This mini episode, based on my conversation with Dr Kate Murray, will focus on what you can do personally when you are in an environment that doesn’t value your contributions and is leading to your burnout. Many women spend a lot of time in their careers doing non-essential tasks that are not valued, yet we value our role in contributing to the greater good. How can start to unpack that messaging, take back control of what we do, and start to buck the system?

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

Dr Kate Murray is an associate professor at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. She is a clinical psychologist who now focuses on systems change. Yet she brings that perspective from being a therapist, what can I do now from where I stand, what can I control, what small changes can I make that will make a difference? When many people are feeling overwhelmed by how much needs to change in society this focus is empowering.

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

Last week author, podcaster and coach Selina Barker and I spoke in some detail about our inner critics during the episode on a step by step guide to burnout recovery. In particular, Selina, who wrote the book Burnt Out calls her inner critics her shitty committee. I wanted to focus this week’s mini episode on this topic of befriending your inner critic and finding your inner mentor because it has been such a large part of my burnout journey. 

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

Watch the talk here and please share it.

https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

Selina Barker wrote the book Burnt Out which stood out to me because it used the English spelling. So of course I got the audible version so I could hear her English voice giving me all this wise and compassionate advice. I loved this interview with Selina because it brought more of her back story to her book as well as included the first most important steps you need to take in burnout recovery. If don’t have a coach, then this week Selina is that coach telling you to rest. To cancel all plans and rest. Coaches give us permission to do the thing we know in our hearts we need to do. 

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

Mary Beth Ferrante is an organizational specialist who provides individual coaching for employees, particularly moms, but who quickly learned that individual change is not enough, we also need to address organizational and social barriers. In particular, we need to have cultural change around the ideal worker as available 24/7 to being someone who is resourceful and whole and creative and engages in many aspects of their life. I wanted to interview Mary Beth because her work embodies addressing all levels of change that can support equity at home and work and therefore reduce burnout. 

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

This week’s mini episode based on freedom coach Stephanie Chick’s advice, provides a guide to being rather than doing. What does that mean? Doing has an end point or limitations such as only doing it when you feel comfortable. Being is when in every situation you commit to using one of Stephanie’s 7 behaviors truthful, courageous, detached, loving, faithful, still and happy.

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

Stephanie Chick is a Freedom Coach and Master Teacher. She experienced burnout in corporate America but also started to create her role as a coach in that space. Her approach focuses on 7 behaviors: be truthful, be courageous, be detached, be loving, be faithful, be still and be happy. She also explains the difference between being and doing, which I have struggled with. Stephanie provides her clients with a roadmap and even offers some classes for free because she is so committed to sharing this approach. 

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

This week is a hybrid bonus episode. I am interviewing coach, keynote speaker and mom of 4 Jennifer Whitmer. But we’re not talking about burnout or even being a mom, we are talking about our experiences of being a TEDx speaker. In March 2022, Jenn and I both were speakers at TEDx McMaster U. When we recorded this episode our talks had been aired for the virtual event but they were not yet out on the TED YouTube platform. And we both had similar experiences preparing and recovering from our talk. If you have ever thought about doing a TEDx talk because you have an important message to share, we will give some really pertinent insights from our experience.

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ

Professor Rebecca Pope-Ruark is a burnout coach and author of an upcoming book on faculty burnout in women. When she asked for submissions on burnout, only women faculty responded! Rebecca describes how her love of teaching evolved into burnout and how she now supports faculty in their careers. We talk about why higher education is a particularly challenging environment to address burnout culture, yet why it is so important as we are preparing the citizens of the future.

Please watch my TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/9YY0gVnVPoQ