In this solo episode of Fire Without Burnout, former news anchor and burnout survivor Trisha Lawless shares personal stories about seizing opportunities that bring joy, even when they seem impractical.

Learn how trusting your gut, budgeting creatively, and savoring small joyful moments can help you recover from or prevent burnout while enriching your life.

Key Topics:

• The importance of saying "yes" to experiences that bring joy, even if they feel impractical

• How gut instincts can guide meaningful decisions

• Making big adventures happen on a tight or flexible budget

• Celebrating small doses of joy through everyday rituals

• The value of recording and savoring joyful memories for long-term well-being

00:00 - Welcome & episode overview: embracing joy and saying yes

00:30 - Why your gut is a powerful guide in decision-making

01:24 - Personal story: attending son’s baseball season opener despite logistical challenges

02:10 - Overcoming practicality to pursue meaningful moments with loved ones

04:26 - The joy of deciding when to splurge: booking a 21st birthday trip to New York to see daughter's favorite artist

06:44 - How to make memorable experiences work on a budget

08:24 - Spontaneous family trip to the Smoky Mountains: creating memories with simple pleasures

09:37 - Small daily joys: dancing, solo walks, and micro doses of happiness

10:25 - Tips for capturing and preserving joyful moments through writing or photos

11:15 - Excerpt from “Wild. Precious. Life.” chapter 33, “Solo in the Big Easy”: embracing big adventures and relishing the details

12:06 - Recognizing the gift of spontaneous connections and travel

13:25 - The importance of supporting your loved ones’ passions and milestones

14:17 - Reflecting on the power of travel, family, and nature 

CONNECT WITH TRISHA

Bio: Trisha Lawless started her first “Author’s Club” as an elementary school kid writing mystery novels on a banged-up typewriter in her parents’ garage. It got better from there.

Her writing career has spanned a variety of niches including television news, magazine features, non-profit marketing, corporate cybersecurity communications, public speaking, poetry. She published her first book, a memoir, Know When to Run: Lessons from the Diary of a Gen X Mom, in 2015, and her second book in 2025, Wild. Precious. Life. Building Fire Without Burnout. She is a longtime contributor to Indy’s Child parenting magazine and website and has become a champion for those seeking to create a fiery, fulfilling life of achievement without succumbing to burnout. 

Purchase Trisha’s latest book, “Wild. Precious. Life. Building Fire Without Burnout” on Amazon

Follow on Instagram @trishalawlessbooks or LinkedIn

Contact at [email protected]

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