The Fatigue Fixer26 Nov 2025

41. The One Where Burnout Becomes A Wake-Up Call

If you’ve ever wondered whether you're “just stressed” or actually burning out, this episode is for you. Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur sits down with one of her patients — a senior executive, life coach, and long-time civil servant — who opens up about her experience as a classic case of burnout. Together, they explore what burnout really looks like in high-achieving women, why it’s so hard to recognize in ourselves, and what it takes to recover when your identity is tied to productivity, perfectionism, and being the one who always holds everything together.

This honest, vulnerable conversation shines a light on the stigma that keeps women silent, the cultural conditioning that drives us to overwork, and the emotional and physical toll burnout takes long before we’re willing to name it.

What You’ll Learn

What Burnout Actually Is: A clear breakdown of workplace burnout, its symptoms, and why high performers often miss the signs in themselves.
The Stigma & Denial Trap: How a leader in workplace wellness overlooked her own burnout and the internal resistance many women feel when admitting they’re not okay.
Identity, Productivity, & Self-Worth: Why so many women equate value with output, caregiving, and competence and how this mindset fuels burnout.
Cultural Narratives That Shape Us: How generational beliefs like “work first, play later” or “rest is earned” quietly shape our adult choices.
The Emotional & Physical Toll: The exhaustion, cynicism, irritability, and breaking points we ignore until our bodies call the shots.
Deciding to Step Away: The fear of disappointing others, the grief of letting go of professional identity, and the courage required to take leave.
Burnout Recovery, The Unexpected Work: Why the early weeks of rest can feel uncomfortable, why productivity habits are hard to break, and how recovery asks us to rebuild from the inside out.
Redefining Rest & Worth: How our guest ultimately shifted her relationship with rest, reclaimed her joy, and made the bold decision to embrace early retirement.

Resources & Next Steps

Maslach Burnout Inventory: A validated tool to help you assess your burnout level.

Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur is a Naturopathic Doctor, mom, and fatigue fixer who’s on a mission to help women fix their fatigue and get the health care they deserve. You can find her talking about all things fatigue on Instagram and learn more about her services at drsarahv.ca.

The Fatigue Fixer is produced by Story Studio Network.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(60)

56. The One Where Strong Feels Better Than Skinny with Leslie Robertson

Have you ever looked at a photo of yourself and immediately started picking yourself apart?If so, you're not aloneIn this episode, I sit down with my friend Leslie Robertson—health and fitness coach, ...

12 Aug 46min

55. The One Where Honesty Gives You More Energy

What does a birthday cake have to do with your energy?More than you might think.In this solo episode, I share a surprisingly emotional story about my birthday cake—and how a simple disappointment unco...

29 Jul 30min

54. The One About Choosing Trust Over Control with Olga Lacroix

Calling all control freaks: if you’re exhausted from trying to hold everything and everyone together, this episode is for you. Join me as I sit down with Olga Lacroix (Registered Social Worker and Mas...

15 Jul 51min

53. The One About Getting Out of Fight or Flight Mode with Valerie Beaulieu

Nervous system dysregulation, chronic pain, migraines, fatigue, and perfectionism are all connected in ways most of us were never taught to understand.In this episode, I sit down with Valerie Beaulieu...

1 Jul 47min

52. The One Where Insulin Resistance is Stealing Your Energy

💌 Leave Me a Voicemail!I want to hear from YOU!Share your questions, stories, or thoughts about this episode — your message might even be featured on a future show.Leave me a voicemail here: Speakpip...

17 Jun 48min