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

    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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Jun 23

    Your Squad Strategy: Building the Support Network High Performers Actually Need

    High performers are exceptional at supporting others. They are often much less exceptional at being supported themselves. In this episode, Dr Jo Braid unpacks why professional isolation is so common in healthcare — and what to actually do about it. You'll hear: Why medical culture trains us to see help-seeking as weakness - The neuroscience of social connection and what chronic isolation does to your decision-making - The difference between a mentor, a coach, and a peer — and why you need all three - The three-column support audit tool - The debrief walk and why movement + connection is a different thing to either alone Research referenced: - Dr Matthew Lieberman (UCLA) — the social brain and reward pathways - Dr Amy Edmondson (Harvard) — psychological safety and team performance - JAMA research — one trusted person and burnout outcomes in physicians Action step this week: Do the support audit. Three columns: Mentor / Coach / Peer. Five minutes. Honest answers. Pick the most depleted column and identify one name. This podcast is supported by MIGA: www.miga.com.au Connect with Jo: 🎙 Newsletter — The Sunday Long Game: https://drjobraid.com/subscribe 📞 Free 25-min coaching consultation: https://drjobraid.com/coaching 📲 Instagram/Facebook: @TheBurnoutRecoveryDr 💼 LinkedIn: Dr Jo Braid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. Jun 16

    The 80% Rule: Why Peak Performers Need to Leave Something in the Tank

    You've been told that high performance means giving everything you've got. But what if that's exactly what's burning you out? In this episode — part two of the four-part series The High Performer's Paradox — Dr Jo Braid unpacks the 80% rule: the counterintuitive idea that deliberately leaving something in the tank isn't a sign of weakness or laziness. It's one of the most strategic things a high performer can do.Drawing on sports science, neuroscience, and real-world clinical examples, Jo explores why chronically running at full capacity quietly destroys the very cognitive resources that make you exceptional at your job — and what to do instead.Whether you're in the emergency department, the boardroom, or building your own business, this episode will change how you think about capacity, reserve, and what sustainable high performance actually looks like. In This Episode: The Japanese concept of hara hachi bu — and why a 2,500-year-old eating principle has everything to do with burnout recoveryWhy operating at "100%" is often not 100% at all — and the patient safety implications that followThe neuroscience behind why cognitive decline under chronic overload is gradual, insidious, and easy to missThe Yerkes-Dodson performance curve — what it tells us about effort, output, and the ceiling we refuse to acknowledgeHow elite athletes use the 80/20 training split — and how it directly applies to your professional lifePractical tools across all four pillars: Sleep, Support, Mindset, and Movement Thanks to MIGA for sponsoring this episode: www.miga.com.au  Connect with Dr Jo: Instagram / Facebook: @TheBurnoutRecoveryDoctorLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraidNewsletter: The Sunday Long Game — weekly evidence-based strategies for burnout recovery → drjobraid.com/subscribeFree 25-minute coaching consultation → drjobraid.com/coaching See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. Jun 9

    The High Performer's Paradox: Why Your Greatest Strength Becomes Your Biggest Risk

    In this episode, Dr. Jo Braid kicks off a special four-part series exploring the patterns that drive high performers toward burnout - starting with one of the most confronting realisations in high performance: the qualities that make you exceptional can also be the ones that exhaust you. Drawing on personal experience in medicine and coaching, Jo shares how strengths like reliability, analytical thinking, and empathy each carry a shadow version that emerges under pressure - rigidity, emotional absence, and avoidance. The episode explores the neuroscience and psychology behind why this happens, referencing research from Dr. Ryan Niemiec, Dr. Thomas Curran, and Dr. Amy Arnsten. You'll walk away with a practical Strength-Shadow Mapping Exercise to identify where your own strengths are sitting right now - and the early warning signals that tell you when you're sliding past your optimal zone. This is the foundation episode of the series - don't skip it. Resources mentioned in this episode: VIA Character Strengths Free Assessment – www.viacharacter.org Dr. Ryan Niemiec – VIA Institute on Character, research on character strengths and the golden mean Dr. Thomas Curran – London School of Economics, research on perfectionism and burnout Dr. Amy Arnsten – Yale University, research on stress and the prefrontal cortex Connect with Dr. Jo Braid – @burnoutrecoverydr on socials Weekly Newsletter – https://drjobraid.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. Jun 2

    The Growth Mindset Paradox: When You Forget You're Human

    When Dr. Jo received news that her podcast reached the top 3% globally, her first instinct was to credit grit and optimization—but the real truth was much more profound. In this heartfelt finale to our 10-episode block, we explore how healthcare workers become so focused on improving themselves that they lose connection to their own humanity. Discover why reconnecting with yourself as a human being—not just a healthcare provider—might be the missing piece in your burnout recovery.  Learn practical tools for self-connection using the four pillars of Sleep, Support, Mindset, and Movement, and give yourself permission to matter beyond what you do for others. Resources: Dr. Kristin Neff's Self-Compassion research: self-compassion.org "The Body Keeps the Score" by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk Center for Mindful Self-Compassion: centerformsc.org Join Dr. Jo's newsletter for more burnout recovery insights https://drjobraid.com www.instagram.com/burnoutrecoverydr www.linkedin.com/in/drjobraid 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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