Burnout Recovery, Alignment, and a Thoughtful Transition
Sun Feb 01 2026
Part of burnout recovery is learning when to respond to what your body and life are telling you, even when that response brings some discomfort.
In this episode, Cait and Sarah talk openly about a shift in how they work together and what’s ahead for FRIED. As their roles and priorities have evolved, Sarah is stepping back and Cait is focusing her work more fully on leadership, organizational, and systems-level burnout.
Cait shares how she came to see that her work is strongest when she is creating change at a broader level, working with leaders, teams, and organizations. Sarah reflects on realizing that supporting others through burnout had taken the place of rebuilding her own life, and what became clear once she chose to redirect her energy back toward herself.
The conversation reflects the longer arc of burnout recovery. It speaks to how clarity often comes later than expected, how rebuilding tends to happen in stages, and how fit becomes clearer through experience rather than planning. What Cait and Sarah describe will feel familiar to anyone who has had to respond to a change they did not anticipate but ultimately knew they could not ignore.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Conscious Business Uncoupling and Burnout Recovery Alignment
03:29 Why Burn Bold Shifted From Individual Burnout Recovery to Workplace Burnout
04:28 The Values Bridge Assessment and How It Exposes Misalignment
08:29 Codependency in Helping Roles and Burnout From Borrowed Purpose
11:18 Ending a Business Partnership Without Blame or Failure
18:59 Why You Cannot Force Alignment Through Planning Alone
28:34 Why Transitions Feel So Hard According to Chinese Medicine
31:43 Workplace Burnout vs Misalignment and Why Not Everything Is Toxic
38:16 Using Your Voice and Finding the Work That Fits
42:34 Why Burnout Recovery Still Requires Support and Guidance
Links
Book Cait to Speak at your Event or Org
Schedule a Speaking Inquiry with Cait
Cait Donovan is a keynote speaker, author, and host of FRIED: The Burnout Podcast, specializing in burnout, mis/match, and sustainable performance at work. She partners with corporate leaders, teams, and professional associations through keynotes, workshops, and leadership sessions that treat burnout as data, not failure, to help organizations reduce burnout without blame or shame and build healthier, high performing cultures.
To bring Cait to your organization or event, book an inquiry call here: https://bit.ly/bookcait
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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Part of burnout recovery is learning when to respond to what your body and life are telling you, even when that response brings some discomfort. In this episode, Cait and Sarah talk openly about a shift in how they work together and what’s ahead for FRIED. As their roles and priorities have evolved, Sarah is stepping back and Cait is focusing her work more fully on leadership, organizational, and systems-level burnout. Cait shares how she came to see that her work is strongest when she is creating change at a broader level, working with leaders, teams, and organizations. Sarah reflects on realizing that supporting others through burnout had taken the place of rebuilding her own life, and what became clear once she chose to redirect her energy back toward herself. The conversation reflects the longer arc of burnout recovery. It speaks to how clarity often comes later than expected, how rebuilding tends to happen in stages, and how fit becomes clearer through experience rather than planning. What Cait and Sarah describe will feel familiar to anyone who has had to respond to a change they did not anticipate but ultimately knew they could not ignore. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Conscious Business Uncoupling and Burnout Recovery Alignment 03:29 Why Burn Bold Shifted From Individual Burnout Recovery to Workplace Burnout 04:28 The Values Bridge Assessment and How It Exposes Misalignment 08:29 Codependency in Helping Roles and Burnout From Borrowed Purpose 11:18 Ending a Business Partnership Without Blame or Failure 18:59 Why You Cannot Force Alignment Through Planning Alone 28:34 Why Transitions Feel So Hard According to Chinese Medicine 31:43 Workplace Burnout vs Misalignment and Why Not Everything Is Toxic 38:16 Using Your Voice and Finding the Work That Fits 42:34 Why Burnout Recovery Still Requires Support and Guidance Links Book Cait to Speak at your Event or Org Schedule a Speaking Inquiry with Cait Cait Donovan is a keynote speaker, author, and host of FRIED: The Burnout Podcast, specializing in burnout, mis/match, and sustainable performance at work. She partners with corporate leaders, teams, and professional associations through keynotes, workshops, and leadership sessions that treat burnout as data, not failure, to help organizations reduce burnout without blame or shame and build healthier, high performing cultures. To bring Cait to your organization or event, book an inquiry call here: https://bit.ly/bookcait Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm