Coaching with Sarah: Get your Inner Critic Out of the Driver’s Seat

Burnout recovery gets real as Sarah Vosen sits down with an anonymous guest who feels trapped by perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the voice of an inner critic that makes self-compassion feel out of reach. In this episode, she’s trying something different for the podcast: a real-time coaching session. Her guest “Kate” describes how burnout began with constant illness and eventually knocked her flat, leaving her exhausted and uncertain about how to move forward. Years later, Kate still feels caught in a loop of trial and error, trying new practices, hoping for change, and losing faith when nothing seems to last. How do you find the courage to say no before your body forces you to? And how do you begin to quiet the inner critic that insists you’ll never get better?

Through thoughtful coaching, Sarah helps Kate see the fear of saying no for what it is: a strategy that once kept her safe but now keeps her stuck. She offers a new way to look at recovery, like a scale that can slowly tip away from self-judgment and toward self-compassion with each small act of courage. Along the way, Kate begins to see how even the tiniest pieces of evidence, moments of asking for help, choosing rest, or protecting her needs, can start to shift the balance.

This conversation opens a window into the real work of burnout recovery. It’s messy and slow, but it’s also a practice of rediscovering your voice, setting boundaries that protect your energy, and remembering that even a flicker of hope is proof that change is possible.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Real-Time Coaching on Burnout Recovery

02:26 Kate’s Burnout Journey and First Signs of Collapse

05:09 Career Uncertainty and Feeling Stuck

10:52 Battling the Inner Critic and Self-Judgment

12:38 Fear of Saying No and People-Pleasing Patterns

14:13 Rediscovering Passion for Storytelling and Audio

20:08 Hyper-Independence and the Struggle to Ask for Help

24:02 The Core Loop: Avoiding “No” to Feel Safe but Staying Stuck

33:00 The Burnout Recovery Process and the Unfried Program

43:03 Practicing Self-Compassion During Setbacks

49:41 Building Evidence for Growth and Recovery

Links

Hailey Page Magee episode

Kristin Neff episode

Your Burnt Out Brain Is Mean, And A Liar episode

Dive Deeper:

Burnout isn’t a personal failure or a lack of resilience. It’s a signal that something in the system, expectations, roles, pace, or support, is out of alignment. Conversations like this one help surface the human experience of burnout, while the broader work continues to explore how organizations can respond more intelligently and sustainably.

To explore burnout, leadership, and sustainable performance through a workplace and organizational lens, connect with Cait Donovan: https://bit.ly/bookcait

Learn more about Cait’s speaking work: 

https://www.caitdonovan.com/speaking

Short on time? Watch this 3-minute overview: 

https://bit.ly/caitdreel2025

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm