Will Robins: How PGA Science Helps You Recover from Burnout
Sometimes the next step is simply asking for help. Sarah Vosen is here to guide you through it: https://caitdonovan.com/coachingBurnout hides best inside people who love their work so much they don’t notice it draining the life out of them.PGA coach and RGX founder Will Robins joins Cait to unpack how devotion to service can turn into slow-motion burnout, especially when you’re praised for being endlessly available. He shares how surviving the 2004 tsunami gave him purpose, but years later COVID thrust him into a different kind of survival mode, fielding nonstop crisis calls from golf pros worldwide. Passion became obligation, generosity became emotional labor, and saying yes became his default until resentment started to seep in. Together, he and Cait expose how burnout isn’t about workload—it’s about tension, expectations, and the belief that being needed equals being valuable.They map a way back through honest boundaries, aligned priorities, and Will’s Scoring Method as a metaphor for life: stop swinging for perfection and focus on consistent, pressure-free plays. You'll hear practical language for saying no without guilt, a reframing of stress as a physical reaction rather than a personal failing, and a challenge to stop optimizing your recovery like another achievement project. If you're the “reliable one” who keeps muscling through, this episode invites you to build a life where people need you less, and love you more because of it.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Burnout and Purpose After Surviving the Tsunami02:45 COVID Burnout and the Cost of Constant Service08:04 Why High Performers Miss Burnout Signs11:47 Burnout Culture in the Golf Industry and Beyond17:31 Rebuilding Life with Faith, Health, and Family21:02 Setting Boundaries Without Guilt32:02 The Scoring Method for Life and Burnout36:00 Mastering Emotional RegulationConnect with Will Robins:Will’s WebsiteFollow Will on Instagram Connect with Will on LinkedIn Connect with Cait:Initial Call with CaitInitial Call with SarahSometimes the next step is simply asking for help. Sarah Vosen is here to guide you through it: https://caitdonovan.com/coachingPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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Coaching with Sarah: How to Manage The Panic of Not Being Able to Control All The Things
Sometimes the bravest step is reaching out. Support is waiting for you here: https://caitdonovan.com/coachingControl shows up early in Christy’s story — first as protection, then as identity, and eventually as exhaustion. She has spent years anticipating other people’s needs, convinced that staying ahead of every outcome would keep things safe. Instead, it left her overextended and unsure how to take up space without earning it through service.In this real-time coaching session, Sarah helps Christy notice the cost of constantly shaping herself around other people’s comfort. She isn’t confused about what’s wrong, she’s simply never been given permission to stop carrying so much.The turning point comes when she names one commitment she quietly resents: a year-long carpool obligation she agreed to out of pressure rather than choice. Renegotiating that responsibility becomes the first act of repair. It’s not about convenience. It’s about finally allowing reciprocity.This episode offers an honest look at the earliest stage of burnout recovery, the moment you decide that exhaustion is no longer proof of goodness. One boundary. One ask. One hour of energy reclaimed.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Live Burnout Coaching with Sarah Vosen01:15 Christy Realizes She’s Burned Out for the First Time04:30 Control and Codependency as Burnout Fuel09:00 Parenting Crisis and Emotional Breaking Point16:00 The Tree of Life Exercise for Energy Awareness23:45 Naming Resentment and the Carpool Boundary29:00 Learning to Delegate Without Guilt37:30 Choosing Discomfort That Leads to Recovery40:00 Final Reflection: What Will You Prune from Your Life?LinksConnect with Cait:Initial Call with CaitInitial Call with SarahSometimes the bravest step is reaching out. Support is waiting for you here: https://caitdonovan.com/coachingPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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Coaching with Sarah: How to Calm Your Mind When You're Overwhelmed and Feeling Stuck
The right support changes everything. Our Director of Coaching, Sarah Vosen, combines expertise and compassion to walk beside you: https://caitdonovan.com/coachingBurnout recovery gets complicated as Sarah sits down with Janine, an anonymous guest who is more than halfway through medical leave but still unable to rest. She loves her team and takes pride in her work, yet the thought of returning to the same boss and culture fills her with dread. Even time away hasn’t quieted the anxious loop of questions: Should she go back? Ask for a different role? Step into something lighter? Or leave altogether? And how do you listen to the body’s warning signals when the brain insists you “should” push through?Through thoughtful coaching, Sarah helps Janine notice how her nervous system responds to each option and what those reactions reveal about her deeper truth. The turning point comes when Janine recognizes she isn’t looking for more information, she’s been waiting for permission to trust herself. One small next step, like reading a book without interruption, becomes more than rest. It’s an act of self-leadership.This conversation pulls back the curtain on the messy middle of burnout recovery. There’s no perfect plan or quick fix - just the slow work of honoring signals, taking honest steps, and remembering that rest isn’t earned, it’s allowed.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Real-Time Burnout Coaching with Sarah Vosen02:11 Janine’s Burnout Story and Medical Leave Struggles04:40 Recognizing a Toxic Work Environment07:27 Should I Return to Work or Walk Away?08:15 Financial Concerns and Early Retirement12:10 Anxiety About Returning to the Same Boss20:04 High Achievers and the Pressure to Recover Quickly24:52 The Trap of Maximizing Leave Time31:11 Brain vs. Body: Who Do You Trust?35:03 Learning to Trust Intuition and Body Signals40:08 Creating Safety Through Small Choices45:15 Choosing Restorative Activities Over ProductivityConnect with Cait:Initial Call with CaitInitial Call with SarahThe right support changes everything. Our Director of Coaching, Sarah Vosen, combines expertise and compassion to walk beside you: https://caitdonovan.com/coachingPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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Barry Goldstein: Lower Anxiety and Reconnect With Yourself Through Music
Your energy and well-being are worth investing in. Explore what recovery could look like for you: https://caitdonovan.com/coachingGrammy Award–winning producer Barry Goldstein joins Cait Donovan to explore burnout and the healing power of music. Barry shares how chasing success in New York’s music scene drained the joy from his craft - until he began composing at the rhythm of a relaxed heart. That experiment sparked “acoustoceuticals,” music designed to calm the nervous system, restore heart-brain coherence, and reignite passion.Together, Cait and Barry unpack why some music heals while other music agitates, how to use sound as “musical nutrition” throughout your day, and why your heartbeat may be the most powerful frequency of all. Burnout isn’t the end… it’s a chance to fan the flame back to life!Episode Breakdown:00:00 Introduction and Guest Barry Goldstein03:26 Burnout in the Music Industry: Barry’s Story08:04 Rediscovering Passion Through Heart-Centered Music09:25 Healing at 60 Beats Per Minute20:25 Entrainment: How Music Syncs With the Heart and Body30:46 Resonance vs. Dissonance in Burnout Recovery42:09 The Healing Power of Mantras and Daily Music PracticesConnect with Barry Goldstein:Barry’s WebsiteFollow Barry on InstagramConnect with Barry on LinkedInConnect with Cait:Initial Call with CaitInitial Call with SarahPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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Emily Slachetka: The Pros of Not Waiting Until You are Fried Crispy to Get Help
You don’t have to walk this road alone. https://caitdonovan.com/coaching connects you with Sarah Vosen, our Director of Coaching, who’s helped countless people reclaim their energy.What does burnout look like before it takes you all the way down? For Emily Slachetka, it showed up as constant overwhelm, unexpected tears, and the thought of leaving a job she once valued. She joined UnFried hoping for validation that her workplace was toxic. Instead, she discovered her real challenge was over-functioning.Emily shares how she learned to separate capability from capacity, the unexpected relief of “life pruning,” and the daily practices that helped her rebuild balance - like meditation, clearer boundaries, and asking for help. She also reflects on realigning her life with core values, from choosing a home with green space to recognizing the value of rest and doing nothing.How do you know when you’re taking on too much? What shifts when you ask for help early? And how might work feel different if more of us normalized being human? Emily’s story is a reminder that recovery doesn’t always mean dramatic change. It can begin with small, intentional choices.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Introduction: Emily Slachetka02:07 Emily’s Burnout Story and Joining UnFried05:59 Toxic Workplace or Personal Overfunctioning?08:48 Capability vs. Capacity Explained10:05 Life Pruning and Asking for Help15:19 Listening to the Body’s Signals22:13 The Value of Doing Nothing23:14 Moving States with Burnout Protection in Mind36:24 Reigniting Passion, Purpose, and Identity Beyond WorkConnect with Cait:Initial Call with CaitInitial Call with SarahYou don’t have to walk this road alone. https://caitdonovan.com/coaching connects you with Sarah Vosen, our Director of Coaching, who’s helped countless people reclaim their energy.Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
FRIED: The Burnout Podcast by BurnBOLD™BurnBOLD™ is the powerhouse matchup of burnout experts Cait Donovan and Sarah Vosen. Together, they host FRIED as part of their mission to #endburnoutculture — with deep, real, and sometimes hilariously practical advice (yes, like #peewhenyouneedtopee).Each week, you’ll hear raw stories, powerful coaching sessions, and practical strategies to help you drop the shame, blame, guilt, and judgment so you can heal from burnout and rebuild your life.You can work with the BurnBOLD™ team as an organization or individually. Cait Donovan works globally as a keynote speaker and workshop leader, helping organizations and associations create burnout-proof cultures. Sarah Vosen guides individuals as a burnout coach using her signature UNFRIED process, working 1-on-1 or in small groups with people all over the world.Wherever you are in your burnout journey, FRIED is here to help you BurnBOLD™ and take your life back.Homepage: https://caitdonovan.comPodcast page: https://caitdonovan.com/friedBurnout Coaching page: https://caitdonovan.com/coaching
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