How To Reduce Your Mental Load | Professor Leah Ruppanner

If you’ve been feeling mentally drained, overwhelmed, or like your brain never switches off, this episode will help you understand why and show you how to reduce the mental load and finally feel lighter.

In this episode of Reset, I’m joined by Professor Leah Ruppanner to unpack the mental load so many women are carrying and why so many of us feel constantly overwhelmed, stretched too thin, and responsible for holding everything together.

We talk about emotional labour, invisible responsibilities, and how the pressure of modern life, work, and relationships can quietly lead to burnout. If you’ve ever felt like you’re thinking about everything all the time, this conversation will help you feel seen, understood, and supported with practical tools to reduce the mental load, set boundaries, and create more space in your life.

The cover of Leah’s chart-topping new book Drained makes a bold promise: that by reducing our mental load, we can do less and be more. More successful in our careers, more fulfilled in our lives, and more impactful in the world. In this episode, we unpack exactly how.

Leah is a leading sociologist at the University of Melbourne, CEO of Lighten Lab, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and CNN for her data-driven insights on gender, equity, and workplace policy.

In this episode, we cover:

• What the mental load actually is and why it feels so heavy
• The invisible and emotional labour women carry every day
• Why so many high-achieving women feel overwhelmed and burnt out
• The 8 types of mental load and how to recognise them in your life
• How the mental load shows up in relationships and at work
• Practical ways to reduce the mental load and set better boundaries
• How to navigate gender bias in the workplace (and use it to your advantage)
• A sociologist’s perspective on where to focus your time and energy

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or like you’re doing everything but still not getting ahead, this episode will help you feel lighter, clearer, and more in control of what actually matters.

Take the free mental load assessment https://www.lightenlab.com/assessment

Listen to the MissPerceived Podcast

Buy Leah’s best selling book Drained

https://www.booktopia.com.au/drained-leah-ruppanner/book/9781761471957.html?srsltid=AfmBOorIAs9WdiOH2bm-5y8teJrJ6DNiYdHfp_SUwgEh8qW0lZ5qjgMH

Follow Leah on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/prof.leahruppanner
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