The Burnout Recovery Podcast

Dr Jo Braid
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Mental Health

Welcome to The Burnout Recovery Podcast, where we're creating a global movement to keep healthcare professionals thriving in the careers they love. I'm Dr Jo Braid, your host and The Burnout Recovery Doctor. Whether you're a med student just starting out, an allied health professional at the point of care, or a seasoned doctor feeling the weight of the system - this podcast is your lifeline back to sustainable practice. Here's what I know: when one healthcare professional recovers from burnout and builds a sustainable career, the ripple effect reaches patients, families, colleagues, and communities around the world. That's the power of change where it matters most. In each episode, you'll discover evidence-based strategies and real-world tools to not just survive healthcare, but to thrive in it. Because the world needs you healthy, energized, and passionate about the work that called you here in the first place. This isn't just about individual recovery - it's about transforming healthcare from the inside out, one professional at a time. Ready to be part of the solution? Let's dive in.

  1. 3d ago

    Beyond the Breaking Point — Recovery Strategies for Different Types of High Performers

    Why does the same boundary tool work brilliantly for one person and fall flat for the next? In this episode Dr Jo Braid unpacks why recovery strategies aren't one-size-fits-all, and how to stop forcing yourself into someone else's system. Prompted by a recent workshop with a room of physios and occupational therapists, where one manager's search for focus time revealed just how differently people respond to the same list of tools: a closed door, a sign, headphones, do not disturb. All valid. None universal. Jo breaks down why strategy adherence depends on fit, not discipline, drawing on implementation science, occupational context across academic, clinical and business roles, and stress neuroscience from Dr Amy Arnsten's work at Yale. Then she runs the four pillars, Mindset, Support, Movement, Sleep, through a personality lens so you can find the version that's actually yours. This episode closes out The High Performer's Paradox series. You'll learn: – Why a recovery tool you've abandoned might be wrong for you, not a discipline failure – How academic, clinical and business burnout profiles differ – The neuroscience of why unfamiliar strategies are harder to sustain under stress – How to adapt one pillar this week to actually fit your wiring Connect with Jo: IG/FB: @burnoutrecoverydr LinkedIn: Dr Jo Braid Newsletter, The Sunday Long Game: https://drjobraid.com/subscribe  New: 12 Boundary Scripts — real language for the moments you know you should say no. $47, or upgrade to the video masterclass for $97. drjobraid.com/store  Produced by Propodcaststudio. Supported by MIGA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. Aug 11

    The Leadership Wellbeing Imperative: Why Your Team's Health Starts with Yours

    Your team can't help how they feel walking into an uncertain situation. But you have enormous influence over what you bring into the room. In this episode, Jo shares a real story from ward cover — a complex new patient, a team already bracing for the next few weeks, and the deliberate choice to show up supported rather than depleted. She unpacks why leader regulation is contagious (literally, neurologically), and gives you a practical way to lead through uncertainty without performing false confidence. You'll learn: Why emotional contagion means your mood shapes your team before you say a wordThe neuroscience of co-regulation and why a steady leader calms an uncertain roomA four pillars approach to protecting your own wellbeing before a known hard stretch, not afterA simple way to name uncertainty out loud that builds trust instead of eroding it Leaders need to be well to lead well. This episode shows you what that actually looks like. Resources mentioned: No Is a Full Sentence — 12 boundary scripts for clinicians, $47 (video masterclass upgrade $97): drjobraid.com/store The Sunday Long Game newsletter: drjobraid.com/subscribe  Connect with Jo: Instagram/Facebook: @burnoutrecoverydr LinkedIn: Dr Jo Braid This episode is supported by MIGA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Aug 4

    Ferocious Warmth: Why Great Leadership Needs Both Results and Relationships (with Tracey Ezard)

    What if the thing standing between good results and a thriving team is just one letter?This week I'm joined by Tracey Ezard — author, facilitator, and creator of Ferocious Warmth — who I met on faculty at a Women in Leadership course in Prato, Italy. Tracey has spent two decades studying what separates great teams from ones that just get by, working across health, education and hospitality. We talk about: The "drop one letter" shift — why "I'd like to challenge our thinking" lands completely differently to "your thinking," and the neuroscience of why it lowers defensiveness instead of raising itThe Two Rs: why chasing results without relationship skills caps your outcomes, and what changes when you build bothWhy "doctor" already means "leader" — whether you feel ready for that title or notHow multidisciplinary case conferences either open people up or shut them down, and the small, specific things senior clinicians do that make the differenceEarly warning signs of leadership burnout, and why energy management matters as much as time managementLeadership as your "second profession" — and how much time you're actually investing in itTracey's non-negotiable self-care practice (hint: it involves stairs) Tracey's story is a brilliant reminder that leadership skill isn't separate from clinical skill — it's part of the job description, whether or not it was ever taught. Resources:Connect with Tracey: LinkedIn (Tracey Ezard) and https://www.traceyezard.com/Grab a copy of Ferocious Warmth: https://www.traceyezard.com/books/ferocious-warmth/ As always, if this episode lands, share it with a colleague who needs to hear it — and I'll catch you next week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. Jul 28

    Industry Blind Spots: How Your Sector's Success Culture Fuels Burnout

    Same burnout. Completely different costumes. Why the pressures driving a librarian, a trainee, and an entrepreneur toward burnout look nothing alike on the surface, and what leaders miss when they assume their own experience is the template. Signal: → Burnout shows up differently by role even within the same institution (physicians, nurses, residents, researchers all differ) → ED trainee burnout risk climbs with seniority, not away from it → Boundary-setting entrepreneurs: 45% report low burnout vs 6% of non-boundary-setters → Mentor/peer access linked to ~50% higher resilience Reset: → Ask, don't assume, what a hard day looks like for someone in a different role → Build cross-role listening into leadership, not just same-lane check-ins → Protect recovery time as the floor, whatever the sector → Deliberate variety across your own work can be part of your own protection 🎙️ Resources: 📩 The Sunday Long Game: drjobraid.com/subscribe 🤝 Coaching waitlist: drjobraid.com/coaching 📱 @burnoutrecoverydr | LinkedIn: drjobraid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. Jul 21

    The Stress Spiral: When 'Sleep and Exercise' Isn't Enough

    You're sleeping. You're exercising. You're doing all the things. So why do you still feel like you're white-knuckling through the week? In this episode, Dr Jo Braid explores why standard wellness advice can fall short for high performers — and what the science says is actually driving the stress spiral underneath. In this episode:— Why tracking recovery can make the stress response worse (Stanford research)— What allostatic load means and why sleep alone can't clear the debt— How rumination hijacks your resting brain (UCLA neuroscience)— Values distillation: getting from ten words to two— The difference between solo wellness and nervous system co-regulation— One action: take a one-week break from a tracking tool Connect with Dr Jo:IG/FB: @burnoutrecoverydrLinkedIn: drjobraidNewsletter: drjobraid.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. Jul 14

    Culture by Design: What Makes You Want to Turn Up to Work?

    Culture isn't something that happens to you. It's something you're already participating in — whether you lead a team, belong to one, or sit somewhere in between. This week, Dr Jo shares what a window taught her about workplace culture, why Appreciative Inquiry might be the most underused tool in healthcare teams, and how you can shape the environment around you — regardless of your job title. In this episode: Why small environmental details signal something much bigger about belonging What Appreciative Inquiry is (and why it's not toxic positivity) The neuroscience of deficit-focused workplaces — and what chronic "what's wrong here" culture does to your prefrontal cortex How a two-minute huddle can change the temperature of an entire day Culture by design vs. culture by default drift Researchers referenced: David Cooperrider (Appreciative Inquiry), Dr Kim Cameron (positive organisational scholarship), Dr Christina Maslach (lack of community as a burnout driver), Harvard Centre for Sleep and Cognition This week's action step: Try one appreciative question — with yourself or your team. When were we at our best? or What went well today? Just one. Notice what shifts. Connect with Jo: 📲 IG/FB: @burnoutrecoverydr 💼 LinkedIn: drjobraid 📩 Newsletter: drjobraid.com/subscribe 🤝 Coaching waitlist: drjobraid.com/coaching Supported by MIGA — medical indemnity for Australian healthcare professionals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. Jul 7

    Systems, Not Willpower: One Cardiologist's Approach to Burnout-Proofing a Big Career with Dr Jennifer Coller

    What does it look like to build a big clinical career and stay well doing it? This week Jo sits down with Dr Jennifer Coller — senior cardiologist, regional practitioner, and founder of Pulse Point Academy — to find out. Jen's burnout never stopped her showing up to work. But it quietly hollowed out everything outside of it. What changed wasn't willpower. It was systems, environment, and intentional design. In this episode: Why the clinicians most at risk are often the ones who care the most How Jen redesigned her environment to make sustainability the default The power of micro-recoveries over waiting for annual leave Identifying your personal yellow flags before you need them Women's heart health — the gaps that are still being missed About Dr Jennifer Coller: Senior cardiologist based in Shepparton, VIC, and founder of Pulse Point Academy — delivering accessible, evidence-based cardiovascular education to regional and rural clinicians across Australia. 🌐 pulsepointacademy.com.au Reflection question: Where are you relying on willpower to sustain something that probably needs a system? Connect with Jo: @BurnoutRecoveryDr | Dr Jo Braid on LinkedIn Subscribe to The Sunday Long Game newsletter — https://drjobraid.com/subscribe Free 25-minute coaching consultation — https://drjobraid.com/coaching Proudly supported by MIGA. www.miga.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. Jun 30

    The Mid-Year Reset: 4 Signals You're Heading Toward Burnout (And What to Do About Each One)

    We're halfway through 2026. And if your year has been relentless with very little genuine recovery built in — this episode is your reset. The most downloaded episode of this podcast ever is "How to Recover from Burnout" — over 2,100 listens. That question never stops being relevant. So today we go deeper. I share the four signals your mind and body send before you crash, and one concrete reset for each. No grand overhaul. Just tools you can use this week. 📸 Screenshot this: SIGNAL 1 — "I'm tired even after I sleep"RESET: 5 minutes of intentional rest before you leave work. No phone. No to-do list. Just stop. SIGNAL 2 — "My brain feels like it's running too many tabs"RESET: 3-minute brain dump. Everything unfinished out of your head and onto the page. SIGNAL 3 — "I'm doing everything and resenting all of it"RESET: One boundary this week. You know which one. SIGNAL 4 — "I don't remember why I chose this"RESET: Write down one moment this week where you made a difference. Just one. Start with the signal that made you uncomfortable when I named it. 🔗 Free 25-min consultation call: https://drjobraid.com/coaching 🔗 The Sunday Long Game newsletter: https://drjobraid.com/subscribe 📲 @theburnoutrecoverydoctor | Dr Jo Braid on LinkedIn🩺 Doctors Who Coach Doctors | https://www.doctorswhocoachdoctors.net/ Supported by MIGA: www.miga.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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About

Welcome to The Burnout Recovery Podcast, where we're creating a global movement to keep healthcare professionals thriving in the careers they love. I'm Dr Jo Braid, your host and The Burnout Recovery Doctor. Whether you're a med student just starting out, an allied health professional at the point of care, or a seasoned doctor feeling the weight of the system - this podcast is your lifeline back to sustainable practice. Here's what I know: when one healthcare professional recovers from burnout and builds a sustainable career, the ripple effect reaches patients, families, colleagues, and communities around the world. That's the power of change where it matters most. In each episode, you'll discover evidence-based strategies and real-world tools to not just survive healthcare, but to thrive in it. Because the world needs you healthy, energized, and passionate about the work that called you here in the first place. This isn't just about individual recovery - it's about transforming healthcare from the inside out, one professional at a time. Ready to be part of the solution? Let's dive in.

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