Rethink Your Life
Rethink Your Life is the podcast for people who built the life they thought they should want and realized they don't actually want it. My guests share how they're designing their own version, and what perfect means to them.
I'm Nathalie. I'm based in Lisbon. My publishing studio works worldwide. I host this show because I've been working on my own version of that question for 20 years.
Each episode is a genuine conversation with someone who left autopilot and chose to rebuild. Entrepreneurs, creatives, people who walked away from titles and learned to choose again. They tell me what stopped fitting, what they did about it, and what their life looks like now that it's aligned with what they do and who they are.
What you'll find here: real stories that might give you a different angle on yours.
No instagram hacks involved.
Topics we explore:
- Life transitions and identity shifts
- Rethinking work, pace, and priorities
- Mindset, values, and choosing again
- Burnout, recovery, and what comes after
About me: I'm Swiss Korean. I grew up between Switzerland, South Korea, and Los Angeles, and later worked in Berlin, Paris, New York, and Singapore. I run Rethink Publishing, a boutique studio that makes design-led magazines for clients who want something people actually keep. With The Rethink Hub, I share the conversations and tools I wish I'd had earlier. What I care about: oceans and kindness. 🌊🌱
Find me on LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok under @rethinkbynat
New episodes uploaded every 2-3 weeks
Rethink Your Life
Matt Allen on the honest truth about what burnout really takes from you
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What happens when the thing driving you forward is also the thing slowly breaking you down?
In this episode Matt Allen opens up about burnout, identity, and the uncomfortable process of rebuilding when the life you’ve built no longer feels aligned.
For years, Matt’s sense of self worth was closely tied to achievement, productivity, and momentum. Work became more than work - it became identity, validation, and proof of worth. But eventually, the pace, pressure, and constant need to keep moving caught up with him.
This episode explores what happens when burnout forces you to stop and confront difficult questions: Who are you without the work? Without the output? Without the version of yourself you’ve spent years performing?
Matt reflects on stepping away, losing certainty, struggling with the empty space that follows burnout, and learning to separate identity from performance. They also explore masculinity, ambition, external validation, and why rebuilding your life often begins with letting go of the person you thought you had to be.
This is a conversation about identity shifts, grief for old versions of yourself, and the reality that growth rarely feels clean while you’re inside it.
In this episode, we explore:
- How work and achievement can slowly become your entire identity
- The emotional and physical signs of burnout
- Why high performers often ignore what their body is trying to tell them
- The fear of slowing down when your self-worth is tied to productivity
- Losing certainty and struggling with who you are outside of work
- The discomfort of stepping away without knowing what comes next
- Identity shifts during periods of burnout and recovery
- Masculinity, validation, and the pressure to keep proving yourself
- Why rebuilding your life often starts with letting old identities die
- Learning to create a more sustainable and honest version of success
Who this episode is for:
- People whose identity has become deeply tied to their work
- Anyone experiencing burnout, exhaustion, or emotional numbness
- High achievers struggling to slow down without feeling guilty
- Those navigating a major identity shift or life transition
- People questioning success, ambition, or external validation
- Anyone rebuilding after a period of collapse, change, or uncertainty
- Those trying to separate who they are from what they do
About the guest:
Matt Allen is a Creative Strategist with 20+ years of experience across music, media and podcasting. Starting out at the BBC, he spent over a decade building a music services agency from a kitchen table into a multi-national before pivoting into podcasting after the pandemic - a move that felt less like a career change and more like everything clicking into place. He now leads commercial partnerships for an independent podcast network, connecting brands with some of the world's best independent podcasters, while also working with founders and business owners who want to build a real audience.