Who Taught You to Work Like This? (And Why It Might Be Burning You Out)

Who taught you to push through when you’re unwell?

Who taught you that taking a sick day means letting people down?

And why does that still feel normal… even when it’s clearly not working for you anymore?

In this solo episode, Jazmin unpacks something most helping professionals never stop to question their work ethic.

Because what many people call “strong work ethic” is often a set of inherited values, beliefs, and expectations that were shaped long before entering the profession.

Through personal stories and real examples from practice, this episode explores how early exposure to work, family patterns, and deeply held values can quietly shape how you show up in your role today.

And more importantly… whether those patterns are still serving you.

In this episode, we cover:

• What “work ethic” actually is and where it comes from
• How family of origin shapes your approach to work
• Why pushing through illness and burnout becomes normalised
• The psychosocial hazards that were modelled before you even started working
• How values like commitment, responsibility, and loyalty can shift into overworking
• The difference between strong work ethic and self-neglect
• Why burnout should never be considered “part of the job”
• What it could look like to approach your work in a more sustainable way

Reflection prompts from this episode:

• What did I learn about work growing up?
• What was normalised around stress, illness, and rest?
• What values do I hold about work?
• How are those values currently showing up in my role?
• What is no longer serving me?

Resource mentioned:

Brené Brown (everyone’s favourite celebrity social worker) Values List Activity, a great one for reflection or supervision

Work with Jazmin:

If this episode resonated and you’re ready to approach your work differently:

Boundaries as Practitioners (self-paced training, just AUD$59)

Join upcoming group supervision (next groups starting in June 2026).

Explore my website here

For 1:1 supervision or enquiries, you’re always welcome to reach out via my website.

This episode is your reminder that you don’t need to keep proving your worth through exhaustion.

I remember asking for specific feedback in supervision when I was working in child protection.

I wasn’t asking for praise.
I was asking what I needed to improve so I could actually progress.

And I didn’t get anything specific back.

In this episode, I’m introducing a concept that I don’t think we talk about enough in the helping professions:

Career-interfering behaviours in supervision.

This episode was inspired by a post from Alex Wilson, who shared insights on therapy-interfering behaviours.

It got me thinking…

If we can recognise behaviours that interfere with therapy,
we also need to recognise the behaviours that interfere with our own professional development and career growth.

Because they are happening.
And they are impacting helping professionals every day.

In this episode, I cover:

• What career-interfering behaviours in supervision can look like
• Real examples from my own experience and the professionals I work with
• Why vague or avoidant supervision can impact confidence and progression
• The emotional impact of not feeling supported in your growth
• What good supervision should actually feel like
• Practical ways to start advocating for your own development

Common career-interfering behaviours discussed:

• Vague, non-specific feedback
• Avoidance of constructive or honest feedback
• Generic, “cookie-cutter” professional development plans
• Overfocus on compliance, KPIs, and risk over growth
• Lack of psychological safety to ask questions or advocate for training
• Being expected to “attend training” while still doing your full workload

If you’ve experienced any of these, you’re not imagining it.
And you’re not the only one.

A reminder from this episode:

You are allowed to want more from your supervision.

Clearer feedback.
Support with your goals.
A supervisor who actually sees you as an individual.

And if you’re not getting that internally,
it may be time to seek support elsewhere.

Resources mentioned

• Alex Wilson LinkedIn
• Mindful Recovery Services

Ways to work with me

If this episode resonated and you’re wanting more support, here are a few ways we can work together:

1. Boundaries as Practitioners (Self-paced training, 3 hours CPD)
A practical, values-led approach to boundaries in your work. Register for instant access here.

2. 1:1 Supervision (Limited availability before June 30)
Individual supervision tailored to your role, goals, and context
Contact me here.

3. Group Supervision (Next intake starts June)
For helping professionals and business owners
Join here

4. Leadership Supervision & Consulting
Support for leaders wanting to create psychologically safer workplaces
You can reach out via my website or LinkedIn to start the conversation. I would love to be able to support you with this.

Let’s connect

If this episode resonated, I’d love to hear from you.

You can connect with me here:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Or send me a message with your thoughts or questions.

Final note

If you’ve been feeling stuck, overlooked, or unsupported in your development…

There is nothing wrong with wanting more clarity, more support, and more direction in your career.

And there are spaces where you can receive that.

Episode 30: When You Know the Right Thing But Can’t Do It: Leadership in High-Risk Work | Kelvin Kamara

Here’s the truth. I loved this conversation.

It was so lovely to catch up with Kelvin again and reflect on the work we’ve both been part of in complex, high-risk environments.

In this episode of Not Another PD, I’m joined by Kelvin Kamara, Chief Operating Officer from Hopewell Community Care.

We’re talking about complexity inside leadership.

Not the polished version. The real version.

The kind of work where you’re balancing human rights, client safety, staff safety, and community expectations at the same time, particularly when supporting clients with risk.

Where you’re often leading on the ground.
Making decisions in real time.
And carrying responsibility that doesn’t always have a clear answer.

Kelvin said this about boundaries:

“Whatever we lead with, that’s what our teams will most likely copy.”

Which really speaks to leadership by example.

Not just in what we say.
But in what we model, every day.

He also spoke about the moral distress staff in our sector may experience:

“Staff know what good support looks like… but they can also feel very restricted by the systems around them.”

And this is something I see come up so often in supervision.

People know what good support looks like.
They care deeply about doing it well.

But they’re working within systems, environments, and constraints that don’t always allow that to happen.

That gap between what you know is right and what you’re able to do is where the tension builds.

And over time, that’s where burnout and moral stress can start to show up.

In this episode, we cover:

• Leadership in high-risk disability and community settings
• Moral distress and the impact of not being able to act in line with your values
• Leading on the ground and supporting teams in real time
• Balancing human rights with client safety, particularly when supporting clients with risk
• The realities of restrictive practices
• Psychosocial hazards in helping professions
• Leadership behaviour and its impact on team culture

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Right to disconnect laws: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/hours-of-work-breaks-and-rosters/right-to-disconnect
• Compulsory treatment (Victoria): https://www.dffh.vic.gov.au/compulsory-treatment
• Restrictive practices (NDIS Commission): https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/rules-and-standards/behaviour-support-and-restrictive-practices

Connect with Kelvin Kamara and Hopewell Community Care:

• Website
• Contact Hopewell Community Care
• Kelvin Kamara LinkedIn
• Hopewell Community Care LinkedIn

Connect with Jazmin:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Work with Jazmin:

• Boundaries as Practitioners ($59 self-paced online training)
• Group Supervision (next starting June 2026)

Thank you for being part of this important conversation, and please reach out to myself or Kelvin with any questions or feedback following the episode, we would absolutely love to hear from you.

Jazmin 

Episode 29: Lived Experience Isn’t a Weakness. It’s One of Our Greatest Strengths.

Lived experience is something we talk about a lot in the helping professions.

But often, it’s framed as something to manage.
Something to be careful with.
Or something that sits quietly in the background.

In this solo episode, I explore what lived experience actually is, how it differs from learned experience, and why it is far more common in our professions than we openly acknowledge.

Drawing on early insights from my recent sector-wide survey on psychosocial hazards and psychological safety, I share what the data revealed about lived experience across helping professionals in Australia, including just how layered and common it is.

I also reflect on my own lived experience, and how it has shaped my values, career direction, and the way I show up in my work.

Importantly, this episode explores the ethical considerations of lived experience in practice:

• When sharing is helpful, and when it’s not
• The importance of intentional, boundaried use of lived experience
• Why oversharing and over-identifying can create risk
• How supervision and reflective practice support safe and sustainable use of lived experience

We also explore why boundaries matter even more when lived experience is present, and how unclear boundaries can lead to overextending, over-identifying, and burnout.

This is a conversation about moving away from seeing lived experience as a liability, and towards understanding it as a powerful, informed, and meaningful part of our work.

Because the issue isn’t lived experience.

It’s whether it’s supported.

And as I share in this episode:

“That’s not a weakness in this profession… that’s one of its greatest strengths.”

A genuine thank you to the 102 helping professionals who took the time to respond to the survey, your openness and willingness to share your lived experience is what made this conversation possible.

Resources mentioned in the episode: 

Involvement Continuum (helpful for reflecting on over/under involvement with clients)

How we can work together:

If this episode resonated and you’re wanting support around boundaries, reflective practice, and sustainable ways of working:

Boundaries as Practitioners (self-paced training):
www.jazminpursell.com.au/ineedboundaries

Group Supervision (new groups beginning June 2026)

1:1 Supervision:
I have a small number of spaces for individual supervision, which are currently available before June 30 for those needing to finalise their CPD hours, contact me via my website here.

Let’s connect, lovely!

If this episode resonated, I’d love to hear from you.

You can connect with me via LinkedIn or Instagram, or share this episode with a colleague who would benefit from hearing this conversation. 

Thanks for listening to Not Another PD.
If this episode was helpful and you’d like to find out more, you’ll find ways to work with me in the show notes.
And if there’s a topic you want covered, or someone you think should be on the podcast, I’d love to hear from you.
Remember, clear boundaries don’t just protect our clients, they protect us too.

Episode 28: “Bring My Baby to a Child Protection Office? No Thank You.” Culture, Boundaries & Workplace Assumptions.

In this episode of Not Another PD, I’m joined by Susan Nkechi, a social work student based in Perth, a mother of three, and the founder of Multi-Cultural Drama Dance.

Originally from Nigeria, Susan was an experienced teacher before relocating to Australia and transitioning into social work. Her work across education, community programs, and cultural spaces brings a deeply grounded perspective on identity, leadership, and workplace dynamics.

Susan also completed her first social work placement with me at Jazmin Pursell Consulting, a unique fully online placement experience, which as many helping professionals know, comes with its own set of challenges.

We talk about what it actually feels like to move countries and professions, and go from being established in your career to being seen as “new” again.

But this conversation goes far beyond that.

We unpack something that doesn’t get talked about enough in helping professions.

Cultural assumptions in the workplace.

Because what gets labelled as disengagement, lack of communication, or poor fit is often something else entirely.

Something cultural.
Something contextual.
Something misunderstood.

Susan shares powerful insights into:

• Cultural expectations around communication, respect, and authority
• Why some people internalise rather than speak up and how this gets misread 
• How workplace assumptions impact belonging, performance, and retention
• The emotional load of navigating systems that don’t always understand you and your cultural values and perspectives.

We also talk about working from home as a helping professional, the constant competing demands, and the pressure to keep up when you’re juggling multiple roles.

And of course, boundaries.

Including one of my own from maternity leave:

“Bring my baby to a child protection office? No thank you.”

Because boundaries don’t just protect our time.
They protect what matters.

In this episode, we cover:

• Cultural blind spots in workplaces
• Starting again in a new profession, without losing your experience and confidence in the process
• Working from home and managing competing demands (hello school pick up and parcel deliveries!) 
• People pleasing in early career stages
• Boundaries that communicate your values.

You can listen to Not Another PD wherever you get your podcasts.

If this episode resonates, I’d love to hear from you.

Connect with Susan:

You can connect with Susan and follow her journey into social work via LinkedIn.

Connect or Work with Jazmin

Connect with Jazmin on Instagram and LinkedIn.

If you’re a helping professional or leader looking to strengthen your boundaries, navigate workplace pressures, or access supervision and training, you can find ways to work with me below.

My next Group Supervision Programs begin in June 2026. These are 3 month Group Supervision programs with limited spaces available and are designed for helping professionals who want structured, reflective support in a small group setting.

You can explore options and secure your place here

Would you like some extra support around implementing your boundaries at work?

My $59 Self-Paced Online training Boundaries as Practitioners Masterclass Series is for you! (And a bonus for some extra CPD points before June 30).

Get your instant access here

Thank you for listening to the podcast.

-Jazmin 

Episode 27: The 20% Better Approach Helping Professionals Need for Nutrition (Not Perfection)

In this episode of Not Another PD, I’m joined by Angel Fan, an Accredited Practising Dietitian and the founder of Weight Your Options.

This conversation is about nutrition in the real world.

Not the ideal version. Not the perfectly planned version.
The version that fits around full days, emotional load, decision fatigue and the reality of helping work.

Because most helping professionals already know what supports them.

The challenge is having the capacity to follow through consistently.

In this episode, we explore:

• why nutrition often becomes reactive when work is demanding
• how stress and low capacity shape food choices
• the impact of family messages and early experiences with food
• why “knowing better” doesn’t always translate into doing differently
• Angel’s practical 20% better approach that we can start implementing as soon as this episode is over
• simple, realistic food options for busy days
• the connection between nutrition, emotional regulation and burnout
• one boundary Angel uses to protect her own wellbeing

This is a grounded, practical conversation that moves away from guilt and perfectionism, and towards something that actually works in real life.

Connect with Angel Fan:

Weight Your Options Website
Instagram

You can also download Angel’s free guide “No Stress Family Meals” from her website.

Work with me:

If this episode resonated and you’re a helping professional navigating burnout, blurred boundaries or the emotional load of your work, there are a few ways we can work together.

My self-paced training Boundaries as Practitioners is a practical starting point for you as you commence (or re-commence) your boundaries journey.

You can also explore group supervision, one-to-one support, and training via my website.

If this episode was helpful, feel free to share it with another helping professional.

Cultural Supervision and Cultural Load in the Helping Professions with Yaleela Torrens

In this episode of Not Another PD, Jazmin speaks with Yaleela Torrens, proud Guren Guren and Budjalung woman, social worker and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Worker of the Year (2025).

Yaleela is the founder of Yaleela Torrens Social Work, a private practice based in Gladstone, Queensland. Through her work she provides cultural supervision, leadership guidance and culturally responsive practice support to organisations and practitioners across Australia.

In this conversation we explore cultural supervision and cultural load, and the additional expectations often placed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander helping professionals in workplaces and communities.

Yaleela shares insights from her experience across private practice, leadership and community roles, and explains how cultural supervision can support practitioners, supervisors and organisations to work in more culturally responsive ways.

This episode also explores practical ways leaders and supervisors can strengthen culturally safe environments within the helping professions.

If you work in social work, counselling, allied health, disability services, education or community leadership, this conversation offers an important perspective on how cultural safety, supervision and professional responsibility intersect in practice.

In this episode we discuss

• ​What cultural supervision means and how it differs from traditional supervision models
• ​The concept of cultural load and how it shows up in workplaces
• ​The invisible expectations often placed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners
• ​Why cultural supervision can support both First Nations and non-Indigenous professionals
• ​Practical ways supervisors and leaders can create more culturally safe workplaces
• ​How community, kinship and cultural protocols influence ideas of care, responsibility and boundaries

About Yaleela Torrens:

Yaleela Torrens is a proud Gooreng Gooreng and Bundjalung woman, living and working on her ancestral lands of Gladstone.

She is a dedicated mother and advocate in the local Gladstone allied health sector. As the founder of her own private practice, Yaleela Torrens Social Work, Yaleela blends her social work expertise with leadership in allied health to drive positive change and enhance community wellbeing.

She was recognised as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Worker of the Year (2025).

Yaleela also serves on the boards of Roseberry QLD, MindCare Gladstone, and BilaEmpower, championing initiatives that create meaningful impact across the region.

Connect with Yaleela:

Website

Clinical Cultural Supervision

LinkedIn

Business LinkedIn

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

Phone: 0421 921 536

Work with Jazmin:

If this conversation resonated with you and you’re navigating boundaries, leadership or complex practice environments in the helping professions, there are several ways we can work together.

Boundaries as Practitioners (self-paced training)

Group Supervision Programs:

Explore current group programs here

If this episode has been helpful to you practice, I would absolutely love to hear from you. You can send me an email at [email protected]

This episode is being released during the week of World Social Work Day (17 March), making it a timely and important conversation for our profession.

In Australia, social work is not nationally registered.
Which means, technically, anyone can call themselves a social worker.

That might sound surprising. Or even confronting.

In this episode, I’m joined by Brooke Kooymans, an experienced social worker and sector advocate, to unpack what national registration actually means, why it’s being actively debated right now, and what’s at stake if nothing changes.

We explore:

• What national registration is (and what it isn’t)
• Why title protection matters for public safety and professional accountability
• The risks of anyone being able to call themselves a social worker
• How the lack of registration contributes to role ambiguity and psychosocial hazards in workplaces
• What’s currently happening at a national policy level, including the proposed new regulatory framework
• Common concerns and differing views within the profession

As Brooke shared, national registration ultimately comes down to protection, recognition, and accountability

This isn’t just a “social work issue.”
It shapes how professions are understood, how accountability is upheld, and how safe our systems actually are for the people we support.

Connect with Brooke:

• Rehability Australia
• LinkedIn

Get involved in the conversation around National Social Work Registration

• National Social Work Network (LinkedIn)
• National Social Work Network (Facebook Group)

Connect With Me/Work with me:

Instagram

Website

Boundaries as Practitioners (self-paced training)

Upcoming Group Supervision

Episode 24 - Burnout Isn’t Always Personal: Psychosocial Hazards in the Helping Professions

In this solo episode of Not Another PD, I unpack a topic that is gaining increasing attention in Australian workplaces: psychosocial hazards.

Burnout is often framed as a personal issue, something that can be solved with better coping strategies, improved time management, or simply becoming more resilient.

But many of the pressures helping professionals experience are actually workplace risks, not individual shortcomings.

In this episode I explain:

• ​The Safe Work Australia definition of psychosocial hazards
• ​What psychosocial hazards actually look like in everyday helping professional roles
• ​My own experience earlier in my social work career and the impact of lack of role clarity and low job control
• ​The patterns I now see in supervision across social work, counselling, disability and allied health sectors
• ​Common hazards such as team conflict, bullying, unclear expectations and limited decision-making autonomy

I also share three practical steps you can consider if these hazards are present in your workplace.

Psychosocial hazards don’t just impact practitioners, they can also affect team culture, leadership decision-making and ultimately client outcomes.

Being able to name what is happening is often the first step towards creating healthier and more sustainable workplaces.

Work with Me: 

If you'd like further support around boundaries, supervision, or creating psychologically safer workplaces:

Boundaries as Practitioners Self-Paced Training (Only $59) - https://www.jazminpursell.com.au/ineedboundaries

Free Work From Home Environment Self-Audit

Group Supervision (Groups starting regularly)

Send me an email at [email protected] and let me know what you thought about this episode. I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for listening. 

Episode 23: What Is Your Work From Home Environment Doing to You?

Around 6.7 million Australians now work from home in some capacity.

For helping professionals, that often means holding trauma, conflict, high-stakes conversations and emotional intensity inside our own homes.

But we rarely stop to ask:

What is our work from home environment actually doing to us?

In this first solo episode of 2026, I share honest reflections from my own experience, from working at the dining table, to sweating through confidential meetings in a hot garage, to overworking when unwell because “I’ll just work from home.”

This episode explores the hidden psychological impact of blurred physical boundaries, lack of transition time, overworking, and environments that quietly erode psychological safety.

In This Episode:

• Why your work from home environment directly impacts your mood, regulation and performance
• The hidden cost of no commute time
• The myth that working from home is a “rest” when you’re unwell
• Eating at your desk and unpaid lunch patterns
• Physical discomfort and its impact on client care and leadership capacity
• Climate control, sensory needs and cognitive load
• Small, practical changes that improve sustainability when working from home

This isn’t about aesthetics, although I must admit I do like a good office colour scheme.

It’s about whether your environment supports your nervous system to do complex helping work well.

Free Resource: Work From Home Environment Self-Audit:

If this episode resonated, you can download it for free now.

It helps you reflect on:

• Physical setup and ergonomics
• Sensory stimulation and climate
• Emotional containment
• Whether your environment supports psychological safety

Download it here

Ways We Can Work Together:

Boundaries as Practitioners – Self-Paced Two-Part Self-Paced Training ($59)

Clinical Supervision & Leadership Supervision

Organisational Training on Psychological Safety and Psychosocial Hazards

Learn more

If this episode made you pause, I’d love to hear from you.

At the end of a work-from-home day, how do you actually feel?

And what might your environment be contributing to that feeling?

Thank you for listening.

Jazmin