Ditch the Quick Fixes: A Holistic Approach to Free You From Burnout
My client, Mary, texted me excitedly: “I just ordered a 5-day juice cleanse!”
She had all the tell tale signs of burnout- including a level of exhaustion, stress, and overwhelm that had been weighing her down for more than a few months.
For most of her adult life, Mary had been a force to contend with. She’d risen to a prominent leadership position in a prestigious international organization. People wanted her on their team for a reason. And she wasn’t ready to let up.
But her body was saying “no”.
And so she returned to what she knew best- quick fixes like her trusty juice cleanse to boost her energy and give her the comfort that she was taking action. And just continuing to push through, because why not? It’s worked in the past, after all.
Mary’s not unique, so maybe you can relate to her predicament. You’re bone-tired. Your mind is saying “I need a break!” But you’re not ready for that.
So instead you turn to the sleep and anti-anxiety meds, the weekend getaways (with your laptop, of course), and maybe even the cortisol “cocktails” that social media influencers keep promising will fix everything.
And yet… here you are. Tired as ever, dragging yourself through the day, and then snapping at your partner, wondering how much longer you can keep this up.
Before you start beating yourself up about all the things you “should” be doing, I want you to know something important:
IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT
You’ve been sold the idea that quick fixes will solve your burnout. And honestly? It’s really tempting to believe that because you need relief now! But those surface-level fixes only give temporary relief - and that’s why you always find yourself back at square one.
No worries, you’ve arrived in the right place.
In this blog post, you’re going to learn exactly why those quick fixes don’t work- and what to do instead.
What I’m going to share are the steps that’ll bring you closer to your true goals:
waking up energized and excited for the day,
feeling grounded and in-control, and
setting yourself free from burnout, for good
(without having to quit your job, miss out on a promotion, or otherwise give up your big achievements)
Let’s get started!
Why ‘Quick Fixes’ Keep You Stuck IN PLACE
Here’s the truth: quick fixes to uplift your energy or calm your mind don’t actually address the root causes of your burnout. They just press pause on the symptoms and - most importantly- hold you back from doing what’s required to get unstuck and embark on your next burnout-free chapter of life. Let me break it down for you…
Quick fixes are temporary band-aids. Your anxiety meds calm you down until they don’t anymore (or you need a higher dose). That week-long vacation gives you a quick reprieve, but you’re more stressed than ever as soon as you’re back at your desk. Adaptogens might help you sleep better, but stop taking them and your insomnia comes rushing back. These aren’t long-term solutions! They’re just temporary fixes and leave you right where you started.
Quick fixes focus on the wrong problem. I know it can be hard to believe, but fatigue, insomnia, and brain fog aren’t actually the problem. They’re symptoms, the result of the problem. The real issue is the stress, the constant overextension, and the way you’ve pushing through without addressing what your body and spirit are telling you that you really want and need.
Quick fixes keep you distracted from the deeper work. As long as you’re searching for the next quick fix, you’re not asking the harder questions: What and who are truly burning me out? How have I contributed to this process? What habits, patterns, and beliefs are keeping me stuck here?
Going deep can feel scary. I’ve been there myself, and I’ve seen it in my clients, too. But here’s what I know to be true: the women who finally break free from burnout (for good) are the ones willing to look beneath the surface and deal with their deepest fears and desires that have led them to engage in overwork, people pleasing, and perfectionism. Until you change what’s underneath, no surface changes will last.
Now, let’s talk about what actually works.
4 STRATEGIES that fix burnout at its roots
Burnout recovery isn’t about a single supplement, app, or hack. It’s about creating sustainable change in how you care for yourself, how you respond to stress, and how you define success. It’s about shifting how you show up in the world, for others, and for yourself.
Here are the four ways I help my clients do this inside THRIVE, my 1:1 burnout recovery coaching program:
1. Build Better Habits (& Drop the Quick Fixes)
Trade the juice cleanses for nourishing, sustainable meals that fuel and energize you. Swap the sleep meds for routines that actually help you wind down and rest deeply. These kinds of shifts may sound simple, but they’re foundational—and they’re always the first things I help my clients create in THRIVE.
Together, we’ll strategize the specific steps you need to take to create healthy habits around nutrition, sleep, and exercise.
When your body starts to feel better, your energy rises almost immediately. Most of my clients report a monumental increase in their energy within a couple days to a couple weeks of starting in THRIVE. And by monumental, I mean going from a 2 out of 10 to an 8 out of 10. (Yes, like a good type A, I have all my clients track how they’re feeling on a bi-weekly basis).
But this is just the first step. To stay burnout-free and maintain this kind of self-care for the long haul, you need to go a couple layers deeper.
2. Learn to Regulate Your Nervous System
If you’re constantly on edge, flying off the handle when you open your email, getting ready to throw your laptop out the window, and then taking it out on your partner when you get home… you’re dealing with a dysregulated nervous system. Stress is building up inside you with nowhere to go.
And no quick fix in the world can repair that.
You need to start shifting your nervous system out of a constant state of fight-or-flight. Simple practices like recognizing when you’re becoming stressed and doing a quick round of box breathing are good places to start.
Learning to regulate your nervous system is so crucial for burnout recovery that it forms a major part of the work my clients do inside THRIVE. Because when can learn to pause and respond to stressors from a place of calm- instead of reacting immediately the moment they pop up- then you’re inviting in more peace of mind, more mental clarity, and more capacity to take on whatever needs to get done in your day.
Stress no longer has you in a stranglehold. You’re back in control.
3. Go Below the Surface
Burnout doesn’t just come from long hours and overworking. It goes deeper than that. And to heal, you need to do some introspection and figure out WHY you’re so exhausted and overwhelmed. That means identifying patterns and mindsets that have led you down this path- like people-pleasing, perfectionism, and overachieving- and then working to overcome them.
Inside THRIVE, we do this in three ways:
TAKING ACTION by stretching yourself in ways that feel uncomfortable, and maybe a little scary. But we don’t stop with action- we combine it with…
MINDSET WORK to release old or limiting beliefs and replace them with more expansive and empowering ones. And..
SOMATICS - we use body-based techniques and Somatic Breathwork to teach your nervous system- not just your mind- to feel safe (aka “comfortable”) letting go of old ways of doing things that have brought you down, and instead discover new ways that rely on your intuition.
This is the work that creates lasting change.
4. Redefine Success on Your Terms
Many women burn out because they’ve been following someone else’s rules, searching for outward signs of success, validation, and worthiness, but ignoring their own deepest needs and desires. They’ve been suppressing their voice and their truth.
And that’s one of the most stressful and exhausting things anyone can experience.
The good news is that it’s something we can all control!
And here’s how to do it: you reconnect with what you really want. You get honest with yourself and start voicing your needs. You decide what “success” means to you, and let go of how others will or won’t judge you for it.
Success starts to feel different- and better- when it’s aligned with who you are at your core, instead of who you think you should be.
When you take these steps, you extract yourself from burnout for good. Surface symptoms like fatigue, insomnia and brain fog subside. Overwhelm diminishes as you learn to respect your capacity and focus on what fuels you.
That deeper ache for more and for meaning- that ache that’s been at the root of your surface symptoms- becomes healed. And you become a stronger, more effective leader for it, too.
“HELP! THis all sounds great, But Where Will I Find the Time?!”
I know what you’re thinking because I hear it all the time:
Where will I find time to do all this? I’m already so overwhelmed?!
Here’s the truth: burnout recovery does take time. There’s no shortcut. If there were, I’d share it with you right now! But I don’t want time to be the thing that holds you back from changing your life and finally getting to that space where you feel energized each day in body, mind, and spirit.
And on that note, I have good news: yes, we all have limited time. But you’re already stretched past capacity with the time you have. So we can’t just pile on more “work”. Instead, we’re going to subtract things and redistribute your time and energy to focus more on what matters and less on what doesn’t and is draining you.
Inside THRIVE, I help my clients do this by assessing where their time and energy are going right now, and then strategizing how to free up space for the practices that will actually heal burnout at its roots. The time is already there. We just need to make sure it’s working for you, not against you.
What Life Looks Like After Burnout
When you do this work, moving past the quick fixes and surface symptoms to address what’s going on underneath… everything changes.
The fatigue lifts. The brain fog clears. You sleep the night through. You wake up energized and looking forward to your day. In reconnecting with yourself, you become more available to connect with others- your partner, kids, friends. You feel calmer, lighter, and more focused.
Even more importantly, that deeper ache - that craving for more and more meaning - begins to heal. You become a stronger, more confident leader because you’ve developed a greater capacity to handle what’s thrown at you, and with grace.
How you can put these steps to work
Quick fixes won’t free you from burnout. But with the right tools, support, and guidance, you can end the cycle for good.
Inside THRIVE, my 1:1 coaching program, I walk you through each of the steps I shared today—so you don’t just recover, you thrive.
✨ Here’s what to do next. Click on the button below to learn more about THRIVE:
Then, book a free spot on my calendar.
When we talk, you’ll have a chance to unload everything that’s been weighing you down. I’ll help you pinpoint exactly what’s burning you out, and suggest your first action steps. If it seems like we’re a good fit to work together, I’ll answer all your questions about THRIVE.
