SystemsCheck™: The Human Operating System for Ambition & Burnout

Naina Rana
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  • Mental Health

SystemsCheck™ The show for high performers who look fine on paper — and know something's off underneath. Hosted by Naina, LCSW — licensed therapist, former tech insider, and burnout specialist — Systems Check examines the human operating system behind leadership, ambition, and relationships. Through candid solo episodes and expert conversations, we explore how your nervous system, decision-making patterns, and relational dynamics quietly shape performance at work and at home. We look at burnout through the lens of chronic illness, couples and family systems, and substance and behavioral patterns — because high demand doesn't happen in a vacuum. This isn't therapy. It's a strategic audit. New episodes every month. Subscribe wherever you listen.

  1. Sep 28

    Dr. Eric Williams on Burnout Doesn't Stay at the Office — It Comes Home

    In this episode, Naina sits down with Dr. Eric Williams — licensed clinical mental health counselor supervisor, marriage and family therapist, associate professor at Walden University, 82nd Airborne veteran, and founder of Coastal Family Services and Coastal Family Media. They explore what happens when high-performance culture follows you home, how adopted truths quietly drive relationship strain, and why the way you communicate at work is actively working against you in your marriage. Dr. Williams also shares his four Rs framework — retreat, regulate, reflect, reconnect — a deceptively simple model for transitioning out of work mode before you cost the people you love the version of you they actually need. Guest Resources Dr. Eric Williams — Coastal Family Services, PLLC coastalfamilymedia.com Free quiz: Why We Fight Free bi-weekly community sessions — Fridays at 12:00 p.m. Work With Me — Naina Rana, LCSW Peakworks Counseling Center — Private therapy for individuals and couples in Connecticut peakworkscounseling.com Keynote Speaking — Burnout, sustainable performance, and team culture. Organizational Consulting — S.Y.S.T.E.M.S. Framework™ for leadership teams.

    Dr. Eric Williams on Burnout Doesn't Stay at the Office — It Comes Home

  2. Sep 28

    Megan Rees, LPC on Burnout Hits Differently When Your Brain Is Running a Different OS

    In this episode, Naina sits down with Megan Rees — drama therapist, ADHD assessor, organizational consultant, and founder of her own therapy and coaching practice — to make the clinical case for why burnout in a neurodivergent brain is a different experience requiring a different response. They cover psychological safety beyond the poster on the wall, what undiagnosed ADHD actually looks like in a high-performing tech professional, and why doing a burnout workshop for a company that won't change anything is something Megan refuses to do. This one is for anyone who has spent years interpreting their own brain as a character flaw. Megan Rees — meganelrees.comLinkedIn — Megan Rees Instagram — @workshrink (consulting, coaching, and organizational content)Amy Edmondson — researcher who coined psychological safety; original research conducted in hospital systemsGoogle's Project Aristotle — referenced in discussion of psychological safety as the common denominator in high-performing teamsInternal Family Systems (IFS) / Parts Work — referenced in relation to drama therapy techniquesDrama therapy — explained in episode; Megan's clinical training and modality Guest Resources Megan Rees, MA, Drama Therapist | ADHD Assessor | Consultant meganelrees.com LinkedIn: Megan Rees Instagram: @workshrink Services: Therapy (California), Coaching (worldwide), Executive Functioning Coaching, Organizational Consulting Work With Me — Naina Rana, LCSW Peakworks Counseling Center — Private therapy for individuals and couples in Connecticut peakworkscounseling.com Keynote Speaking — Burnout, disability & work and sustainable team culture Organizational Consulting — S.Y.S.T.E.M.S. Framework™ for leadership teams.

    Megan Rees, LPC on Burnout Hits Differently When Your Brain Is Running a Different OS

  3. Aug 31

    Ingrid Johnston, LMFT on When Chronic Pain Becomes the Third Thing in Your Relationship

    In this episode of Systems Check™, Naina Rana sits down with Ingrid Johnston, LMFT, MDFT, a marriage and family therapist specializing in chronic pain, couples conflict, and the intersection of nervous system health and relationships. Together, they explore what happens when chronic pain becomes the “third thing” in a relationship—an organizing force that can quietly shape communication, intimacy, routines, conflict, caregiving, and emotional connection. Learn more about Ingrid Johnston, LMFT, MDFT: Ingrid Johnston Therapy https://www.ingridjohnstontherapy.com/ This episode is for educational and informational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical or mental health care.

    Ingrid Johnston, LMFT on When Chronic Pain Becomes the Third Thing in Your Relationship

  4. Aug 31

    Heather Laing on The Second Full-Time Job Nobody at Work Knows You Have

    In this episode of Systems Check, host Naina Rana speaks with Heather Laing, founder and CEO of Complex Caregiver Solutions and a 20-year corporate HR executive. Heather opens up about navigating her own crisis—managing a major companywide reduction in force on the exact same day her 7-year-old son was admitted to a pediatric psychiatric unit. Key Takeaways The Invisible Workforce Crisis: Roughly 26.2% of U.S. children now have special healthcare needs, leaving 8–12% of the workforce acting as complex caregivers—often quietly burning out without disclosing their challenges to HR. Why Standard Benefits Fail: Basic EAPs (typically capped at 3–6 sessions) and standard backup childcare networks are not designed to support families navigating pediatric psychiatric crises, severe ADHD, or autism accommodations. The Cost of "Quiet Resignation": Caregivers rarely leave with dramatic exits; they experience presenteeism (losing 5–9 hours of productivity per week) before quietly resigning. A 5,000-person company can lose between $6.5M and $12.5M annually to caregiver-driven attrition. Driving Systemic Change: Solving caregiver burnout requires systemic corporate evolution across four pillars: benefits design, clear policies, empathetic manager training, and robust ERG support. Website: complexcaregiversolutions.com Email: heather@complexcaregiversolutions.com

    Heather Laing on The Second Full-Time Job Nobody at Work Knows You Have

  5. Jul 30

    Alyssa Carter, LPC, CCTP on Building Systems Your Brain Will Actually Use

    Chronic illness, burnout, and neurodivergence don't just affect your body — they hijack executive function: planning, task initiation, working memory, and attention regulation. In this episode, licensed professional counselor and certified clinical trauma professional Alyssa Carter joins Naina Rana to break down why "just push through it" fails high-achieving, chronically overloaded brains — and what actually works instead. They cover spoon theory as an energy-budgeting framework, the calendar-and-to-do-list combo that cuts decision fatigue, where AI tools genuinely reduce cognitive load versus where they add noise, how to build inclusive trainings and workplaces, and why middle managers with chronic illness are running on empty with nowhere to refill. If you've built the perfect productivity system and still can't stick to it, this episode is your reframe. Alyssa Carter, MA, LPC, NCC, CCTP Therapist (She/Her) STR Behavioral Health – Lancaster 610 Community Way, Lancaster, PA 17603 Email: alyssa.carter@strlancaster.com Web: www.strlancaster.com | www.stepstorecovery.com LinkedIn: Alyssa Carter Upcoming: Presenting on chronic illness and suicidality at the Mental Health America conference, September 13 (in-person).

    Alyssa Carter, LPC, CCTP on Building Systems Your Brain Will Actually Use

  6. Jul 2

    Destiny Davis, LPC, CRC on Your System Isn't Broken — It's Just Data

    There's a version of burnout that nobody talks about — the kind that happens when you're already managing a body that doesn't follow the standard schedule. Destiny Davis, licensed professional counselor and certified rehabilitation counselor, built her entire practice around the people navigating chronic illness alongside high-performing careers. In this conversation, we talk about crip time, values versus goals, ADHD in women, and the one mindset shift that changes everything: your system breaking is not a verdict. It's data. Visit: https://www.thechronicillnesstherapist.com/destiny-davis In-person sessions in Atlanta: 1249 Hartford Ave SW, Atlanta GA 30310 Virtual therapy available throughout: Georgia | Florida | Colorado

    Destiny Davis, LPC, CRC on Your System Isn't Broken — It's Just Data

  7. Jul 2

    Brigid Carney, LPC on When "Handle It" Becomes the Problem

    What happens when "I can handle it" becomes the reason you're burning out? In this episode of SystemsCheck, Naina talks with Brigid Carney, LPC—first responder therapist, former health insurance executive, and PhD candidate in first responder mental health—about the hidden costs of the mission-first mindset. Together, they explore why firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and other high performers struggle to ask for help, how burnout impacts identity, and what it takes to build sustainable resilience in high-pressure careers. If you've ever felt like your value comes from being the person who always has it together, this conversation is for you. Linkedin: Brigid Carney PhD ABD, MS, LPC, NCC, MBA, LSSMBB, PMP

    Brigid Carney, LPC on When "Handle It" Becomes the Problem

  8. Jul 2

    Naina on: Reclaiming Capacity in an Overclocked World™

    There's a version of burnout that hides inside competence. As a licensed clinical social worker and former tech startup insider, I developed the SYSTEMS Framework™ — a 7-part burnout prevention model built from lived experience and clinical practice. This episode breaks down every component and how to actually implement it in your daily life. Instagram: @Peakworks_Counseling_Center Website: peakworkscounseling.com Facebook: Peakworks Counseling Center Tiktok: @peakworkscounseling Linkedin: Naina Rana

    Naina on: Reclaiming Capacity in an Overclocked World™
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About

SystemsCheck™ The show for high performers who look fine on paper — and know something's off underneath. Hosted by Naina, LCSW — licensed therapist, former tech insider, and burnout specialist — Systems Check examines the human operating system behind leadership, ambition, and relationships. Through candid solo episodes and expert conversations, we explore how your nervous system, decision-making patterns, and relational dynamics quietly shape performance at work and at home. We look at burnout through the lens of chronic illness, couples and family systems, and substance and behavioral patterns — because high demand doesn't happen in a vacuum. This isn't therapy. It's a strategic audit. New episodes every month. Subscribe wherever you listen.

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