In this episode of The Burnout Club, Patrice Bonfiglio sits down with Dr. Christine Staten, a veterinarian, practice owner, and founder of Veterinary MBA. From building a 10-doctor, 50-person mixed animal practice to creating space for mentorship and consulting, Christine’s journey is a testament to what’s possible when you blend entrepreneurial fire with emotional self-awareness. Together, they explore how burnout shows up in caregiving professions—and why your nervous system might just need an Airbnb in the mountains.

Listeners will walk away with practical, soulful strategies for spotting emotional spirals before they take over. Christine opens up about how she learned to differentiate her own stress signals and how she teaches overwhelmed leaders to find freedom by letting go—even of things they love.

✨ What You’ll Learn:

• Why burnout is rampant in the veterinary world—and how it mirrors other helping professions
• What emotional differentiation is, and how it can stop spirals in their tracks
• The surprising story behind Christine’s Airbnb purchase during the pandemic
• Simple ways to match your feelings with the right recovery strategy
• Why delegating takes more time upfront—but pays dividends later
• How parenting five kids made her a better team leader
• The mindset shift that allows you to outsource things you actually like doing

About Dr. Christine Staten

Dr. Christine Staten graduated from Vet School in 1999 and owns a 10-doctor, 50-team member, 2-location mixed animal practice in Tucson, Arizona that she grew from a solo-ambulatory practice. Desiring to learn more about entrepreneurship and business management, she earned her MBA from LSU in 2023. With her company Veterinary MBA, Dr. Staten is enthusiastically helping other practice owners and managers create more sustainable business models while gaining more time, money, and freedom in their lives. She is also passionate about encouraging and mentoring the next generation of veterinarians into the greatest profession in the world. Unapologetically unbalanced, Dr. Staten is married with five children and six grandchildren. She dabbles in real estate with commercial property, student rentals, and an Airbnb.

Connect with Christine

• Website: veterinary-mba.com
• Instagram: @veterinary_mba
• Facebook: Veterinary MBA
• LinkedIn: Veterinary MBA

Feeling emotionally fried or tangled in too many responsibilities? This episode is your invitation to pause, label the feeling, and create a better plan. Whether it's delegating one task, building emotional awareness, or buying a little bear décor—your burnout doesn’t have to define you. Share your delegation wins or “CEO Day” experiments with us @veterinary_mba and tag #TheBurnoutClub.

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In this episode of The Burnout Club, host Patrice Bonfiglio talks with Neal K. Shah, Chairman and Co-Founder of Counterforce Health and #1 bestselling author of Insured to Death. Neal and his team are building AI agents to help patients and physicians fight back against health insurance claims denials—a growing crisis that leaves millions without access to necessary care and adds fuel to the burnout epidemic.

Neal shares how his personal caregiving journey and a successful career managing a $250M hedge fund led him to pivot toward social entrepreneurship. We uncover the real impact of insurance denials, the shocking cost disparities in healthcare pricing, and how technology can give patients a fighting chance. Plus, Neal offers a “citizen science” challenge you can try yourself to expose the hidden games in our healthcare system.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why health insurance denials are reaching epidemic levels
• How AI is giving patients and doctors new tools to fight back
• The shocking cost disparities hidden in plain sight in U.S. healthcare
• Why a sense of purpose is Neal’s shield against burnout
• How his career shift fulfills a childhood “prophecy”
• Neal’s challenge to uncover the true cost of your next medical service

About Neal K. Shah:
Neal K. Shah is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Counterforce Health, where he’s building AI agents to help patients and physicians fight health insurance claims denials. He is the author of the #1 Health Policy bestseller Insured to Death: How Health Insurance Screws Over Americans – And How We Take It Back. 

After a successful career managing a $250 million hedge fund, deeply personal caregiving experiences inspired Neal to pivot to social entrepreneurship. Determined to transform care delivery through technology, he is leading a rapidly growing AI startup dedicated to expanding access to affordable care. Neal is pioneering cutting-edge AI applications to fundamentally elevate quality of life for those needing care. Motivated by creativity and humanitarian progress, he leverages his experience guiding multi-billion dollar investments to make an impact for our most vulnerable populations—leading with both heart and analytical rigor.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Email Neal to get your free copy of Insured to Death Book at [email protected]
• Counterforce Health: https://www.counterforcehealth.org
• Insured to Death Book: https://www.insuredtodeath.org

If this episode opened your eyes, share it with someone battling an insurance denial—and join the movement to demand better healthcare.

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In this episode of The Burnout Club, host Patrice Bonfiglio talks with Neal K. Shah, America’s Chief Elder Officer and CEO of CareYaya Health Technologies. After a successful career as a $250M hedge fund manager, Neal’s life took a dramatic turn when deeply personal caregiving experiences reshaped his purpose. Now, he’s on a mission to transform elder care delivery through technology—while also empowering the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Neal shares why the U.S. care system is failing, how CareYaya is connecting families with skilled healthcare students at affordable rates, and the massive demographic shift that will make caregiving one of the most urgent issues of our time. We dive into AI-powered caregiver training, innovations in home-based care, and why he believes hospice volunteering can change your perspective—and even improve your mental health.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why caregiving “just happens to you”—and why most families are unprepared
• How CareYaya makes quality care 30–40% more affordable than traditional agencies
• The positive ripple effect CareYaya is having on healthcare students’ careers
• Why the current care industry structure leads to poor quality and caregiver burnout
• How AI and robotics could keep aging adults at home for life
• Neal’s challenge: spend a day as a hospice volunteer to reframe your priorities

About Neal K. Shah:
America's Chief Elder Officer and CEO of CareYaya Health Technologies. Author of the #1 Health Policy bestseller Insured to Death. After a $250M hedge fund career, deeply personal caregiving experiences inspired Neal to pivot to social entrepreneurship. He’s now building a rapidly-growing tech startup to expand access to affordable, high-quality care, pioneering AI applications and neurotechnology to elevate quality of life for those needing care. Leading with both heart and analytical rigor, Neal is establishing CareYaya as America’s launchpad for care innovation.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• CareYaya Health Technologies: https://www.careyaya.org
• Insured to Death Book: https://www.insuredtodeath.org

If today’s conversation inspired you, subscribe to The Burnout Club so you never miss the tools, stories, and strategies that help us all thrive in work and in life.

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What happens when your livelihood — your farm, your business, even your home — is at the mercy of climate change? For many, climate risk isn’t just about unpredictable weather; it’s about sleepless nights, financial stress, and even burnout. In this episode, I sit down with Sid Jha, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Arbol, a global climate risk solutions company that’s rewriting the way we think about insurance.

Sid shares the incredible journey from leaving his high-powered role at Citadel to launching Arbol, a company now protecting farmers, energy providers, property owners, and entire communities from the financial fallout of climate disasters. This is more than insurance — it’s peace of mind. You’ll hear how Arbol is using data-driven, parametric solutions to not only cover risks traditional insurers leave behind but to reduce the very stress and burnout that climate uncertainty brings to so many.

✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How Sid transformed his career from Wall Street strategist to climate innovator
• The real cost of climate risk on families, businesses, and communities
• Why traditional insurance is failing and how Arbol is changing the game
• The role of parametric insurance in providing fast, transparent payouts
• How climate risk ties directly to burnout — and what businesses can do about it
• Sid’s personal journey with resilience, focus, and avoiding burnout as a founder
• Why patience, persistence, and “burning the ships” were key to Arbol’s success
  
  

About Sid Jha

Siddhartha Jha is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Arbol, a global climate risk solutions company specializing in parametric insurance. Before founding Arbol, Sid served as a Cross-Commodities Quantitative Strategist and Director at Citadel. Earlier in his career, he launched an agriculture futures trading portfolio and was the first analyst at a startup commodity hedge fund that grew to manage over $600 million in assets. He has also held senior roles at Castleton Commodities International and JP Morgan. Sid is the author of Interest Rate Markets and has taught financial markets at NYU. Deeply committed to giving back, he is active in non-profit work supporting inner-city youth. Sid holds both a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and an M.A. in Statistics from Harvard University.

Connect with Sid & Arbol

🌐 Website: arbol.io

🐦 Twitter/X: @ArbolMarket

💼 LinkedIn: Arbol on LinkedIn

If today’s conversation inspired you, subscribe to The Burnout Club so you never miss the tools, stories, and strategies that help us all thrive in work and in life.

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In this vibrant episode of The Burnout Club, host Patrice Bonfiglio sits down with multi-hyphenate creative and founder Sue Zarco Kramer. From her early days as a screenwriter and director in Hollywood to building her empowering platform, Divorcee Doula, Sue has never been afraid to rewrite her narrative. She opens up about her burnout moment, the bold leap into self-production with her hit pilot Swipe NYC, and how she now helps women reclaim their spark—post-divorce or otherwise.

Listeners will be inspired by Sue's journey of creative reinvention, personal authenticity, and bold self-expression. This episode is a reminder that burnout doesn't mean the end—it's often the start of your most meaningful chapter. Sue's field trips, her storytelling flair, and her deeply intentional approach to transformation will leave you feeling ready to zhuzh up your own life.

✨ What You’ll Learn:

• How burnout pushed Sue to finally produce her own vision—and win big
• Why post-divorce doesn't mean post-beauty, post-style, or post-joy
• What it means to "plant your intentions" and cook with meaning
• The value of getting out of your routine and curating real-life experiences
• Why you don't need to be a celebrity to feel like one
• How storytelling can shift your inner narrative and self-image
• The power of owning all your hats (literally and metaphorically)

About Sue Zarco Kramer:
Sue Kramer is a multi-hyphenate creative. She's written for almost every Hollywood studio and is the creative director of her own branding agency. Her award-winning film Swipe NYC is being turned into a series and propelled Sue to create a platform called Divorcee Doula, which empowers women to be their best selves post-divorce and enter new chapters with invigorating, inspiring, and empathetic guidance. She's also the founder of Connecting Dots Guru and Bella Films.

Social + Web Links:
🌟Instagram: @divorceedoula | @swipe.nyc | @connectingdotsguru
🌟Websites: divorceedoula.com | connectngdotsguru.com

Feeling burnt out or disconnected from your zhuzh? This episode is your invitation to dream bigger, zhuzh louder, and plant the seeds of your next chapter. Share your garden of intention with us at @divorceedoula and tag #TheBurnoutClub.

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What happens when your dream job meets your mission to serve at scale? In this powerful episode of The Burnout Club, host Patrice Bonfiglio sits down with Suzanne Stone, President & CEO of Livestrong, for an in-depth conversation on advocacy, purpose-driven leadership, and the emotional toll of navigating healthcare systems. Suzanne shares her journey from Emmy-winning television producer to nonprofit powerhouse, reflecting on the moment she realized she wanted her impact to reach far beyond one person at a time.

Listeners will gain crucial insights into the work Suzanne and her team are doing at Livestrong, from developing AI-powered survivorship tools to navigating complex Medicaid policy changes. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who has ever been a caregiver, worked in the social impact sector, or felt overwhelmed by bureaucracy while trying to help a loved one.

✨ What You’ll Learn

• How Suzanne Stone transitioned from local advocacy to national leadership
• What it really means to create "impact at scale"
• The unexpected emotional rewards of indirect service
• Key exemptions and practical steps around the new Medicaid work requirement
• How Livestrong's AI chatbot "Ellis" is transforming cancer support
• Why TikTok matters in healthcare advocacy
• The importance of rest, renewal, and personal challenges for burnout prevention

About Suzanne Stone: 

Suzanne Stone is the President & CEO of Livestrong, where she leads with compassion, innovation, and a commitment to improving the quality of life for anyone affected by cancer. A graduate of Texas Christian University and Louisiana native, Suzanne began her career in television, earning a regional Emmy before transitioning to the nonprofit sector. She has held leadership roles at CASA, Children’s Miracle Network, Susan G. Komen Greater Central and East Texas, and more. At Livestrong, she champions initiatives like fertility preservation, AI-powered survivorship tools, and educational resources, all while embodying a deep belief in people-first leadership. Suzanne is also an advocate for personal growth, trying something new every month—from pottery to surfing to bartending.

🌟 Website: www.livestrong.org
🌟 Instagram: @livestrong
🌟 LinkedIn: Suzanne Stone

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In this episode of The Burnout Club, Patrice Bonfiglio sits down with workplace culture and leadership expert Danny Goldberg. Danny shares the deeply personal story behind his entrepreneurial journey, starting from launching a boxing gear company at just 14 to founding multiple successful businesses, including Diamond MMA and his latest venture, BOG Consulting. Together, they unpack the "Build with Care" framework—focused on Safety, Understanding, and Connection—and explore how leaders can turn care into a strategic lever for reducing burnout, disengagement, and turnover.

With powerful anecdotes and practical strategies, Danny challenges outdated leadership norms and introduces a future-forward, human-centric approach to building teams. He also dives into his philosophy on leadership, the myth of generational differences in the workplace, and why perks are no substitute for genuine connection.

Whether you're a team leader, HR professional, or individual contributor, this episode offers eye-opening takeaways to help you create workplaces people don’t want to leave.

Key Topics Covered:

• Danny’s entrepreneurial origin story and influence of his father
• Lessons from managing a global team in his early 20s
• What makes the Build with Care framework work
• Why psychological safety is the cornerstone of team success
• Understanding vs. knowing your people
• Making connection a daily habit, not a reaction to crisis
• Reframing leadership from perks to personalized care
• The danger of treating employees as resources, not people
• Practical experiments to humanize leadership and reduce burnout

About Danny Goldberg:
🌟 Founder of BOG Consulting
🌟 www.dannygoldbergspeaks.com
🌟 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannygoldberg/
🌟 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannygoldbergspeaks/?hl=en
🌟 Fun Fact: Danny competed in kickboxing growing up—a passion that helped spark his first business.

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In this powerful episode of The Burnout Club, host Patrice Bonfiglio sits down with keynote speaker and CEO Barb Betts. Barb shares her transformation from traditional sales tactics to a career grounded in genuine relationships—and how you can do the same. From chasing dogs during cold calls to commanding stages at global conferences, Barb’s journey is a masterclass in the power of connection.

You’ll walk away with practical tools like her 5-part “BUILD” framework, a fresh take on authenticity, and strategies for creating relationship-driven success without the burnout. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, team leader, or aspiring changemaker, this conversation will fuel your next step—with intention and heart.

✨ What You’ll Learn:

• Why traditional sales methods failed—and how Barb rewrote the rules
• The mindset shift that unlocks real relationship-building
• Her signature “BUILD” framework to create real connection
• How to rank and manage your network (yes, even friends!)
• Why AI will never replace a human with a heartbeat
• A Starbucks order hack that makes people feel deeply seen
  
  

About Barb:
Barb Betts is a sought-after keynote speaker, CEO, and relentless advocate for building businesses rooted in relationships. With over 20 years of experience, she blends authenticity and strategy to help professionals create lasting success while staying true to themselves. Known for her high-energy, transformative presentations, Barb has inspired audiences at events like LVMH, Thelios, Fidelity National, Inman Connect, and the NAR Annual Conference. As an entrepreneur and CEO, Barb equips leaders and business owners with the systems and strategies to leverage relationships for growth and success. Through her award-winning podcast, Relationships Are Your Superpower®, she shows how trust-based connections lead to more referrals, loyal clients, and sustainable business models. Outside of her work, Barb enjoys life in Southern California with her husband and two children, and in her spare time, loves to travel, spend time with friends and family, and has never met a steakhouse she doesn’t like!

🌟Website: https://www.barbbetts.com/
🌟Instagram: @barbbetts
🌟LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/barbbetts
🌟Podcast: Relationships Are Your Superpower®

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In this compelling episode of The Burnout Club, host Patrice Bonfiglio sits down with Erin Stafford, bestselling author of The Type A Trap, peak performance expert, and global speaker. Erin shares her deeply personal journey through extreme burnout during her time as head of marketing for a massive healthcare staffing firm — including navigating the pandemic, managing 75 employees, and working 20-hour days.

We dive into:

• Erin’s “spectacular burnout” moment and the wake-up call that changed her life
• Why high achievers often ignore burnout symptoms — and why it hits harder
• The unique challenges healthcare professionals face post-pandemic
• Tactical tools from Erin’s “burnout recovery bingo” — from transcendental meditation to saying “no” with confidence
• How small “pockets of peace” can create massive change
• Why success without joy is just another trap — and how to redefine what fulfillment really looks like

This is an episode full of honesty, resilience, and powerful takeaways. Erin’s story will inspire you to reexamine your definition of success, learn to listen to your own needs, and finally create a life that feels as good as it looks.

About Our Guest:
Erin Stafford is a speaker, marketing exec, and author of The Type A Trap. After facing intense professional burnout, she turned her experience into a mission to help high achievers recover, recalibrate, and thrive. Erin speaks on global stages and coaches individuals and teams on sustainable success and mental health.

To learn more about Erin Stafford:

🌟Erin’s Website
🌟The Type A Trap on Amazon
🌟Follow Erin: LinkedIn, Instagram

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In this episode, Patrice Bonfiglio sits down with Caroline Dowd-Higgins, Chief Energy Officer, bestselling author, and former opera singer turned burnout recovery coach. They explore the powerful transformation from relentless overachiever to high-impact high achiever — and why your well-being is the key to sustainable success.

Caroline shares how her career took her from global opera stages to the pressure-cooker environments of higher ed and corporate America — and what finally pushed her to say “enough” and launch her own consulting firm. Her journey is a powerful example of reclaiming agency, redefining ambition, and learning how to thrive on your own terms.

Through heartfelt stories and practical strategies, this conversation covers the cost of workplace burnout, the myths of overachievement, and how simple shifts in mindset and workplace culture can unlock brilliance in both individuals and teams.

 Lessons from This Episode:
• Burnout is not a personal failure — it’s a systemic issue
• Overachieving is not a badge of honor if it costs your well-being
• You can still be ambitious and protect your peace
• Ask for what you need — courage is a skill, not a personality trait
• There's no business case for burnout — companies thrive when people do
• Thriving starts when you stop waiting for permission

To learn more about Caroline Dowd-Higgins:
🌟 Chief Energy Officer at Caroline Dowd-Higgins Consulting
🌟 Author of This Is Not the Career I Ordered and TEDx Speaker

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