Hustle can give you momentum but it was never meant to be your permanent address. In this raw, in-progress conversation, founder-turned-creator Amber Gray shares how she recognized burnout in the quiet moments (sleep, stillness, numbness), what quitting alcohol revealed about her body’s signals, and why she ultimately sold her company to choose health over identity. We unpack identity beyond job titles, learning to listen to the body, and building a life where ambition doesn’t cost your nervous system.

We talk about:

• The whisper signs of burnout (and why numbness isn’t “fine”)

• “Hustle is a season, not an identity” reframing success without self-erasure

• Identity limbo: Who am I without my work?

• Delegation, boundaries, and Amber’s book Firing Yourself (micro “firing” from tasks to reclaim energy)

• Small steps that build real happiness: nervous system regulation, Qigong, 1% shifts, self-compassion

About Amber: Founder, writer, and coach exploring a gentler path to achievement. She’s building resources on delegation and focus while letting art and slow creativity lead.

Burnout isn’t a personal failure it’s often a systems problem. In this honest, grounded conversation, Sophie sits down with Katrina, a regenerative coach and strategist, to unpack why so many high performers end up exhausted in cultures that reward output over capacity…and what it takes to rebuild.

In this episode:

• What regenerative leadership really means (beyond KPIs, pizza Fridays, and “earning” rest)

• How to spot the gap between what a company encourages and what it actually rewards

• The difference between being a winning horse vs. a workhorse

• Trauma-bonding at work vs. resourcing each other for real change

• Practical boundaries that prevent collapse (starting with “Do you have capacity for this?”)

• Treating teams like a nervous system and using culture signals to recalibrate before burnout hits

Key idea: “You can’t heal in a system designed to keep you in survival mode.” If your body’s telling you the truth, listen.

If this episode moved you, follow the show, rate it, and share it with someone who needs to hear: It’s not you it’s the system.

About Katrina De Angelis:Katrina is a regenerative coach and strategist helping leaders rebuild their relationship with work by restoring balance, trust, and nervous system awareness. Follow her on Instagram @katrina.deangelis.

In this Season 2 premiere of Burnout Detox Kit, Sophie sits down with therapist and coach Martina Witter to explore the power of boundaries as a form of self‑care. Drawing on her upbringing as a Black British Caribbean woman, Martina unpacks how cultural expectations like the “strong Black woman” archetype shape our sense of worth and our ability to say no. She explains why boundaries aren’t selfish – they’re an act of love that preserves your well‑being and allows you to show up authentically for others.

Martina and Sophie talk candidly about common emotional barriers, anxiety, shame and fear of failure that keep us over‑working and over‑giving. Martina offers practical ways to unlearn inherited rules, check in with your values, and build non‑negotiable habits (like gym time or sleep) into your week. She reminds us that “saying no is a strength” and that choosing yourself is the first step toward true resilience. Whether you’ve hit burnout before or you’re beginning to feel its pull, this conversation is a compassionate reminder that it’s never too late to draw a line and start healing.

In the season finale of The Burnout Detox Podcast, Joy Langley as a coach, therapist, and speaker, shares a deeply personal truth: burnout isn’t always caused by work. Sometimes, life burns you out first.

Joy opens up about losing her son, navigating grief, and the silent pressure to keep going when everything inside is falling apart. Together, we explore why burnout is both personal and public, why fear keeps us from stopping even at the breaking point, and why self-responsibility, not blame, is key to recovery.

If you’ve ever felt like you were “keeping it together” on the outside while crumbling on the inside, this conversation will remind you: you’re not alone, and it’s never too late to protect your peace.

You can find Joy here -> https://www.joylangley.com/

🎧 Listen now to close out Season 1 and get ready for what’s coming in Season 2.

What if your self-care routine is just another thing you’re trying to perfect?

In this episode, Amy McCae, a wellness coach, speaker, and former chronic illness patient, shares how her obsession with doing recovery “right” led her into over-healing.

She was meditating, journaling, eating clean, working out… and still burning out.
Because when healing becomes a checklist, it stops being healing.

Together, we explore:
→ The trap of performative self-care
→ Why perfectionism sneaks into wellness
→ The difference between balance and harmony
→ The shame high-achievers carry when “doing it all” still isn’t enough
→ The power of micro-pauses and emotional honesty

If you’ve been doing all the “right” things and still feel depleted, this is for you.

📌 Connect with Amy: www.amymccae.com

What happens when the strong ones break?

In this episode, Sophie is joined by Dannielle Haig; business psychologist, psychotherapist, and resilience coach for high-performing women. Dani opens up about hitting burnout while helping others, running her business through the pandemic, and the moment she realized she’d given too much.

From collapsing boundaries to emotional depletion, and the silent conditioning women face in the workplace, this conversation is radically honest, fiercely empowering, and deeply human. Dani shares how burnout became her wake-up call and how reclaiming ownership was the first step back.

This isn’t just about recovery.It’s about accountability, boundaries, and remembering your power.

Find Danielle at www.DannielleHaig.com

📌 Topics include:

• Perfectionism & emotional burnout

• The power of resentment as a signal

• Boundaries as self-respect

• Why women are at higher risk

• Ownership, choice & female resilience

What happens when you burn out while building a burnout prevention product?

In this episode, Sophie speaks with Austin, tech founder, writer, and systems thinker who created a burnout solution inside Slack, only to hit burnout himself. Together, they explore the complexity of purpose-fueled exhaustion, the invisible weight founders carry, and how productivity culture often disguises suffering.

Austin shares powerful reflections on energy management, journaling, self-worth, and why recovery isn't a clean break, it’s a series of course corrections. He also introduces a moving metaphor: the blister of burnout, a warning to those who jump back in too soon.

If you're a builder, leader, or anyone trying to do meaningful work without losing yourself this one’s for you.

📌 Key themes:→ Purpose-fueled burnout→ Energy & wellbeing debt→ The myth of balance vs. polarity→ Journaling as a healing tool→ Community as medicine

Connect with Austin here:

• LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-drabik/
• Personal website / blog — https://www.austindrabik.com/
• Conjuring Culture — https://conjuringculture.com/

What if recovery isn’t a break from strength but where strength begins?

In this powerful episode of The Burnout Detox Podcast, Sophie speaks with Adam Dehaty, a former professional rugby player turned psychologist, about what true resilience really looks like.

From the rugby pitch to Nike’s European HQ, Adam’s journey reveals how high performers often confuse pushing with progress and why learning to pause with purpose might be the bravest thing we ever do.

Together, we explore:

• The pressure to endure even when the injury is invisible

• How workplaces can learn from sports: stress + rest = growth

• The “messy drawer” metaphor for ending your day with intention

• Why wellbeing isn’t just yoga or apps it’s systemic

• The belief Adam had to let go to finally heal

This episode is both practical and poetic. A masterclass in redefining strength not as effort, but as alignment.

🎧 Whether you're burning out quietly or already deep in recovery, this one is for you.

Find Adam here:

https://www.adamdehaty.com/

What if leaving the job doesn’t leave the burnout behind?

In this raw and real episode, Sophie sits down with burnout survivor Harpreet for an unfiltered, two-way conversation between two high-achieving women who thought they had healed until burnout knocked again.

Together, they explore:

• The guilt and shame of “knowing better” and still crashing

• How our identity becomes entangled with work

• Why rest isn’t always the answer

• The hidden struggles of burnout in men

• The moment you realise: survival itself is sacred

This isn’t an expert interview, it’s a moment of truth. A call to reset. A story still unfolding. If you’re in the thick of it, let this be a reminder: you are not alone.

🎧 Connect with Harpreet:

https://www.openyourreach.com/

What if resilience isn’t about being strong, but about finally feeling safe?

In this episode, I’m joined by Alex Pett, a former lawyer turned resilience coach who burned out twice before discovering the truth about what it really takes to recover. Together, we unpack:

Alex’s wisdom is honest, grounded, and deeply human. T

🎙️ This one’s for anyone who’s ever pushed through pain just to prove their worth.

📲 Follow Alex:
Instagram → @alexresiliencecoachWebsite → www.surecoaching.com