Burnout Is Silently Destroying Your Marriage

In this episode of Startup Spouses, Marie Intimacy coach) and Adam (business coach) get real about burnout: what it looks like, how it sneaks up on you, and why hustle culture is conditioning an entire generation — including our kids — to run on empty.

Drawing from their own experiences with sobriety, family business near-bankruptcy, a daughter's eating disorder, and a global pandemic all hitting at once, they share the mindset shifts and practical tools that helped them rebuild their capacity — and their marriage.

You'll hear about:

• Why "giving 110%" is actually a red flag — and what to say instead

• The 80% Rule: how training for Ironman Triathlon taught Adam a better way to work, live, and lead

• How burnout shows up in your body before your brain catches on

• Simple embodiment practices to reconnect with yourself under stress

• Why your intimacy life is the first casualty of chronic burnout — and how to protect it

• The power of scheduling connection (yes, including sex) to keep your relationship from becoming a roommate situation

Episode: Burnout

Startup Spouses — helping entrepreneurial couples go from mediocre to mind-blowing

In this episode:

• [Intro] Marie & Adam introduce the topic of burnout and its connection to hustle culture

• Adam's personal burnout story: panic attacks in college, over-functioning in the family business, and even "recovery burnout" in sobriety

• Marie's burnout story: working restaurant shifts without breaks, young kids + undiagnosed ADHD, panic attacks driving to work

• How burnout nearly destroyed their marriage when business insolvency, COVID, a daughter's eating disorder, and a move all hit in the same two months

• The 80% Rule — the Maffetone Method, heart rate training, and how building capacity at 80% makes your 80% better than everyone else's 110%

• Signs of burnout: weight changes, heart palpitations, nervous system dysregulation, loss of libido, anger, disconnection

• Embodiment tools: breathwork, body check-ins, placing a hand on your chest, gratitude practice as a gateway to mindfulness

• Why scheduling intimacy isn't unromantic — it's essential

• Understanding responsive vs. spontaneous desire and what your partner actually needs to feel connected

• How prioritizing your relationship fuels everything else in your life and business

Resources mentioned:

• Weekly Spouse Meeting Framework (download in show notes)

• The Maffetone Method (heart rate-based training)

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"Let's build mind-blowing relationships with our spouses so we can build great businesses."

Show Notes