How does burnout happen? Burnout coach Cat Burton explains why burnout builds gradually from stress compounding over weeks, months, or even years. She guides you through how to spot the day-to-day stressors that slowly push you toward burnout.

Cat shares her own experience of identifying the hidden, background stressors behind her three burnouts, and explains why ambitious, capable people are often most at risk.

You’ll find practical first steps for burnout prevention before you hit breaking point.

References & Links:

• 15 Common Symptoms of Burnout: https://youtu.be/6J12ZC3atJI
• Phone addiction and our devices’ impact on burnout: https://youtu.be/ue0E-T1JWMc

Chapters:

00:00 Understanding Burnout: The Gradual Build-Up

01:10 Stress as the main cause of burnout

02:14 Example stressors - the big things

03:07 Example stressors - the small things that compound over time

04:24 Preventing burnout by identifying resolving your own personal stressors

05:15 Why burnout often impacts ambitious, conscientious and capable people

06:04 Validation and a lack of appreciation

07:04 The impact of phones and notifications

08:19 The stressors we can't control: the economy, AI, the news...

08:52 Building stress resilience

09:19 Stop pretending "I'm fine"

09:42 Strategies for lowering your stress levels and preventing burnout

10:20 How a coach or therapist can help you with burnout prevention and recovery

About Cat

Hey, I’m Cat Burton. I'm a burnout coach for founders and leaders. I spent years burning out while building startups, leading teams and shipping products to millions of users. Now I share the tools and lessons I've learned to help others on their burnout journeys.

Got a topic you'd love me to cover? Leave a comment below or message me directly.

You can find me on:

My website: https://www.catburton.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catburton/

Work with me

1:1 burnout coaching: https://www.catburton.co.uk/coaching

Burnout support for organisations: https://www.catburton.co.uk/organisations

This podcast is available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cat-burton

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZPydclnNOdTjbkhP4TxBt

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-reset-with-cat-burton/id1826399527

…and wherever you find your audio podcasts

Disclaimer

I am not a licensed therapist, doctor, accountant or lawyer. I’m sharing my personal insights and my journey in the hopes it might help you if you’re going through something similar.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recognising the most common burnout symptoms is the first step toward recovery. Here are 15 warning signs to watch out for.

As a burnout coach, I often see the same patterns come up in my coaching sessions, talks, and my own experiences. In this episode, I walk through 15 frequently reported indicators, ranging from physical symptoms like sleep disruption and headaches to emotional shifts. Understanding these signs of burnout early can help you start a conversation before your situation escalates further. We also look at the mental exhaustion that often accompanies this state, such as brain fog and decision fatigue.

Whether you are identifying these patterns in yourself or someone you care about, my goal is to provide insight into what is happening and why. Recognising these symptoms is an essential part of the journey toward sustainable burnout recovery.

Subscribe for insights on navigating professional and personal wellbeing, and let me know in the comments if there is a specific topic you would like me to cover next.

References & Links:

• What Is burnout? https://youtu.be/3xiWY3MOXsI?si=xy4wzMVClGYrHVL9
• How to make difficult decisions: https://youtu.be/DiS4imd5_U4
• Phone addiction and our devices’ impact on burnout: https://youtu.be/ue0E-T1JWMc

Chapters:

0:00 Recognising the Early Signs of Burnout

0:39 Physical Red Flags You Should Not Ignore

6:18 When Your Mind Starts to Feel Foggy

11:29 The Emotional Toll of Chronic Stress

17:16 Practical Steps Toward Recovery

About Cat

Hey, I’m Cat Burton. I'm a burnout coach for founders and leaders. I spent years burning out while building startups, leading teams and shipping products to millions of users. Now I share the tools and lessons I've learned to help others on their burnout journeys. Got a topic you'd love me to cover? Leave a comment below or message me directly.

You can find me on:

My website: https://www.catburton.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catburton/

Work with me

1:1 burnout coaching: https://www.catburton.co.uk/coaching

Burnout support for organisations: https://www.catburton.co.uk/organisations

This podcast is available on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cat-burton

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZPydclnNOdTjbkhP4TxBt

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-reset-with-cat-burton/id1826399527

…and wherever you find your audio podcasts

Disclaimer

I am not a licensed therapist, doctor, accountant or lawyer. I’m sharing my personal insights and my journey in the hopes it might help you if you’re going through something similar.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is burnout and how do you know if that's what you're experiencing? I break down what burnout actually is, the three types of exhaustion (mental, emotional, physical), common burnout symptoms, and why the World Health Organisation classifies it as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition.

Drawing on my own experience of three major burnouts as a founder and C-suite exec, I explain what burnout feels like from the inside. I share some of the early warning signs to watch for and why understanding burnout is the first step to recovering from it.

Chapters

00:00 Understanding burnout

00:42 What is burnout?

01:22 Mental exhaustion - brain fog, struggling to focus and lack of motivation

02:06 Emotional exhaustion - overwhelm, disconnection, low mood and more

02:54 Physical exhaustion - getting sick or not have the energy to move

04:02 Everyone's journey with burnout is unique. The most common symptoms

05:21 The house of cards - Why you might be worried to stop or slow down

06:17 The World Health Organisation's definition of occupational burnout

07:31 There are many different types of burnout, it's not just about work

08:00 Recognising the symptoms and warning signs of burnout

08:58 The risks of untreated burnout

09:44 Burnout recovery and prevention strategies

References & Links

• Introduction to Burnout Blog Post: https://www.catburton.co.uk/blog/an-introduction-to-burnout
• WHO Occupational Burnout Classification: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases

About Cat

Hey, I’m Cat Burton. I'm a burnout coach for founders and leaders. I spent years burning out while building startups, leading teams and shipping products to millions of users. Now I share the tools and lessons I've learned to help others on their burnout journeys. Got a topic you'd love me to cover? Leave a comment or message me directly.

You can find me on:

My website: https://www.catburton.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catburton/

Work with me

1:1 burnout coaching: https://www.catburton.co.uk/coaching

Burnout support for organisations: https://www.catburton.co.uk/organisations

Disclaimer

I am not a licensed therapist, doctor, accountant or lawyer. I’m sharing my personal insights and my journey in the hopes it might help you if you’re going through something similar.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.