Get in touch? Email us at schoolcantpodcast@gmail.com with your feedback, suggestions or to volunteer to share your School Can't experience. This episode takes a different shape from our usual format. Rather than a single guest, it draws together voices from more than a dozen past guests and lived experience parents to build a fuller picture of burnout. At its centre is a reframe: burnout isn't a medical disorder or a character flaw, it's a nervous system response to chronic stress, closer to smoke from a fire than the fire itself. Once that's understood, so much of what looks like laziness, manipulation or misbehaviour starts to make sense as something else entirely: a loss of spark, a slow withdrawal as masking becomes unsustainable, a body and brain that have simply run out of capacity to keep going. The episode doesn't shy away from one of the most damaging patterns in this space — the well-meaning advice, often from professionals, to make home less comfortable in order to push a young person back into school. Several families share what happened when they followed that advice, and the outcomes are genuinely heartbreaking. This section briefly touches on self-harm and suicidal ideation — please take care while listening. From there, the focus shifts to recovery: what it actually looks like, why following a young person's passions matters more than any formal program, why progress is rarely a straight line, and why parent burnout is just as real and just as deserving of compassion as the burnout experienced by young people themselves. The episode closes with a metaphor that's stayed with many of our listeners — the caterpillar dissolving in the chrysalis before it can become a butterfly — a reminder that transformation is often happening even when it's invisible. Voices featured in this episode include Dr Naomi Fisher, Tiffany Westphal, Tanya Valentin, Laura Hellfeld, Eliza Fricker, and lived experience parents Mark, Jessica, Jennie, Emma, Diana, Wendy and Jodie. Content warning: this episode includes discussion of self-harm and suicidal ideation. Relevant resources: (available in your podcast app) Episode 60 — Why School Can't Young People Struggle with Self-Care and Hygiene, with Laura Hellfeld Episode 55 — Jodie's Lived Experience Episode 51 — Jessica's Lived Experience Episode 43 — Wendy's Lived Experience Episode 42 — Tanya Valentin on School Can't, Parental Grief and Transformation Episode 28 — Dr Naomi Fisher on Parental Burnout Episode 27 — Diana's Lived Experience Episode 23 — Eliza's Lived Experience Episode 18 — Lived Experience with Mark Thompson Episode 9 — Jennie's Lived Experience Episode 8 — Understanding Burnout in Our Young People with Dr Naomi Fisher Episode 7 — Emma G's Lived Experience Send us Fan Mail Support the show School Can’t Australia Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolphobiaschoolrefusalaustralia If this podcast or the School Can’t Australia community has helped you, please consider making a donation or volunteering to help. Find out more here: https://www.schoolcantaustralia.com.au/get-involved#donate If this episode helped you please take a moment to subscribe, rate, or review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It genuinely helps other School Can't families find us. If you are a parent of carer in Australia and experiencing distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Parent Help Line. - https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you You can contact us to volunteer to share your School Can't story or some feedback via email on schoolcantpodcast@gmail.com Disclaimer The content of this podcast is based on personal lived experiences and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. It should not be treated as medical, psychological, or professional advice under any circumstances. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please seek guidance from a doctor, therapist,...
