Most of us have been told that burnout is caused by overwork and that the solution is to rest, take a break or slow down. Set some boundaries. But what if that’s only part of the picture? What if the very thing that made you good at your job – your values, your drive, your commitment to never letting anyone down – is exactly what keeps burning you out? And what if rest, on its own, isn’t enough to get you out?
In this conversation with Nick Petrie, author, leadership researcher and burnout specialist, we go deeper than the usual burnout conversation. Nick has interviewed hundreds of leaders across high-stakes professions, and his findings challenge almost everything we think we know about why burnout happens and what recovery actually requires.
We cover:
- Why high values alignment is a burnout risk, not a protection – and why caring deeply about your work can mean you have no brake
- The “outdated success formula” – the beliefs and behaviours that got you here, and why they stop working as the stakes get higher
- The burnout curve: first, second, and third degree – and how to recognise which stage you’re at before your body decides for you
- The 1-1-1 mechanism: a simple, pre-scheduled way to build recovery into a life that otherwise never stops
- What post-burnout growth actually looks like, and why the version of you on the other side of burnout can be more sustainable than the one before it
This episode is for you if the drive that makes you good at what you do is also the thing that makes it impossible to stop. This episode may help you understand why our ingrained programming – the one that says delivering, caring, and never letting people down is what makes us safe – is something we can actually look at and decide whether to keep.
