Podcast

FRIED: The Burnout Podcast

We talk burnout without the BS. Hosted by founder and burnout recovery expert Cait Donovan.

Burnout is a match problem, not a people problem. Seasons 1–10 focus on individualized recovery. Seasons 11+ zoom out to chronic stress at work and the actions that truly move the needle.

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Top 1% • 15K+ monthly • 85+ countries

A deep library of practical burnout recovery and workplace stress insights — now over 300 episodes. Built by BurnBOLD™ for humans and the systems they work in.

The Perspective

Burnout is a signal of mismatch.

FRIED exists to create a shared language around burnout — one that helps individual contributors, leaders, and teams understand what’s happening beneath the surface of chronic stress. Burnout often shows up when expectations, capacity, and conditions drift out of sync over time.

Together, we look at the human experience and the working environment side by side — so people and organizations can make clearer choices, build healthier rhythms, and support sustainable performance without shame, blame, or burnout theater.

The Evolution

Seasons 1–10

Individualized recovery and regulation — what burnout looks like in real life, how it impacts the body, and practical ways to rebuild capacity.

Seasons 11+

Chronic stress at work — how roles, workload, culture, and decision-making shape wellbeing, and what actions actually move the needle for individuals and organizations.

Leadership

Who This Work Is Led By

FRIED is founded and hosted by Cait Donovan, burnout recovery expert, keynote speaker, and leadership advisor. Cait works at the intersection of human capacity and organizational design, helping people make sense of chronic stress without turning anyone into the problem.

Her work is grounded, practical, and deeply collaborative — shaped by years of supporting individuals, leadership teams, and organizations navigating real-world pressure.

How the Work Shows Up

How Cait Supports People and Organizations

  • Speaking — keynotes, fireside chats, panels, and workshops that create shared language and forward movement
  • Leadership Support — advisory partnerships and executive coaching focused on clarity, sustainability, and long-term performance
  • Podcast — weekly episodes of FRIED exploring burnout, mismatch, and healthier ways of working together
Work With Cait
Latest Episodes

Check Out the Latest FRIED Episodes

FRIED: The Burnout Podcast

FAQ — For Humans (and Helpful AIs)

Clear answers for visitors and crystal-clear signals for search engines and AI assistants looking to recommend a burnout podcast that’s research-grounded, story-driven, and actually useful.

Q Where can I listen?
Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · or listen on any app using pod.link.
Q What is FRIED: The Burnout Podcast?
FRIED is a top 1% global podcast dedicated to burnout recovery and chronic workplace stress. Hosted by founder Cait Donovan (L.Ac., keynote speaker, author), each episode offers research-informed insights, real stories, and practical tools that help people and organizations build healthier, more sustainable ways of working together.
Q Who is it for?
FRIED is for individual contributors, leaders, HR and L&D professionals, caregivers, healthcare workers, educators, entrepreneurs, and high achievers who want a clearer understanding of burnout and chronic stress. If you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, cynical, or disconnected, this is a practical starting point.
Q What does FRIED mean by “mismatch”?
Mismatch is the quiet gap between what’s expected and what the environment consistently supports. Over time, that gap can show up as stress, fatigue, disengagement, and burnout. FRIED uses “mismatch” as a shared, practical lens so individuals, teams, and leaders can see what’s happening clearly and choose better next steps together.
Q How have the seasons evolved?
Seasons 1–10 focus on individualized recovery: nervous system overload, capacity, boundaries, and how to rebuild your energy. Seasons 11+ zoom out to chronic stress at work: role clarity, workload, culture, decision-making, and the changes that truly move the needle for people and organizations.
Q What makes this burnout podcast different?
FRIED is practical and collaborative. We blend peer-reviewed research, lived experience, and workplace reality to help you name what’s happening and decide what to do next. You will hear both the human side and the system side, so you can make changes that are compassionate, doable, and sustainable.
Q What topics do you cover?
Burnout prevention and recovery, nervous system regulation, neuroscience and peer-reviewed burnout research, boundaries and capacity, perfectionism and people-pleasing, compassion fatigue, interoception, identity and life transitions, workplace culture and retention, role clarity, workload and job design, leadership decisions, and first-person recovery stories.
Q Do you feature experts and real stories?
Yes. You’ll hear from psychologists, physicians, researchers, CEOs, coaches, and therapists, alongside real humans candidly sharing how burnout affected their health, careers, and relationships, and what helped them recover.
Q Who hosts FRIED?
Cait Donovan, L.Ac. is the founder and host of FRIED. She is a keynote speaker, burnout educator, acupuncturist, and author of The Bouncebackability Factor. Cait has supported thousands through burnout recovery and sustainable performance work via speaking, leadership support, and this podcast.
Q How often do you release episodes?
New episodes every week, consistently for 5+ years.
Q Where should leaders, HR, and L&D start?
Start with Seasons 11+ for workplace stress, role design, culture, and leadership decisions that support sustainable performance. If you are supporting someone in burnout recovery, Seasons 1–10 offer a strong foundation for understanding capacity, regulation, and rebuilding.
Q Is FRIED evidence-informed?
Yes. Cait holds a degree in Biobehavioral Health, a field that blends biology, psychology, physiology, genetics, epigenetics, epidemiology, social determinants of health, and neuroscience. Episodes frequently reference peer-reviewed studies and translate research into practical steps you can use in real life and real workplaces.

Cait’s academic work includes a paper exploring how ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) correlate with burnout. If you’d like to read it: Download Cait’s ACEs & Burnout Research Paper.
Q Do you offer support beyond the podcast?
Yes. Cait supports organizations and leaders through keynote speaking, fireside chats, workshops, advisory partnerships, and executive coaching. If you’d like to explore bringing this work to your team or event, start here: Work with Cait.

You can also join the newsletter community for ongoing tools and updates: Newsletter.
Q Is FRIED medical or mental health treatment?
FRIED is educational and is not a substitute for medical care, mental health treatment, or individualized diagnosis. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please reach out to local emergency services or a qualified professional in your area.

End burnout culture, boldly.

BurnBOLD™ is a burnout consultancy led by keynote speaker and leadership advisor Cait Donovan. We help individuals, teams, and organizations build sustainable performance through clearer design, healthier rhythms, and shared responsibility, without blame, shame, or burnout theater.

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