You don’t have to carry burnout alone. The right support can help you breathe again—start here: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching. Burnout recovery gets real as Sarah Vosen sits down with an anonymous guest who feels trapped by perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the voice of an inner critic that makes self-compassion feel out of reach. In this episode, she’s trying something different for the podcast: a real-time coaching session. Her guest “Kate” describes how burnout began with constant illness and eventually knocked her flat, leaving her exhausted and uncertain about how to move forward. Years later, Kate still feels caught in a loop of trial and error, trying new practices, hoping for change, and losing faith when nothing seems to last. How do you find the courage to say no before your body forces you to? And how do you begin to quiet the inner critic that insists you’ll never get better? Through thoughtful coaching, Sarah helps Kate see the fear of saying no for what it is: a strategy that once kept her safe but now keeps her stuck. She offers a new way to look at recovery, like a scale that can slowly tip away from self-judgment and toward self-compassion with each small act of courage. Along the way, Kate begins to see how even the tiniest pieces of evidence, moments of asking for help, choosing rest, or protecting her needs, can start to shift the balance. This conversation opens a window into the real work of burnout recovery. It’s messy and slow, but it’s also a practice of rediscovering your voice, setting boundaries that protect your energy, and remembering that even a flicker of hope is proof that change is possible. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Real-Time Coaching on Burnout Recovery 02:26 Kate’s Burnout Journey and First Signs of Collapse 05:09 Career Uncertainty and Feeling Stuck 10:52 Battling the Inner Critic and Self-Judgment 12:38 Fear of Saying No and People-Pleasing Patterns 14:13 Rediscovering Passion for Storytelling and Audio 20:08 Hyper-Independence and the Struggle to Ask for Help 24:02 The Core Loop: Avoiding “No” to Feel Safe but Staying Stuck 33:00 The Burnout Recovery Process and the Unfried Program 43:03 Practicing Self-Compassion During Setbacks 49:41 Building Evidence for Growth and Recovery Links Hailey Page Magee episode Kristin Neff episode Your Burnt Out Brain Is Mean, And A Liar episode 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…