Overwhelm seems to be everywhere right now. In fact, LinkedIn’s Chief Economist Karin Kimborough recently shared that posts mentioning overwhelm have increased by 82% this year. With so many leaders and professionals struggling, Jean revisits this topic with fresh eyes and shares practical ways forward.

In this episode, Jean Balfour explores:

• Why overwhelm is so widespread right now, including the impact of AI, workload, and hidden fears at work.
• The less obvious causes of overwhelm that I often see in coaching, like perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional overload, unfinished projects, and constant task-switching.
• Her own journey with overwhelm, what drained her energy, and what restored it.
• A range of practical strategies to help you move from stuck and stressed into energy and enjoyment.

You’ll hear about:

• The hidden stories we tell ourselves that fuel overwhelm.
• The role of unfinished tasks and “cognitive shifting” in draining our focus.
• How to identify what feeds you and what depletes you at work.
• The power of completion, time blocking, and building in breaks.
• Why connecting with “glimmers” those small moments of joy, matters.
• The surprising link between creativity and reducing anxiety.
• How to scale your sense of overwhelm and track progress over time.
• Simple team practices that can make overwhelm an acceptable and solvable conversation at work.

This episode is both compassionate and practical. It’s about understanding that overwhelm has many causes,not just workload, and about finding hope, small shifts, and strategies that really make a difference.

May you find rays of sunshine in these overwhelming times.

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