Ep#178 Take Back What Burnout Stole from You

Burnout steals more than energy — it robs you of pride, peace, and purpose. But you can take it back.

In this episode, Dex pulls no punches. If burnout has dimmed your light, made you question your worth, or left you exhausted and underperforming, this is your wake-up call. Not to push harder — but to reclaim your power and reframe your career on your terms.

You’ll learn:

• Why burnout is not a personal failure — but a call to transformation
• 3 powerful mindset shifts that restore energy, optimism, and performance — without changing jobs or bosses
• Why the habit of “going it alone” is keeping you stuck — and how real change begins
• What it means to become your own strongest advocate and most valuable asset at work

If your soul is tired, it’s time to stop settling. This is your moment to choose courage, clarity, and a new direction — with expert guidance and real tools.

🎧 Listen now — and take the first step back to your best self.

👉 Book your free burnout breakthrough consult at dexrandall.com
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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to the podcast
• 0:30 Understanding the Impact of Burnout
• 1:38 Recognizing the Need for Change
• 2:23 Taking Action Against Burnout
• 2:56 Reclaiming Your Power and Mojo
• 6:32 Mindset Shifts for Burnout Recovery
• 10:50 Practical Tools and Strategies
• 11:08 Conclusion and Call to Action

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hi everyone. My name's Dex Randall, and this is the Burnout to Leadership Podcast where I teach professionals to recover from burnout and get back to passion and reward at work.

[00:00:22] Hello my friends. This is Dex bringing you the podcast this week on how to take back what burnout stole from you. Burnout robs your soul of purpose, peace, and pride, doesn't it?

[00:00:35] And if you stay on that road, it leads to nowhere good. If you are negotiating your way out of burnout, you are not just seeking work life balance. You're fighting for your happiness, your health, your relationships, and your future. So take this opportunity as you listen today to reframe what you want out of work and to negotiate hard for that.

[00:01:00] As you consider pushing for a better existence than burnout, don't pretend you're okay. Don't act like you can handle the pressure. Don't normalize a stress load that's quietly crushing you. It isn't normal to wake up feeling cynical, disengaged, defeated, devoid of hope. It's not okay to be permanently exhausted and demoralized, and you don't have to put up with it.

[00:01:29] You can create big shifts in your experience of work without changing your job or your boss.

[00:01:35] So let's take a breath right there. If what I'm saying is close to home, that's not a sign of weakness. It's a sign that you're ready for change and let's help you move forward from here to create the life that you want.

[00:01:50] Burnout recovery depends on you. You have to want it. You have to decide you're worthy of it, and you must choose to change the status quo. You need to stand up for what you need and what you can contribute. And for many in burnout, this isn't obvious anymore. We stop fighting for fair play. We shoulder every new burden like the committed professionals that we are.

[00:02:17] But ask yourself, is that still working for you or are you drowning?

[00:02:23] So as you listen, consider how much you are willing to put up with. It is up to you. You are a potent human, trapped in a perilous situation in burnout, that isn't bringing forth your best, and that's not your fault.

[00:02:40] You're not broken, you're burned out, and that is something that we can fix. Because if you continue on and implode under pressure, who does that serve? Better for you to act than to wait and hope somebody else will sort things out for you. So my job as a coach, it's really just to show people their own strength, their value and mojo, because when you lose your mojo, you stop seeing the good in yourself, the intelligence, the skill care, and the desire to do the right thing.

[00:03:14] And it's very painful. I know I've been there! Even shocking, even embarrassing. The thing is, if you've lost your mojo, you're probably in burnout looking for it in the eyes of others. All the good that was ever in you is still alive, but it's imprinted on your heart. You may have been trained to focus only on where you fall short, what's going wrong, who's dissatisfied, where you've lost status. And of course your inner world will be loud, with anxiety, brain fog, missed deadlines, and lost passion. You barely recognize yourself anymore.

[00:03:53] I don't say any of this to make you feel worse, because I believe in you a hundred percent, but it is a wake up call. And to create change, you first need to see clearly how much your current situation sucks, don't you?

[00:04:12] So looking at this is your first act of courage and every act of courage is a big step forward on the journey back to strength.

[00:04:21] What you negotiate with yourself now is not "Can I succeed in my job?", because of course you can. It's "What quality of life, love, success, and reward are you willing to settle for?"

[00:04:36] Don't let your boss, your corporation, or industry, define who you are or what you deserve. They're under too much pressure themselves to worry about you, and they don't know how to lead you out of the dark. That's okay, because you already have everything you need to reclaim your power, before burnout takes a bigger toll.

[00:04:58] Your success belongs to you. Own it. Protect your soul.

[00:05:04] You can right the wrongs at work on a personal level, and I can teach you exactly how to do that. I'll talk about that in a moment. So take the work situation by the scruff of the neck and turn it around to your satisfaction. I dare you.

[00:05:23] Only you can reignite the spark in your heart.

[00:05:27] Of course you will need to put your hand up for a bit of expert help, because the M.O. of any professional in burnout is to go it alone. But that's part of the problem, not the cure.

[00:05:36] Remember, burnout is not failure, it's not weakness. It's really an invitation to your next level as a human, a professional, a leader, a warrior for good.

[00:05:49] So if any of this sounds like you, it's time perhaps to take three steps.

[00:05:54] Number one, admit you're not winning and forgive yourself immediately. It isn't, and it never was, your fault.

[00:06:03] Number two, reach out for help from a trusted expert who understands how to lead you out of the woods and who believes in you.

[00:06:12] Number three, embark on a journey of change, tapping into your inner guide, transforming into a more powerful vision of you, ready for greater things.

[00:06:23] You have the power here. You can create big shifts in your experience at work, without changing your job or your boss.

[00:06:32] And the three mindset shifts that help my clients probably the most to regain their energy, optimism, and performance are these:

[00:06:42] Number one, tune into your own wisdom and dare to be authentic.

[00:06:46] Therein lies your magic, your flow state, and your highest potential. Give more weight to your intuition than to external opinions. Don't shut yourself down to please others. Instead, maintain emotional strength under pressure. Don't be afraid to speak your truth and then actively and humbly listen to others. Make no one wrong, just so that you can be right. That's true leadership.

[00:07:16] Other people like you are fearful, anxious, and self-doubting. They may project that out, deflecting blame and failure, but don't let that drag you down. Don't believe them. I am going to teach you every skill you need to emerge unscathed from any conversation and feel confident, valuable, and valued at work.

[00:07:38] The courage you need to be you is simply dormant. It's still there inside you. And coming on a consult with me is your second act of courage. And when you do, I'm here for you. So mindset shift number one, be fully yourself.

[00:07:55] Number two, tame your inner critic.

[00:07:59] It's good to notice how often your own thoughts undermine you and wear you down. And also notice that those thoughts are just habits, often based on old inherited beliefs that no longer serve you. You can interrupt and unbelieve them, habits can be changed. I'll teach you how to balance your inner dialogue with positive thoughts to let some sunshine into your soul.

[00:08:24] This is not trivial, okay? Just listen to your inner critic for one day or one hour or one minute, and then question the truth of what it says, and offer yourself a positive alternative thought. Wouldn't you rather be your strongest mentor and advocate? I'll teach you how, and this is your third act of courage. Skillset number two, be kind and encouraging to yourself.

[00:08:53] And number three, stay on task.

[00:08:56] Behind every negative situation at work lies a negative emotion we're trying to avoid, such as anxiety, shame, self-hatred, irritation, failure. And we avoid emotions by tuning out doomscrolling, or maybe eating, watching videos or procrastinating.

[00:09:19] And in burnout, we have a lot of pain, so we need to tune out a lot. Why does that matter? Because this is how we lose productivity. When we dread doing a task or talking to a colleague, we walk away. Our Inbox piles up, deadlines pass, clients go uncontacted. So an essential skill of burnout recovery, of reducing anxiety, is to face each emotion head on.

[00:09:45] An emotion is just energy moving harmlessly through the body. It can't hurt you. But if it's the restless energy of anxiety, we usually run anyway, don't we? Me too, my friend. Me too. In the past, particularly. I'm going to teach you in coaching how to remain calm and accepting in the face of any emotion without releasing a torrent of self-criticism that makes it unbearable.

[00:10:13] That's how you restore easy productivity and stop letting people down, which often happens in burnout. So that's how performance and work life balance have room to bounce back. So that's number three, get your time back.

[00:10:27] Those are just three of the skill sets that I teach my clients to help them reestablish energy, mood and performance.

[00:10:34] I have many more tools to teach. One for every challenge that burnout has to throw at you. And through it all, you are the one upskilling to create a better work experience that lasts and opens up many possibilities that maybe feel a bit off the table right now.

[00:10:50] In each podcast episode, I share practical tools and strategies like these that you can use to improve your situation. Search the episodes for your hot-button topics and a listen, and most importantly, practice what you hear. Change your own life.

[00:11:08] Remember my friends, your life, your career, your health, your family are too precious to waste, and you are your best healer with just a few little extra skills.

[00:11:21] Don't wait for a crash, talk to me now.

[00:11:26] In one free conversation, you'll walk away with clarity, relief, and a practical step forward. This is a career game changer. Think about what you want from life, and book a free appointment with me at dexrandall.com.

[00:11:41] Thank you so much for listening today, and if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with other people who need to hear it and rate or review the podcast.

[00:11:50] This is how we reach more people suffering with burnout, which right now is hitting up to 66% of the professional population.

[00:11:59] Talk to you next week with more beating burnout ideas. Have a good week.