengagement in even the highest-performing teams.

No blame. No fluff. No breathing exercises you didn't ask for.

Topics covered: burnout prevention, chronic stress, leadership development, workplace culture, employee disengagement, resentment at work, emotional intelligence, nervous system regulation, boundaries, organizational design, psychological safety, and middle management burnout.

FRIED. Because burnout isn't the price of ambition. It's a signal that something needs to change.

Copyright: © All works owned and produced by Cait Donovan LLC, 2022

Latest Episodes:

Raj Subrameyer: Cultural Pressure and the Desire to be Noticed Leading to Burnout and Bathroom Floors Dec 20, 2020

Show notes

Episode summary: In this episode, guest Raj Subrameyer who is an international keynote speaker and tech career coach shares his story fighting against people’s expectations and feeling less than other people and developing a fear of being ignored. So, he turned to people pleasing, hard work, and the promise to himself to do whatever it takes to establish credibility, get fame, money and to get people to notice him in his career.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- Unconscious on the bathroom floor [7:24]

- Burnout Diagnosis, severe dehydration and exhaustion [9:16]

- Anxiety and Panic attacks [14:04]

- Comparison anxiety [18:00]

- The book Deep Work by Cal Newport [24:00]

- Meditation, what it did in Raj’s life, and how you can use it [45:15]

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Deep Work by Cal Newport

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Raj’s New Book: Skyrocket Your Career

If you know that it’s time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you’ve been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait

Been interested in CBD and want to gift yourself something for the holidays? As a FRIED listener, you get 20% off with Incann - a premier CBD company who works with family organic farms and third party lab testing. Check out their Bio Soothe CBD Salve - it’s my fave for sore muscles and neck tension!

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#straightfromcait: The Knot - Master Inner Boundaries and Unwind Codependency Dec 13, 2020

Show notes

Hey Fried Fans! On this week's #straightfromcait episode, we're going to be going deeper into codependency because so many of you requested it after last week's episode with Melanie Moberg!

I decided to read you part of Chapter 19 of The Bouncebackability Factor because it is in that chapter that I talk about the issue of codependency (without using that word :)) The crux of this week's episode is one of my favorite things to talk about (and one of the most requested workshops for my #speakerlife :)) THE KNOT.

The knot is a theory that helps you come back to yourself, to stay aligned with your destiny, to be sure that you're serving this world the way you are meant to. I hope you'll enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed reading it for you

Show notes are here: https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com/post/sfc-the-knot

P.S. Happy Holidays! The Bouncebackability Factor makes a great gift for all the women in your life - snag a copy ASAP to get it in time (it's print on demand so it takes a minute! :))

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Melanie Moberg: Stop Worrying About Everyone Else's Needs and Start Focusing on Yourself to Heal Your Burnout Dec 06, 2020

Show notes

**Trigger warning: We discuss suicide and drug use in this episode. If you are particularly sensitive to these topics, you might want to avoid this one.

In this episode, guest Melanie Moberg who is a codependency coach, shares her story through healing codependency that hit her hard after losing her brother. Convinced she could save others, she dove into pouring all her attention into other family members that struggled with mental health and addiction. We chat about how codependent behaviors can steal your ability to know your own wants, needs, desires, and preferences and lead to resentment, fatigue, and yes.. burnout.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- A magic question from a therapist that lead to personal peace [9:00]

- A definition of codependency [11:32]

- An example of codependency in Cait’s life [13:00]

- Boundaries and codependency [19:35]

- Moving out of victimhood [25:13]

- Sick of doing the laundry [33:00]

- The magic question to decipher between enabling and helping [42:26]

“Codependency is caring for others and people pleasing until you’ve lost yourself” Melanie Moberg

Resources mentioned in this episode:

- Melanie’s Blog: https://www.melaniemoberg.com/post/it-s-not-what-you-think

Find Melanie Online: https://www.melaniemoberg.com/

Take Melanie’s Codependency Quiz: https://www.melaniemoberg.com/quiz

Buy Melanie’s Book: Warriors in Recovery on Amazon starting Dec 8th!

If you know that it’s time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you’ve been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait

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Sarah Paris: Can CBD Oil Help You Heal From Burnout? Nov 22, 2020

Show notes

This week on FRIED, we’re covering a topic that I’ve been waiting to cover for a few months now! I was so lucky that a mutual friend introduced me to Sarah Paris, founder of Incann CBD products.

Sarah Paris is a Mom entrepreneur. Like many, working hard, stressed out, and on a quest to feel better, she discovered CBD and the positive impact it had on her mental and physical wellbeing. Inspired by its benefits, she launched Incann, a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand with the mission to help other women find balance in their lives through a positive outlook, willful mindset and the power of legal cannabis extracts. Motivated by the will to chill, she has formulated products to manage every day stressors and overcome burnout.

Sarah burnt out and reached out for the first time in her life to a holistic practitioner. She was surprised and then inspired by a single question this practitioner asked, “What do you do for yourself?”

It lead Sarah on a journey of self-discovery, personal growth, and inspired business that lead her to starting Incann. So while, during this episode, we’re talking all CBD, I want this to be a reminder to you that sometimes working with the right person can literally change your life.

When Sarah starting experimenting with CBD for herself, she noticed that when she took it, she was less overwhelmed, less anxious, and more focused. After a few months, she started making products for her friends and family to try and now she is the founder and owner of a company that she is so proud of.

The reason it took me so long to get someone on the podcast to talk CBD was because I was having a hard time trusting people that were company owners that obviously wanted to come on to sell product and when I checked their websites, they were missing a piece that I think is CRUCIAL when it comes to choosing products.

Transparency.

When Sarah was recommended to me through a mutual friend, I noticed right away that her website includes not only information that they DO third party lab testing on their products but they give you the opportunity to LOOK directly at the results of those tests and they match it to a batch number that you can find on your bottle. That means that you can buy a bottle and then head online and check out if it’s potency checks out, how clean it is, how pure and free to toxins it is, and so on.

This is completely unregulated so companies do not need to do this. People can sell you a ‘CBD’ product that literally has NO cbd in it. The transparency of Incann makes me trust them as a company and I’m glad to have a place to buy CBD that I feel confident in!

You can check out their products and get 20% off with the code FRIED here.*

Moving into the holiday season, this not only makes a great stocking stuffer (I especially love the bio soothe salve. As big exercisers, my husband and I have been using this stuff like mad. It works wonders!).

XOXO

Cait

Connect with Cait

Book a Call: https://www.caitdonovan.as.me/freecall

Website: www.caitdonovan.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/friedtheburnoutpodcast

Order My Book: https://bit.ly/bouncebackorder

Connect with Sarah

Website: https://incann.com/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/incann_usa

P.S. *I wasn’t planning on it, but after I tried Sarah’s Incann products, I became an affiliate for them. What does that mean? It means that YOU, as my listener, get 20% off all their products and when you buy with the discount code FRIED, I get a percentage of the sale. It helps FRIED keep going, the products will help you keep going, you get a good deal, and you’ll be helping a small business owner keep going too. It’s a WIN WIN WIN WIN! A quadruple win!

P.P.S. Do something to care for yourself this week and book a FREE call with me! Initial calls last 35 minutes and are a great way to kickstart your burnout recovery. Book your call at caitdonovan.as.me/free.

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#straightfromcait: Cait Breaks Down The Top 3 Burnout Myths For You Nov 15, 2020

Show notes

Hi Fried Fans!

It’s Cait, comin’ atcha with another #straightfromcait episode! We are close to winding up Season 2 of FRIED The Burnout Podcast. You’ve got this week’s sfc and then next week, I have the owner of incann CBD products on to talk to us about CBD and burnout (I loved it so much that I became an affiliate for her brand.. So while the episode isn’t sponsored, I’ll be sharing about why I love their products :)) and then I will be starting Season 3 after a short 1 week break around Thanksgiving. We’re starting Season 3 off with a bang and having a chat with a codependency coach. This is a massive topic and I’ll be excited for you to get that info to help you unwind some unhelpful patterns you might find yourself in.

This week, I want to talk to you about burnout myths. There’s a lot of them, but we’re just going to go over 3 big ones. You MAY have heard me mention this a time or 5 on the podcast, but I think they need to be repeated as often as possible and as clearly as possible so that we can collectively change our mind about these ideas. Doing so means that we’ll be more apt to notice burnout and therefore more apt to take it seriously and choose to heal from it.

Let’s jump in

Burnout myth #1

If you work in something that you have a passion for, you’ll never burn out. Or, if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I AM BEGGING YOU. PLEASE STOP THIS NONSENSE. If you have tendencies that lead to burnout and are in culture that promotes burnout, you can burnout no matter how much you love your job or no matter how much you really DO want to make a difference in people’s lives.

Burnout is not a result of a passion deficiency.

The problems with this thinking are that it prevents people that are passionate about their jobs from recognizing their burnouts and it makes everyone who knows they are burnt out question their passions.

Your passion isn’t the problem. It’s also not the solution.

Burnout myth #2

Burnout only happens to weak people. Oh boy, I hate this one. There are, for reasons that scientists can’t figure out, people that are more resilient than others. They also can’t agree on a how much adversity or stress increases resiliency and how much breaks it down - because it’s different in each person. Everyone has a threshold for how much they can take and that threshold has nothing to do with your strength. In fact, the strongest among us often carry more than our allotted load, therefore diminishing our resilience and leading us to burnout.

Being resilient and increasing resiliency doesn’t make you STRONGER. It makes you more adaptable, more agile, more flexible. Your threshold is a due to a combination of your genetics, your current health, your current environment, the health of your childhood environment, the number of trauma adaptations you have, the amount of support you have, and and and and and. There are so many factors in play. It’s not about weakness, it’s about systems that get overloaded due to factors that are very often outside of the systems control.

You can book your call at bit.ly/callcait.

CBD: https://incann.com/ CODE: FRIED

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Simone Craig, Wealth Expert: You Spend Your Money Like You Spend Your Energy Nov 08, 2020

Show notes

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Simone Craig, Wealth Expert on a mission to close the wealth gap one woman at a time. Known as the “Angel CFO”, Simone advises women business owners in making wise financial decisions for maximized business profitability, increased personal wealth and joyful living.

She has 25+ years experience in the financial industry, including the Big 4 company, KPMG Peat Marwick, as well as the private sector.

Simone is a Law of Attraction and manifestation expert. She loves advising her clients how to have the mindset and money management skills to create a thriving business and live a wealthy joyful life.

Simone and I met at a networking event in Morristown, NJ through the group Ellevate. She was sitting at a high top table on the far wall, dressed to the 9’s and my favorite thing that I noticed about her was that you could tell immediately that she was an observer of people. We had a good chat that night and then connected on all the social medias - as one does.

If you’ve been listening to FRIED for awhile you know that I have some bones to pick with the Law of Attraction and Manifestation, so when I first saw some of Simone’s posts, I was like - oh no, another one. But then, as time passed, she surprised me more and more. Her money advice is practical, grounded, AND spiritual - which is my most favorite of all the combos.

Why is money important when it comes to burnout? It’s really common when you’re on the burnout cycle to also be on a feast or famine cycle and not do a great job of managing your money. Burnout types often have all or nothing attitudes, so we’ll save for ages and then use it all on a big purchase and have to start from scratch. We spend our money like we spend our energy - without attention and without proper boundaries. It’s either built up and stagnant or empty and needing replenishment.

In this episode, we talk about the journey of the middle road, consciously choosing balance, awareness, upleveling instead of a life that sits in the extremes. Simone talks about having a moment where she started to reflect more on the future after turning 30 and asking: “How do I make things happen for myself instead of leaving everything on default?”

At that point, she found Abraham Hicks, The Secret, The Law of Attraction and she decided to ask if it was all BS or if deliberate creation actually worked. She took responsibility for herself and her finances and gave herself a goal of getting out of her parents house in 12 months. It worked.

We chatted about using these techniques when you’re burnt out and why it doesn’t always work and what needs to happen before you can take advantage of these tools.

You’ll get all that information and more in this week’s episode of FRIED.

Can’t wait to hear what hit you the most and what you’ll take with you moving forward!

XOXO

Cait

Connect with Cait

Book a Call: https://www.caitdonovan.as.me/freecall

Website: www.caitdonovan.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/friedtheburnoutpodcast

Order My Book: https://bit.ly/bouncebackorder

Connect with Simone

Website: http://www.simonecraig.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/simonelebeauxcraig

LinkedIN: http://www.linkedin.com/in/simonecraig

P.S. There's a KILLER live course happening SOON - because, folks, it's boundary season. If you feel like you need some support finding and creating solid boundaries to protect you and your energy, this class is for you! We start Nov 13th, join us!

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The 12 Days Of Boundary Season (a song) Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

It's BOUNDARY SEASON!

Yep, that's right. The season that all your boundaries get pushed and 2020 has already pushed them enough, so they might be feeling like electric fences this year! ;)

I wrote you a song all to tell you that we start transforming you into a Boundary Building Badass in just 12 short days.

Sign ups are open now for The Build Better Boundaries course, it WAS a DIY course but on popular demand, I'm doing a LIVE version with a FB Group and Live Q&A's with yours truly to help you along.

After the year we've all had, it's the least I could do.

Sign ups are here:

https://caitdonovan.com/build-better-boundaries-live

Join us. It's gonna be a blast. Like this song.

:)

<3

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#straightfromcait: As 'THE BOSS' are you shouldering more responsibility than you should? Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

Hey Fried Fans,

This week’s #straightfromcait episode is the answer to a fan question (I love those, so if you have one that YOU want answered, shoot me an email at cait@caitdonovan.com with the subject: FAN QUESTION and I’ll get to it, it usually takes me about a month to get the episode out and it’s so much fun for me to give you exactly what you need.

Here’s the Q:

So, the holidays are coming up and if you’re the boss of a department it’s kinda expected that everyone else can take vacation time around the holidays but not you, because someone has to be on deck. So this means, year after year, you work the week of Thanksgiving and the week of Xmas. How do you juggle the expectation that if you’re the boss, your needs come second to your subordinate without getting burnt?

OK, my friend. Let’s break this down a little. First, we need to look at the assumptions in this Q. You state: it’s ‘kinda expected’ that everyone else can take vacation time around the holidays but not you.

Is this 100% true or is this a story that you told yourself because you took the responsibility on because YOU learned at some point in your life that this is how you think it ‘should’ be (if you missed the episode on shoulding, head back a few weeks and listen in, it’s a good one).

You start juggling this expectation by checking yourself.

Use these Q’s:

Where did this expectation come from?

Why do you believe it?

What actions have you taken as the boss in previous years that may lead you to believe this is true?

What actions have you taken as the boss in previous years that may lead your team to believe that this is true?

The basic facts of the matter are this: your needs DON’T come second to your team’s needs. But now, you’re going to have to change the rules of the game on them and you’ll have to expect some blowback.

Here’s how it goes:

First, you need to decide on a new system. Are you going to rotate the holidays within your team, so one person takes thanksgiving and the other xmas? Is one person going to get the whole year of holidays and then the next 2 or 3 years off (depending on the size of your team) or is there a better solution that you see? I can’t tell you what all the options are without knowing more specifics about the business and the team, but suffice it to say, there’s a better system than leaving all the responsibility eggs in the leaders basket.

Second, you need to decide how to present the new system - WITHOUT EMOTION and WITHOUT MENTIONING that you’ve done it in the past for years and years and now you need a break. YOU’RE THE BOSS - you make the rules. Turning yourself into a victim for working the past years will make whoever gets this year’s holidays feel like THEY are the victim.

So, it might sound something like this:

Hi Everyone, The holidays are coming up and the system for who works the holidays is changing this year. We are going to start rotating who works the week of Thanksgiving and Xmas so that everyone has the opportunity to take real time off during the holidays. This Thanksgiving will be (team member a) and Xmas will be (team member b). If you need to switch with each other, that’s no problem - just be sure that the communication is clear and the person who will be responsible for those days is available. If you’re going to make any changes amongst each other, please let me know by the end of next week. Thank you! :)

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Isabel Smith: A Registered Dietician Tells You How To Slow Down Burnout Related Inflammation and Histamine Reactions Oct 25, 2020

Show notes

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Isabel Smith, a Registered Dietician who specializes in helping clients with functional and integrative wellness. One of her main areas of interest in her practice is healing allergies and histamine reactions. This arose out of her own need to use her skills to heal herself after years of living in an apartment with black mold. Isabel is well known and respected in her field and sits on the advisory board for MBODY 360 and Eat This, Not That. Her expert opinions can be found in Elle, Mind Body Green, Reader's Digest, Women’s Health/Men’s Health and now, thankfully, on FRIED. The Burnout Podcast.

I’ve known Isabel personally for over a year and I know how seriously she takes her craft. I call it a craft because I don’t know anyone who works with diet and supplements the way Isabel does. She is unafraid of complicated cases and her results, time after time, are astounding. In this episode, she shares snippets from her own life, and her process of working through health issues related to allergies and histamines.

Why is this important when it comes to burnout? Because I’ve found over the years that oftentimes, there are invisible chronic health issues that accompany burnout and are partially responsible for your ability (or inability) to function at the same level of energy as before. This is why I do a full Chinese Medicine health intake with each new coaching client - I need to see what physical components are stealing energy from you. Shifting that often helps to create enough extra energy to deal with the rest.

Allergies and histamine reactions accompanied by inflammation are commonly found in burnout and both Isabel and I are passionate about getting you the info you need to shift this part of your life.

In this episode, we chat about histamine reactions and symptoms (waking up with puffy eyes, having itchy skin, having reactions to food that didn’t used to bother you, fatigue, foggy headedness, and so many more). Isabel explains (using MINIONS!) how to keep our cells health and shares with us her latest online course, The Histamine Solution Program, that helps guide you through the histamine diet that is perfect for you and gives you the support of a group at the same time.

You’ll get all that information and more in this week’s episode of FRIED.

Can’t wait for a few of you to have lightbulb moments that lead to great healings!

XOXO

Cait

Connect with Cait

Book a Call: https://www.caitdonovan.as.me/freecall

Website: www.caitdonovan.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/friedtheburnoutpodcast

Pre-Order My Book: https://bit.ly/bouncebackorder

Connect with Isabel

Website: http://www.isabelsmithnutrition.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/isabelsmithnutrition

HISTAMINE SOLUTION: https://www.isabelsmithnutrition.com/health/programs/the-histamine-solution-program

P.S. Do something to care for yourself this week and book a FREE call with me! Initial calls last 35 minutes and are a great way to kickstart your burnout recovery. Book your call at caitdonovan.as.me/free.

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#straightfromcait - Stop Should'ing All Over Yourself And You Will Heal Your Burnout Oct 18, 2020

Show notes

“Stop should-ing all over yourself” also known as “must-urbation”, why you need to pay attention to the word SHOULD during your burnout recovery.

I was laying on the table at my acupuncturists office and I said the thing that I just reprimanded a patient for the night before. “But, my body SHOULD be able to do this!”

And as soon as it came out of my mouth, I realized it and my shoulders dropped.

Recovering from my ruptured achilles tendon and subsequent surgery over the past year and a half has been much slower and more cumbersome than I would have liked it to be. In the meantime, I’ve put on weight and I’ve started “should-ing” all over myself.

I should eat better.

I should be able to exercise more.

I should create better habits.

I should I should I should.

Here’s the thing: accepting the limitations that my body currently has and trying to improve in small increments works better than forcing myself past what I’m capable of and then needing extra time to recover.

The same goes for you during your burnout recovery. It doesn’t matter if you USED to be able to do something. It doesn’t matter if you’re annoyed that you’re unable right now. It doesn’t matter if you think your body SHOULD be able to do something.

Your job during burnout recovery is to use your current limitations to create your current boundaries. They will shift and widen as you heal, I promise, but when you’re starting out - you need more space, more cushion, more blank time in your schedule, more gentle movement, and more grace for your process.

Most of us that burnout stay stuck on the burnout cycle because of the Should-ing. Because we are comparing our current abilities to what we used to be able to do. Guess what? You’re burnt out. Your current abilities are less than what you’re used to and if you don’t learn how to adjust, you’ll just stay on this cycle for years and years and years. Trust me, that’s exactly what I did.

Burnout is invisible to the naked eye. There are plenty of things changing in your body and in your brain, but because you can’t see it, you don’t adjust. You just keep pushing, believing that you can because you used to be able to.

But let’s think about it a minute. When you’re burnt out, lets say that you have 40% of your normal energy. Why on EARTH should you be able to do as much as before on 60% less energy? If your gas tank was only 40% full, would you be able to drive the same number of miles as you could on a full tank?

Pay attention to your limits and listen to them. Stop should-ing all over yourself.

Work within what you’ve got and you’ll start to recover.

Promise.

If you’re not sure where your boundaries are, start taking note of all the times you tell yourself during the day that you should or must do something and then start eliminating/delegating all those jobs :)

This concept and so many more uber practical tips are what make up the 200 pages of The Bouncebackability Factor, which, if you haven’t bought yet - I seriously don’t know what you’re waiting for!

Also, if you don’t think that you can possibly eliminate or delegate and you’re stuck thinking that change is impossible, please know that you’re wrong. LOL.

My job is to prove this to people every single day. I’m taking 8 more clients until the end of 2020 and starting the new year with a price increase, so if you want to get in at the current rate, you should book your free call before the holidays! bit.ly/callcait

Talk to you soon!

Cait

FIND CAIT ONLINE: https://caitdonovan.com

BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULT: bit.ly/callcait

BOOK ACUPUNCTURE IN NYC: https://caitdonovanacupuncture.com

SEE ALL FRIED EPISODES: https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com

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