Burnout Solutions

Mona Tippets, RN, Certified Life Coach
  • 5.0 (7)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

This podcast is all about understanding why your brain and nervous system get stressed and how to rewire to recover from feeling burned out and overwhelmed. I help healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, veterinarians with burnout. I am a Certified Life Coach and help clinics and hospitals with staff workshops to teach emotional resiliency skills and how to resolve stress and burnout. I also work with clients one on one.

  1. 2D AGO

    E51: Loving Yourself to Health- A Webinar Replay with April Diaz

    Loving Yourself to Health: Nervous System, Emotional Eating, and Sustainable Habits If you want to learn more about breaking emotional eating habits, get this course! For only $37 Mona shares the audio from a February community webinar with life coach April Diaz on “loving yourself to health,” focusing on emotional eating and how sustainable habits come from nervous system safety rather than self-criticism or pushing harder. She explains how habits are automatic, why food can become a learned signal of comfort and safety, and how stress states (hyperarousal, freeze, shutdown) shape thoughts, motivation, and follow-through. Using Yerkes-Dodson and polyvagal theory, Mona contrasts fear-driven control with the “zone of resilience,” where trust, connection, and gentle motivation support long-term change. She offers practical ideas like building a regulation menu, increasing awareness of cues, and making small nutrition shifts, then coaches a participant through late-night eating by exploring daytime nourishment, planning, and alternative calming routines. 00:00 Webinar and Course Intro 01:24 Meet April and Mona 03:32 Why Habits Feel Hard 08:14 Food as Safety and Connection 12:10 Hunger and Learned Patterns 14:05 Why Emotional Eating Happens 16:47 Stress Curve and Polyvagal Map 21:07 Hyper vs Hypo Arousal Thoughts 24:26 Emotional Eating as a Signal 26:04 Inner Critic and Self Judgment 29:08 Awareness Tools and New Habits 31:24 What Safety Really Means 31:55 Zone of Resilience 32:53 Food Trust Mindset 33:56 Toddler Brain Cravings 35:52 Reparenting With Needs 38:38 Regulation Menu Ideas 40:59 Gut Brain Nutrition Tweaks 43:09 Night Eating Q and A 52:15 Closing Reflections Need some help with emotional eating? Here is the full course. Only $37 To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

    54 min

  2. MAR 16

    E50: Allostatic Load and Practical Ways to Lighten the Load with Brent Bartel

    Allostatic Load with Brent Bartel and Practical Ways to Lighten the Load In part two of Mona’s conversation with Brent Bartel, they move from the science of allostatic load into how it shows up in real life—and what you can actually do about it. Brent walks through common symptom clusters and measurable biomarkers (like blood pressure, resting heart rate, triglycerides, A1C/glucose, inflammation markers, cortisol rhythms, and sex hormones), along with the lived experience signs like fatigue, poor sleep, aches, gut issues, frequent illness, brain fog, emotional reactivity or numbness, isolation, and trouble returning to baseline after stress. They then focus on high-impact ways to reduce load—prioritizing sleep hygiene, moderate movement, anti-inflammatory nutrition, breathwork, vagus nerve toning (cold, heat, singing/gargling), mindfulness, nature/blue spaces, reframing, boundaries, and social connection. Mona closes by sharing how she applies a “stress budget” mindset day-to-day with flexible nutrition, adjusted exercise, nightly walks, intentional recovery micro-moments, and an emotional protocol to complete the stress cycle. 00:00 Part 2 Kickoff: What Allostatic Load Is & Why It Matters 02:02 “If Only It Were a Nectarine…”: Why Fixing Load Is Multifactorial 02:42 Measurable Biomarkers: Blood Pressure, Lipids, Glucose & A1C 04:19 Insulin Resistance & the Hidden Years Before Diagnosis 06:11 Inflammation, Cortisol Rhythms & Sex Hormones Under Stress 07:38 Lived Experience: Fatigue, Non‑Restorative Sleep & Body Pain 11:35 Brain Fog, Emotional Reactivity, Anhedonia & Shutdown States 14:54 Quick Self‑Assessment: Questions to Gauge Your Allostatic Load 16:57 When “This Is Normal” Becomes the Problem: Hope & Baby Steps 19:39 Where to Start Reducing Load: Pareto Principle & Vital Few Changes 21:49 Sleep Hygiene: The Most Catalytic Habit for Lowering Stress Load 22:23 Movement Without Overtraining: Walks, Moderate Exercise & Resilience 23:14 Breathing to Flip the Nervous System: 4-7-8, Box Breathing & Long Exhales 25:02 Vagus Nerve Toning: Cold, Heat, Singing & Gargling for Regulation 25:59 Mindfulness, Meditation & Nature/Blue Therapy: Quieting the Brain 28:39 Reframing Stress + Boundaries: Changing the Story and Learning to Say No 31:00 Relationships as a Stress Buffer: Community, Oxytocin & Pets 32:50 The Science of Awe: Wonder as an Antidote to Stress & Inflammation 34:21 Small Consistent Changes + The Goose & Golden Egg Metaphor 38:08 Where to Find Brent + Final Takeaways: Living With a ‘Stress Budget’ Reach our to Brent at bartelcoaching@gmail.com  To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

    47 min

  3. MAR 9

    E49: Allostatic Load: When Your Stress Response Never Fully Shuts Off (with Brent Bartel)

    Allostatic Load: When Your Stress Response Never Fully Shuts Off (with Brent Bartel) Mona introduces Burnout Solutions guest Brent Bartel, a coach she met in person in the Phoenix/Mesa area, and explains this conversation had to be split into two parts because they talked for so long. In part one, Mona and Brent define allostasis (the body’s adaptive stabilizing process, related to homeostasis) and give practical examples like shivering when cold, sweating when hot, insulin release after sugar, cortisol rising before waking, acclimating to altitude, callus formation, and pregnancy-related changes. They clarify that allostasis itself isn’t the problem—it’s necessary for survival. They then explain allostatic load as the “wear and tear” that builds when the stress response is repeatedly activated or doesn’t shut off, using metaphors like revving an engine at high RPM for too long and a truck accumulating more and more cargo while trying to climb a hill. Mona connects this to healthcare work (like 12-hour nursing shifts moving from one stressful patient situation to the next) and highlights the key question: can your body return to baseline, or do you keep replaying stress and stay dysregulated? Brent outlines major contributors to allostatic load across categories, including mind (chronic stress, work/financial pressure, perfectionism, emotional suppression, information overload, constant multitasking, unresolved trauma; he references adverse childhood experiences and The Body Keeps the Score), relationships (loneliness and isolation, conflict and instability, insecure attachment, caregiver burden and the “sandwich generation”), environment (air pollution and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals; he mentions the Think Dirty app), and fuel/lifestyle (ultra-processed foods, added sugar, food sensitivities, gut dysbiosis, hydration, sleep, and movement). They also discuss gut-brain connections and the idea of improving microbiome diversity, including the guideline of aiming for around 30 different plant foods per week. Mona closes with a recap tying allostatic load to why high achievers and caregivers can look fine externally while their bodies are “quietly keeping score,” and previews that part two will cover how to recognize high allostatic load in real life and what helps lower it so the body can return to baseline. 00:00 Dinner in Mesa & Why This Conversation Matters (Allostatic Load Intro) 01:56 Meet Brent Bartel: Coach, Educator, FranklinCovey Background 04:29 Allostasis vs Homeostasis: What the Body Is Constantly Doing 06:16 Everyday Allostasis Examples: Shivering, Sweating, Insulin 07:49 Allostatic Load: When Stress Responses Don’t Shut Off 10:38 Chronic Stress & Burnout: Healthcare Shifts, Recovery, Baseline 12:39 More Real-World Examples: White Coat Syndrome, Cortisol, Altitude 15:01 Big Adaptations: Bears, Calluses, Pregnancy & the ‘Biological Budget’ 18:10 The ‘Truck Going Uphill’ Metaphor: Small Stressors That Add Up 19:17 What Allostatic Load Looks Like in the Body (5 Key Buckets) 19:59 Mind Load: Chronic Stress, Perfectionism & Emotional Suppression 20:38 Cognitive Overload: Why Multitasking Backfires 21:50 Unresolved Trauma: Nervous System Rewiring + ACEs Screening 24:15 Relationship & Social Load: Loneliness, Conflict, Caregiver Burden 26:34 Environmental Toxins: Pollution, Endocrine Disruptors & “Think Dirty” 27:53 Food as Fuel: Ultra-Processed Diets, Sugar Stats & Inflammation 29:16 Gut-Brain Connection: Microbiome Diversity + 30 Plant Foods/Week 32:51 Lifestyle Load: Hydration, Sleep, Movement & Autoimmune Baseline Stress 33:52 Mid-Episode Break + Recap: Allostasis vs Load, Truck Metaphor & What’s Next Reach our to Brent at bartelcoaching@gmail.com  To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

    42 min

  4. MAR 2

    E48: From Limiting Beliefs to a Regulated Life. You can do it too!

    A Regulated Life: What Real Progress Looks Like Beyond Limiting Beliefs (Part 3) Mona wraps up the limiting beliefs series by shifting from theory into what progress actually looks like when you start living with a more regulated nervous system. She explains that change isn’t linear—it’s often 1% better moments, faster recovery, and catching old patterns sooner without spiraling into self-judgment. Mona talks about how compassion and curiosity help keep you in regulation, and how there can also be grief in letting go of old “protector” parts that once helped you feel safe, belong, achieve, or avoid pain. She shares two client stories: one client who wanted to show up more authentically at home but felt fear and body-based danger cues, and another who felt panicked about being vulnerable with a coworker and learned that readiness is physiological, not just a mental decision. Mona emphasizes incremental steps, micro-moments of safety, and building trust through repetition rather than forcing big breakthroughs. She describes a regulated life as having more flexibility, a wider window of tolerance, less urgency in thoughts, a healthier relationship with productivity, more capacity for joy, and a softer inner critic. The core message: you’re not a problem to fix—meet your nervous system with safety, support, and self-trust, and limiting beliefs can naturally lose their grip over time. 00:00 Why a Regulated Life Changes Everything (Intro) 01:46 Series Recap: Limiting Beliefs as Nervous System Patterns 03:38 Progress Isn’t Linear: The “1% Better” Path to Regulation 05:51 Drop the Self-Judgment: Curiosity, Compassion, and Faster Repair 06:40 Grief & Letting Go: Thanking Your Protector Parts 07:58 Practicing a New Identity Through Micro-Moments of Safety 08:25 Client Story #1: Authenticity at Home Without the Armor 12:52 Client Story #2: Vulnerability, Readiness, and Smaller Steps 16:56 What a Regulated Life Actually Feels Like (Not Constant Calm) 21:57 The Real Goal: Self-Trust, Self-Compassion, and a New Relationship With You 24:12 Closing Reflection: Treat Yourself Like Someone Worth Feeling Safe With To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

    26 min

  5. FEB 23

    E47: Limiting Beliefs Part 2- Limiting Beliefs Aren’t “Just Who You Are”

    Limiting Beliefs Aren’t “Just Who You Are” How Mona Uses Nervous System Safety to Change Habits and Identity Mona continues her Burnout Solutions series on limiting beliefs and explains that these beliefs aren’t simply “bad thoughts,” but nervous system stories formed to explain and manage survival or distress states. She describes how nervous system states shape sensations, feelings, behaviors, thoughts, and even perception of self and others—creating a lived “reality” that can drive patterns like procrastination, perfectionism, people-pleasing, overworking, avoidance, and emotional eating. Mona outlines a loop (referencing Stephen Porges) where stress triggers fight/flight or shutdown strategies, familiar behaviors bring short-term relief, and repetition turns those behaviors into habits and eventually identity—leading people to say, “That’s just who I am.” She uses an argument-with-a-teen example to show how yelling can feel temporarily effective and how emotional eating (like chocolate-covered almonds) can become a learned coping strategy, even when it conflicts with long-term values like health and connection. Mona also shares her transformation from being terrified of deep water (not taught to swim, poor vision without glasses, frightening experiences and modeled fear) to gradually building safety through small steps with life jackets, leading to swimming, water skiing, cliff jumping, and teaching deep water aerobics. She ties this to why insight alone doesn’t create change: logic lives in the thinking brain while habits are stored in the autonomic nervous system, which prioritizes safety and familiarity. Mona notes that procrastination and inconsistency often come from nervous system threat and a weakened sense of self-trust, especially for caregivers and high achievers, and that action-based advice only works well when someone is regulated. She closes by reframing limiting beliefs as patterned nervous system states, emphasizing incremental safety-building, working backward from habits to nervous system state, and reminding listeners they aren’t broken—patterns can change by working with the nervous system. 00:00 Limiting Beliefs, Identity & Nervous System Patterns (Intro) 03:32 Limiting Beliefs Aren’t “Bad Thoughts”: Where They Come From 04:28 The “House” Metaphor: Nervous System States Shape Your Reality 06:37 From State to Habit: The Motivational Triad & Survival Strategies 09:31 Emotional Eating + Conflict: A Real-Life Habit Loop Example 14:49 How Repetition Becomes Identity (and Why Logic Alone Doesn’t Work) 18:11 Rewriting a Fear: From Deep Water Panic to Water Skiing 25:08 Baby Steps That Rewire Beliefs: Building Safety Through Experience 29:28 Changing Family Dynamics: Shifting from Yelling to Connection 30:31 Procrastination & Follow-Through: When Goals Feel Threatening 33:24 Wrap-Up: Change the State, Change the Belief + Next Steps To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

    36 min

  6. FEB 16

    E46- Limiting Beliefs- Why Thought Work Sometimes Doesn't Help

    Limiting Beliefs- Why Thought Work Sometimes Doesn't Help In this episode, Mona delves into the intricacies of how limiting beliefs are formed and why they can be so challenging to change. Drawing inspiration from observing Olympians and their positive mindsets, she explores the connection between mindset, habits, and performance. Mona explains the pivotal role of the nervous system in creating and perpetuating these beliefs, emphasizing that they are not mere mental errors but protective mechanisms rooted in physiological states. She highlights the importance of understanding the underlying causes of reactive behaviors and the concept of 'amygdala hijack.' By outlining the science behind how the autonomic nervous system and vagus nerve influence thoughts and emotions, Mona offers insights into why logical affirmations and mindset work alone often fail. She stresses that true change involves creating safety for the nervous system and gently shifting states to expand available thoughts and beliefs. Tune in to learn about the profound interplay between your body's physiological signals and your mental narratives, and discover strategies for aligning your nervous system with the life you love. 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 01:58 Understanding Limiting Beliefs 02:46 The Role of the Nervous System 04:11 Physiological Responses and Beliefs 09:42 Polyvagal Theory and Emotional States 15:30 Childhood Experiences and Belief Formation 25:00 Recognizing and Addressing Patterns 28:01 Conclusion and Next Steps To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

    32 min

  7. FEB 9

    E45: SPECIAL EPISODE- Screen Time and Emotional Resilience Explained By Dr John Condie

    Screen Time and Emotional Resilience Explained By Dr John Condie In this episode of Burnout Solutions, host Mona interviews Dr. John Condie, a pediatric neurologist from Boise, Idaho. They discuss the significant impacts of screens, social media, and video games on children's brain development and emotional resilience. Dr. Condie explains the roles of the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, their development stages, and how digital media can lead to immediate 'amygdala hijacks,' long-term trauma, and brain rewiring in children. Dr. Condie emphasizes the importance of limiting screen time, ensuring sufficient sleep, and encouraging activities that promote critical thinking and resilience, such as sports and music. He outlines the current medical recommendations for screen time and provides practical advice for parents to help their children develop into well-rounded, emotionally resilient adults. 00:00 Introduction: The Impact of Screens on Kids' Brains 01:41 Meet Dr. John Condie: Pediatric Neurologist 03:21 Understanding the Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex 07:06 The Four F's of the Amygdala 09:24 Neuroplasticity vs. Neurodynamics 18:04 The Effects of Digital Media on the Brain 26:29 Parental Guidance: Limiting Screen Time 37:01 Conclusion: Building Emotional Resilience To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

    40 min

  8. FEB 2

    E44: Overcoming Upper Limit Problems for Greater Abundance

    Overcoming Upper Limit Problems for Greater Abundance In this episode, Mona delves into the concept of 'Upper Limit Problems,' inspired by the book 'The Big Leap' by Gay Hendricks. She discusses how arguing against possibilities often means arguing for one's own limitations and how our nervous system's comfort zone can restrict growth and success. Through examples, including those from healthcare and education, Mona explores how unfamiliar ease or success can trigger self-sabotage. She identifies four hidden barriers: feeling fundamentally flawed, disloyalty and abandonment, believing success is a burden, and the crime of outshining. Mona provides actionable steps for recognizing and overcoming these barriers, promoting a gradual shift from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance. She ends with insightful questions to help listeners identify areas in their lives where they prefer danger or limitations, and how to start rewiring their nervous system for more success and fulfillment. 00:00 Introduction: Arguing for Limitations 00:15 Exploring Upper Limit Problems 02:12 Welcome and Book Overview 03:46 Understanding the Internal Thermostat 04:37 Real-Life Examples of Upper Limit Problems 08:17 Four Hidden Barriers to Success 14:36 Recognizing and Addressing Upper Limits 17:21 Moving from Excellence to Genius 18:32 Final Thoughts and Questions 20:47 Conclusion and Call to Action To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

    22 min
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5
out of 5
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About

This podcast is all about understanding why your brain and nervous system get stressed and how to rewire to recover from feeling burned out and overwhelmed. I help healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, veterinarians with burnout. I am a Certified Life Coach and help clinics and hospitals with staff workshops to teach emotional resiliency skills and how to resolve stress and burnout. I also work with clients one on one.

Information

  • Creator
    Mona Tippets, RN, Certified Life Coach
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mona Tippets Coaching All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    Burnout Solutions

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