17. On Getting Control of Burnout with Talia Rosenblum

Overview

For those of us who are ambitious, it can be easy to get to a point of burnout. So to live in a Sustainable Ambition way, we need to find tools to help us recognize when we’re moving towards it and to direct our energy so our work doesn’t unintentionally take over our life, as I say around Right Effort, the third pillar of Sustainable Ambition.

So, I was thrilled to speak with Talia Rosenblum who specializes in working with people who have experienced burnout and with those who want to find better work-life integration. We share a lot of philosophies and perspectives, as you’ll hear in this episode where we explore what burnout is, signals that you’re on a slippery slope to burnout, how to start to get control of your time and life, and Talia’s rallying cry to put just as much attention on building success and happiness in your personal life as in your professional life and moving from “I should” to “this is what I want to do.”

Wonderful to be in conversation with you, Talia! Appreciate all of your so helpful insights.

More about Our Guest

Talia is a certified Health and Life Coach working with high-performing professionals who have hit burnout, or are on the expressway there. She helps clients find clarity around what’s important and how to find balance and live their lives to the fullest. She is part cheerleader, part accountability partner and part tough-love pusher. Talia started her career in the fast-paced luxury hospitality industry and has since spent her career in the technology industry working with hotels. Her career took her around the world training software to employees ranging from room attendants up to C-Suite executives.

From there, she has grown to manage 50+ team members, guided her teams through two acquisitions from a company of 50 to 18K, managed through workforce reductions, and many, many more changes small and large.

Talia received her Health and Life Coaching certifications from the Health Coach Institute.

Topics Covered

  • What is burnout? The definition and signs to look out for that are a clue that you might be experiencing burnout.

  • Talia shares her own experience with burnout, and while energized by her work started to realize she wasn’t enjoying the path she was on. She finally accepted she had hit burnout, because she hit a wall, figuratively.

  • The simplest sign you might be experiencing burnout - you don’t recognize the person you are being anymore. I might say you aren’t able to show up as your best self at work and in personal relationships. You might also experience changing jobs to fix the problem and the situation doesn’t change; this is a signal that you need to change the way you work. Or, it starts to manifest in your body (e.g., not sleeping well, high blood pressure).

  • To start to address, you need to focus on things you can control. Start by focusing on where you are not in alignment and address triggers.

  • Talia talks about the importance of shifting our mindset from having work be the only thing that defines us. And that’s a societal issue. We need to stop focusing so much attention asking these types of questions of toddlers, “What are you going to be when you grow up?,” or of high school and college students, “What are you majoring in and what do you want to do after college?” We need to ask questions that reflect that we are more than just our professional careers.

  • The issue with how burnout is being perceived during the pandemic, especially by individuals themselves, as they aren’t seeing it in themselves and don’t think they have permission or space to acknowledge that they might be burnt out.

  • Talia champions that while you may think you don’t have control over your situation, there are things you can own and do to overcome some of the challenges we are facing at the moment.

  • A simple, but powerful question to ask yourself to check in and see if you are experiencing burnout: Are you happy and doing what you truly want? This may sound generic and big, but if you step back and ask, “Are you doing what you want to be doing?” and answer that honestly, it can help you understand where you are standing today. Do you need to relook at your current situation to find more happiness and fulfillment?

  • There isn’t just one approach to resolving overwork, because we all are different and work differently. It also is a process, as we need to wean ourselves off certain ways of working and establish new habits.

  • I share that it’s important to not continue to follow the “should” road; your career won’t be sustainable if you are playing someone else’s game and following someone else’s agenda for your career and life.

  • We cover tips for recovering from burnout and to set boundaries to start to reclaim your life.

  • When is it okay to work our asses off? When it is not? When it becomes the norm to always be overworking, start to check-in. The tip to focus on how you show up when you are at work and focus on impact vs. time.

  • What does it mean to work our asses off at also being happy, healthy, and living our lives when we aren’t at work? Talia wants you to put just as much time, effort, and planning into what lights you up and makes you enjoy your life vs. putting all your attention on work.

  • Final piece of advice to have a great career and a great life - Focus on what makes you happy both in work and life. Think about who you want to be and how you want to show up in your life as your best self. Finally, move from “I should” to “this is what I want to do.”

Resources Mentioned

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17. On Getting Control of Burnout with Talia Rosenblum

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Effort