Black Girl Burnout

Kelley Bonner
  • 4.7 (750)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Black Girl Burnout is a podcast about burnout, ambition, care, and what it actually takes to build a life that feels good to live—not just impressive from the outside.  Hosted by Kelley Bonner, the show explores how burnout takes hold, why ambition doesn’t need to be abandoned but redesigned, and how joy, rest, and gentleness can coexist with meaningful work and forward movement. Through reflection, practical insight, and carefully chosen conversations, Black Girl Burnout offers both grounding and direction, helping listeners feel seen and take action toward lives that are sustainable, intentional, and their own.

  1. 4D AGO

    You’re Not Stuck, You’re Missing the Right Rooms

    It’s easy to believe you’re stuck—that something about you isn’t working or that you’ve reached your limit. In this episode, Kelley offers a reframe: you may not be stuck at all—you may simply be in the wrong rooms. She explores how environments, communities, and proximity shape what feels possible, visible, and available to you. This conversation invites you to consider how the spaces you occupy influence your growth, your confidence, and your capacity to expand. Sometimes the shift you need isn’t more effort—it’s a different alignment. Key TakeawaysYou may not be stuck—you may be misaligned. The environments you’re in can limit what you see as possible for yourself.Proximity shapes possibility. Being in spaces that reflect your next level can expand your thinking, opportunities, and self-trust.Growth may require new rooms. Choosing environments that support your evolution is a powerful act of self-permission.Episode Highlights02:08 – Rethinking the Feeling of Being “Stuck” Kelley challenges the assumption that lack of progress is personal failure, offering a new perspective rooted in environment and exposure.05:41 – How Your Current Rooms Shape Your Capacity A deeper look at how the people and spaces around you influence your beliefs, ambition, and sense of what’s available.09:33 – The Power of Proximity and Expansion Kelley explores how entering new rooms—physically or energetically—can unlock new opportunities and ways of thinking.14:12 – Giving Yourself Permission to Move Differently A closing reflection on choosing spaces that align with your growth, even when it feels unfamiliar or uncomfortable.A Gentle InvitationIf this episode resonated, reflect on one “room” you’re currently in—whether it’s a relationship, environment, or community. Ask yourself: Does this space support who I’m becoming? Listen to the full episode, share it with someone who may be questioning their next step, and leave a review if this conversation supported you. Expanding your environment can be a powerful step toward expanding your life—with more ease, clarity, and alignment. Support the ShowLike, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout. Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time. Stay in TouchJoin our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley. Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops. Our SponsorsSavvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/ Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    24 min

  2. 6D AGO

    You’re Not Bad With Money—You’re Carrying Old Stories

    In this episode, Kelley sits down with Ruchi Pinniger to unpack the emotional roots of financial avoidance. Together, they explore how childhood beliefs, shame, and subconscious patterns shape our relationship with money—and why high-achieving women often feel stuck despite earning well. Ruchi introduces practical tools like the RIR Method™(Recognize, Interrupt, Reframe™) method and a prosperity framework that centers on wellbeing, spirituality, and aligned relationships. This conversation invites you to move out of financial fog and into clarity, choice, and ease—without burnout. Key TakeawaysMoney isn’t just math—it’s memory, emotion, and inherited belief systems.Financial avoidance is often rooted in shame, not lack of intelligence or capability.Small, consistent actions (like 15-minute money check-ins) can dissolve financial fog.True prosperity includes wellbeing, relationships, and mindset—not just income.Episode Highlights & Timestamps00:02:00 — Ruchi’s turning point: learning how money feels vs. how it works00:04:00 — How childhood beliefs shape financial avoidance and burnout patterns00:12:00 — The “financial fog” explained—and how clarity begins00:25:00 — The RIR Method: a simple tool to shift your money mindset in real timeIf This Resonates…If you’ve been avoiding your numbers or feeling overwhelmed by your finances, start small. Set aside just 15 minutes this week to gently look at your bank account—no judgment, just awareness. Ask yourself: What story have I been carrying about money—and is it still serving me? You don’t have to fix everything today. You just have to begin. Connect with RuchiWebsite: https://watchherprosper.com/Workshop: Redefining Prosperity (90-minute live experience) 5/14/26Discount Code: BGB for $100 offInstagram: @watchherprosperRuchi also offers financial mentorship, bookkeeping support, and prosperity coaching through her company, Watch Her Prosper. Support the ShowLike, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout. Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time. Stay in TouchJoin our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley. Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops. Our SponsorsCheck out PharmaNutra and use code BGB: https://pharmanutra-us.com Savvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/ Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    38 min

  3. APR 29

    The Middle Way: Staying Soft While You Succeed

    You’ve likely been taught that success requires hardness—pushing through, tightening up, and leaving softness behind. In this episode, Kelley explores a different path: the middle way, where you can pursue success without abandoning your softness, your boundaries, or your humanity. This conversation challenges the belief that you must choose between ease and achievement. Instead, it offers a grounded perspective on how to move through life with both intention and gentleness, allowing success to coexist with rest, clarity, and self-trust. Key TakeawaysSoftness is not a weakness. You can be grounded, clear, and successful without hardening yourself or overriding your needs.Burnout is not the price of success. The belief that you must struggle to achieve keeps you stuck in cycles of depletion.The middle way is sustainable. Balancing ambition with care for your nervous system allows you to build a life that actually feels good to live.Episode Highlights01:42 – The Lie That You Have to Harden to SucceedKelley unpacks the belief that success requires toughness and emotional shutdown, and how that narrative leads to burnout.05:19 – What Softness Actually Looks Like in PracticeA grounded look at how boundaries, rest, and self-trust are expressions of strength—not weakness.09:27 – Finding the Middle Way Between Hustle and WithdrawalKelley explores how to stay engaged with your goals without slipping into overwork or complete disengagement.13:58 – Redefining Success on Your Own TermsA closing reflection on choosing a version of success that includes ease, alignment, and emotional well-being.Your Invitation This WeekIf this episode resonated, consider one place in your life where you’ve been equating hardness with success. What would it look like to approach that area with a little more softness this week—whether that’s setting a boundary, slowing your pace, or honoring your capacity? Listen to the full episode, share it with someone who may be feeling the pressure to push through, and leave a review if this conversation supported you. Each small choice toward softness creates a more sustainable way to succeed—one that honors both your ambition and your well-being. Support the ShowLike, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout. Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time. Stay in TouchJoin our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley. Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops. Our SponsorsCheck out PharmaNutra and use code BGB: https://pharmanutra-us.com Savvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/ Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    23 min

  4. APR 22

    Stop Waiting for Joy, Build It: How to Build A Soft Life With Real Systems

    In this episode, Kelley challenges the idea that joy should be spontaneous and effortless, introducing a powerful reframe: joy needs structure. She shares how good intentions alone often fall short without systems that make joy repeatable and accessible. Through personal examples and practical strategies, she walks listeners through how to schedule, automate, and protect joy in everyday life. Kelley also addresses the real-life barriers many Black women face—time, money, caregiving—and offers simple, flexible ways to begin, no matter your circumstances. This episode is a grounded, compassionate invitation to stop waiting for joy and start building it into your life in small, sustainable ways. Key TakeawaysJoy doesn’t happen by accident—it requires intention and infrastructure. Without systems, even the best intentions fade.Scheduling joy makes it real. Putting joy on your calendar transforms it from a wish into a commitment.Small systems create big shifts. Subscriptions, routines, and rituals remove decision fatigue and make joy easier to access.Protecting your joy matters just as much as creating it. Boundaries around time, energy, and habits are essential.Episode Highlights & Timestamps[00:02:00] — The realization: intentions aren’t enough: Kelley reflects on how years of valuing joy still left gaps—because there was no system to support it.[00:05:45] — “Put joy on your calendar” (practical application): A tangible walkthrough of how scheduling joy—appointments, connection, rest—changes everything.[00:11:33] — Identifying and blocking the enemies of joy: From social media to poor sleep habits, Kelley shares how protecting your energy is part of the system.[00:15:11] — How to start when life feels full, and resources are limited: A compassionate, realistic entry point: one small act, one calendar block, one moment that belongs to you.Your Invitation This WeekTake 15–20 minutes and choose one small way to give your joy structure. Put it on your calendar. Text the friend. Block the time. Not perfectly. Not forever. Just once. Then notice what shifts when joy isn’t something you hope for—but something you made space for. Support the ShowLike, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout. Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time. Stay in TouchJoin our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley. Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops. Our SponsorsCheck out PharmaNutra and use code BGB: https://pharmanutra-us.com Savvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/ Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    21 min

  5. APR 15

    I Will No Longer Break My Own Heart

    In this deeply reflective episode, Kelley introduces a life-changing mantra: “I will no longer break my own heart.” She explores how self-abandonment, internalized beliefs about suffering, and delayed joy have shaped her past—and how choosing softness and intentional joy became her path to healing. Through personal stories, including her time living in Europe and the creation of her “joy jar,” Kelley offers listeners a grounded, practical way to stop equating pain with worth and start building a life rooted in ease and self-respect. Key TakeawaysYou were likely taught that suffering makes you worthy—but that belief is a lie you can release.Joy is not something you earn later; it’s the practice that improves your life right now.You don’t need permission or a special occasion to choose yourself—you already are the occasion.Episode Highlights & Timestamps00:00 — The mantra: “I will no longer break my own heart” and what it really means02:00 — The UTI story: how self-neglect became a belief system about worth07:00 — Living in Europe: learning to hold joy and pain at the same time12:30 — The Joy Jar: a simple, tangible way to practice choosing joyA Gentle InvitationThis week, choose one small way to stop breaking your own heart. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. It might look like resting when you’re tired, buying something that brings you comfort, or creating your own version of a joy jar. Let it be simple. Let it be yours. Because the shift isn’t perfection—it’s direction. Support the ShowLike, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout. Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time. Stay in TouchJoin our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley. Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops. Our SponsorsCheck out PharmaNutra and use code BGB: https://pharmanutra-us.com Savvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/ Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    24 min

  6. APR 10

    Good Grief: Making Space for Joy After Loss ft. Angela Nissel

    In this deeply honest and unexpectedly joyful conversation, Kelley sits down with author and television writer Angela Nissel to explore the layered reality of grief, caregiving, and rebuilding a life after loss. Together, they unpack the quiet, everyday griefs that linger long after the funeral, the guilt and self-blame many Black women carry, and the emotional toll of being “the strong one.” Angela shares how losing her mother forced her to reimagine her relationship with work, success, and joy—leading her to choose freedom, presence, and connection over burnout and external validation. This episode is both a permission slip and a gentle guide for anyone navigating grief while trying to stay human in a world that asks them not to. Key TakeawaysGrief isn’t just about loss—it’s also about the stories we tell ourselves, including guilt and responsibility that were never ours to carry.Caregiving teaches presence in a way productivity never can—and those quiet moments often become the most meaningful memories.Loss can create clarity, helping you reevaluate relationships, work, and what truly matters.Episode Highlights & Timestamps00:03:30 – The Unexpected Weight of Grief: Angela shares how self-blame and guilt showed up after her mother’s passing—and why so many Black women internalize responsibility for loss.00:10:30 – When Grief Forces You to Feel: A powerful reflection on how grief disrupts emotional avoidance and reveals what no longer aligns in your life.00:14:00 – Redefining Work, Success, and Freedom: Angela opens up about leaving behind hustle culture and choosing a life centered on time, relationships, and joy.00:31:00 – Caregiving, Presence, and What Actually Matters: A moving conversation on caregiving, being present, and why small moments of connection become the memories that last.For You, ListeningIf you’re holding grief right now—big or small—try this: Take five minutes today to pause instead of pushing through. Reach out to someone you love, not to perform strength, but to be real. Or ask someone in your life a question about their story—something you’ve never asked before.Let yourself choose presence, even in small ways. That’s where the healing begins. Connect with AngelaWebsite: Angela Nissel Instagram: @angelanissel Pre-order the book: Good Grief, Pass the Bread, My Mom Is Dead, (available wherever books are sold)Support the ShowLike, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout. Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time. Stay in TouchJoin our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley. Become a paid subscriber ($5/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops. Our SponsorsCheck out PharmaNutra and use code BGB: https://pharmanutra-us.com Savvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/ Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    41 min

  7. APR 8

    Joy Is Resistance: Why You Can’t Wait for the World to Feel Good

    In this episode, Kelley explores the idea that joy is not something we wait for, but something we actively practice, especially in difficult times. Drawing from personal reflection, cultural history, and evidence-informed healing, she unpacks how constant exposure to outrage and hardship can disconnect us from our humanity. She reframes joy as both a survival tool and a form of resistance, rooted deeply in Black cultural traditions and ancestral wisdom. Through storytelling and practical insight, she invites listeners to build intentional “structures of joy” that are accessible, sustainable, and grounding. This conversation is a reminder that staying human in a harsh world requires choice, practice, and softness without losing awareness. Key TakeawaysJoy is not something you earn after things get better. It is something you practice to survive what is happening now.Constant outrage may feel productive, but it often disconnects you from your ability to rest, create, and love.Building simple, repeatable practices of joy makes it easier to access when you need it most.Episode Highlights & Timestamps00:00 – The mantra: “I’m not waiting for the world to be good to feel good”03:00 – The weight of current realities and how it impacts joy09:30 – Why outrage is not the same as action and how it changes you15:00 – Joy as resistance and how to begin building a practice of itA Gentle InvitationWhat would it look like to stop postponing your joy? This week, choose one small, repeatable practice that brings you back to yourself. It could be music, movement, rest, or laughter. Let it be simple, accessible, and yours. You are not waiting for the world to soften before you do. You are practicing staying human, right here, right now. Support the ShowLike, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout. Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time. Stay in TouchJoin our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley. Become a paid subscriber ($8/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops. Our SponsorsCheck out PharmaNutra and use code BGB: https://pharmanutra-us.com Savvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/ Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    22 min

  8. APR 1

    Honesty and Hope Are Enough: A Conversation with Marisa Renee Lee

    Marissa Renee Lee has been through it. Harvard. Wall Street. The White House. And also: her mother's MS diagnosis at 13, stage four breast cancer, a pregnancy loss, and now two years of long COVID. What she's learned isn't that grief has a silver lining. It's that grief has a through line, and if you're honest enough to follow it, it leads somewhere real. In this episode, Kelley sits down with Marissa, bestselling author of Grief Is Love and her newest book Waiting for Dawn, for a conversation that gets honest about what it actually costs to be the strong one. They talk about what happens to your identity when the thing you've always counted on, your strength, your body, your plan, disappears without asking permission. And what you reach for when it does. What you'll hear: Why grief isn't a detour from your life story, it is your life story, and what high-achieving Black women lose when they don't name itThe "Flake Permission Structure" — and why saying "I want to but I can't commit" is one of the most honest and loving things you can doWhat Marissa calls "good love" and why saying no to someone you love is sometimes the most caring thing you can offerThe two tools she swears by when the uncertainty isn't going anywhere: radical honesty about where you are, and practical hope for where you're goingEpisode Highlights & Timestamps 00:04:22 — Achievement as armor: Marissa traces how her drive for success started as a survival strategy at 13, when her mom got sick and she decided the only thing she could control was how hard she worked 00:22:11 — "Not everything can be fixed. Some things must be endured." Kelley and Marissa get honest about what it means to hold yourself together when the world isn't cooperating, and why shrinking your to-do list down to just two things is actually enough 00:28:09 — The Flake Permission Structure: why saying "I want to but I can't commit" upfront is kinder, more honest, and way less anxiety-inducing than the last-minute text we've all sent 00:34:00 — Good love and the hardest no: Marissa reframes saying no to someone you love not as a failure of care but as the fullest expression of it, and why learning to feed yourself first is how you actually show up for others Gentle Invitation Somewhere in your life right now, there's something you can't fix. You can only endure it. What would it look like to be honest about that, not performatively, just to yourself? And what's the smallest, most stubborn piece of hope you can hold alongside it? Start there. Build from there. Connect with Marissa Grab a copy of Waiting for Dawn wherever you buy your books — Marissa especially recommends your local indie bookstore. Find her on Substack at Holding Both and everywhere else on the internet as @MarissaRenee. Support the Show Like, follow, and subscribe across all platforms. Find us @blackgirlburnout. Subscribe to our newsletter at blackgirlburnout.com. Watch on YouTube. Drop a review — your words make a real difference, and they warm Kelley's whole heart every single time. Stay in Touch Join our Substack family for weekly reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes notes from Kelley. Become a paid subscriber ($5/month) for exclusive resources and monthly workshops. Our Sponsors Check out PharmaNutra and use code BGB: https://pharmanutra-us.com Savvy Ladies Free Financial Helpline: https://www.savvyladies.org/ Advertising Inquiries: RedCircle | Privacy & Opt-Out: RedCircle Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    51 min
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4.7
out of 5
750 Ratings

About

Black Girl Burnout is a podcast about burnout, ambition, care, and what it actually takes to build a life that feels good to live—not just impressive from the outside.  Hosted by Kelley Bonner, the show explores how burnout takes hold, why ambition doesn’t need to be abandoned but redesigned, and how joy, rest, and gentleness can coexist with meaningful work and forward movement. Through reflection, practical insight, and carefully chosen conversations, Black Girl Burnout offers both grounding and direction, helping listeners feel seen and take action toward lives that are sustainable, intentional, and their own.

Information

  • Creator
    Kelley Bonner
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    491
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Black Girl Burnout
  • Show Website
    Black Girl Burnout

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