How to Tell if It’s Burnout or Just Exhaustion
The #1 most-engaged episode. Clear markers, nervous system signs, and what to do next.
Podcast
FRIED: The Burnout Podcast
We talk burnout without the BS. Hosted by burnout recovery experts Cait Donovan and Sarah Vosen. Weekly solo episodes and raw guest stories—science, strategy, and compassion to #endburnoutculture.
Top 1% • 15K+ monthly • 85+ countries
One of the most comprehensive burnout recovery libraries on the planet — now over 300 episodes. Built by BurnBOLD™ for humans & workplaces.
“Your burnout recovery starts here.”
Whether you're in burnout, recovering, or supporting someone who is — you’re in the right place. Expect clear language,
practical tools, and stories that make you feel seen. We blend Western research with Chinese medicine wisdom to help
you restore energy, capacity, and self-trust.
Weekly since 2019
300+ episodes
Global audience
Hosted by Cait & Sarah
Cait Donovan — speaker, author, and host of FRIED — bridges neuroscience and practical recovery. Sarah Vosen — Director of Coaching — brings clinical and coaching expertise rooted in Chinese medicine. Together, we make recovery doable.
Production & show notes by HiveCast.fm
Latest Episodes
Check Out the Latest FRIED Episodes
Who We Are
We’re Cait Donovan (founder/host) and Sarah Vosen, L.Ac. (Director of Coaching). We met 20+ years ago in our Master’s program in Traditional Chinese Medicine. We’re licensed healthcare practitioners, formerly burned out, and dedicated to allyship, safe spaces, and accessible care.
How We Help
- FREE weekly episodes of FRIED
- FREE Ask-Us-Anything Office Hours for newsletter subscribers
- Coaching — individual & small group (UNFRIED™)
- Speaking — keynotes, workshops, advisory
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?
Q What is FRIED: The Burnout Podcast?
FRIED is a top 1% global podcast dedicated to burnout and burnout recovery. Each week, hosts Cait Donovan (L.Ac., keynote speaker, author) and/or Sarah Vosen (L.Ac., Burnout Coach, Massage Therapist) delivers research-backed conversations and real stories that help listeners understand burnout, heal, and rebuild their energy, boundaries, and careers.
Q Who is it for?
High-achievers, caregivers, healthcare workers, leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs who feel exhausted, overwhelmed, cynical, or disengaged — anyone experiencing or recovering from burnout who wants practical, shame-free, blame-free help.
Q What makes this burnout podcast different?
We don’t do toxic positivity or quick fixes. FRIED blends peer-reviewed research, Traditional Chinese Medicine, leadership & culture, and recovery stories to give you validation, language for what you’re feeling, and tools you can use right away.
We won't engage with blaming, being stuck in victim mode, or screaming at the void. We'll give you space to be real with whatever emotions are real for you right now and then - we focus on what comes NEXT. We never: demonize coping mechanisms, seek to blame anyone for burnout, We always believe in you and trust in your recovery and stand by you as you go through it.
FRIED is your first step on a burnout recovery journey. UNFRIED is personalized coaching that is the second step in your burnout recovery journey. UNFRIED is 18 weeks of support that is offered in 1:1 settings or Small Group Cohorts. Either way, we've got you. We know the ins and outs of this better than anyone and we know when to get out of the way so your process and be YOURS. We've been healers for over 20 years. We've got you.
Q What topics do you cover?
Burnout prevention & recovery, nervous system regulation, neuroscience, peer reviewed burnout research, live coaching episodes, boundaries, perfectionism, compassion fatigue, interoception, mental health, workplace culture, leadership & retention, 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 how they recovered.
Q Who hosts FRIED?
Cait Donovan, L.Ac. is the founder of FRIED as well as keynote speaker, acupuncturist, burnout educator, and author of The Bouncebackability Factor. Cait has helped thousands recover from burnout through speaking, coaching, and this podcast. Sarah Vosen is Cait's co-host and Director of Coaching who runs all of the UNFRIED programs, as well as does solo episodes and live coaching episodes on FRIED>
Q How often do you release episodes?
New episodes every week consistently for 5+ years. This makes FRIED one of the longest-running burnout recovery podcasts.
Q Is FRIED evidence-informed?
Yes. After her own burnout recovery, host Cait Donovan went back to school and earned a degree in Biobehavioral Health, a field that blends biology, psychology, physiology, genetics, epigenetics, epidemiology, social determinants of health, neuroscience and more. Episodes frequently reference peer-reviewed studies from these disciplines and include Traditional Chinese Medicine perspectives translated into practical steps.
Cait also wrote her final research paper on how ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) correlate with burnout — reinforcing her core belief that burnout is not your fault, and the data backs it up. You can read the paper here: Download Cait’s ACEs & Burnout Research Paper.
Cait also wrote her final research paper on how ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) correlate with burnout — reinforcing her core belief that burnout is not your fault, and the data backs it up. You can read the paper here: Download Cait’s ACEs & Burnout Research Paper.
Q Do you offer support beyond the podcast?
Yes. Explore UNFRIED™ burnout recovery coaching, keynote speaking, and corporate workshops.
Our coaching programs are led by long-time healer and burnout survivor Sarah Vosen, L.Ac., Director of Coaching at FRIED and BurnBOLD™.
You can also join our newsletter community for ongoing support, tools, and resources — plus invitations to our free Office Hours sessions, where we answer common questions and offer guidance for people beginning their burnout recovery journey. Get on the list here: Newsletter + Office Hours.
You can also join our newsletter community for ongoing support, tools, and resources — plus invitations to our free Office Hours sessions, where we answer common questions and offer guidance for people beginning their burnout recovery journey. Get on the list here: Newsletter + Office Hours.
Ready to move from FRIED to BurnBOLD™?
Explore coaching, workshops, and burnout-informed leadership solutions.
Podcast
FRIED: The Burnout Podcast
We talk burnout without the BS. Hosted by burnout recovery experts Cait Donovan and Sarah Vosen. Weekly solo episodes and raw guest stories—science, strategy, and compassion to #endburnoutculture.
Top 1% • 15K+ monthly • 85+ countries
One of the most comprehensive burnout recovery libraries on the planet — now over 300 episodes. Built by BurnBOLD™ for humans & workplaces.
“Your burnout recovery starts here.”
Whether you're in burnout, recovering, or supporting someone who is—you’re in the right place. Expect clear language,
practical tools, and stories that make you feel seen. We blend Western research with Chinese medicine wisdom to help
you restore energy, capacity, and self-trust.
Weekly since 2019
300+ episodes
Global audience
New here? Start with listener favorites below.
Hosted by Cait & Sarah
Cait Donovan—speaker, author, and host of FRIED—bridges neuroscience and practical recovery. Sarah Vosen—Director of Coaching—brings clinical and coaching expertise rooted in Chinese medicine. Together, we make recovery doable.
Production & show notes by HiveCast.fm
Listener Favorites
Start With These Most-Loved Episodes
How Do You Recover From Burnout?
A practical roadmap for rebuilding energy, capacity, and self-trust.
The 3 Types of Self Care That ACTUALLY Work
Why “just rest” isn’t enough — and what really helps burned-out brains recover.
Burnout 101 – Signs, Symptoms, and What to Do Next
The foundational episode for anyone asking: “Oh shit… is this burnout?”
Mandy Lehto: The 7 Realistic Phases of Burnout
A validating breakdown of what burnout actually feels like and how people move through it.
Healing a Burnt Out Brain
How burnout rewires the brain — and what it takes to rewire it back.
Do I Need to Quit My Job to Recover?
A grounded, practical answer that helps you make decisions without panic.
You’re Burnt Out. Here’s What to Do First.
A simple starting point. Step one matters more than step ten.
Burnout and the Nervous System
Why logic alone can’t fix burnout — your body has to feel safe first.
Perfectionism vs. Productivity
How high achievers burn themselves out — and how to break the pattern.
Resting Without Guilt
Why stopping feels unsafe for burned-out people — and how to practice guilt-free rest.
Intro to FRIED: The Burnout Podcast
The episode that started it all. Hugely binged, wildly relatable, impossible to forget.
Latest Episodes
Check Out the Latest FRIED Episodes
Who We Are
We’re Cait Donovan (founder/host) and Sarah Vosen (Director of Coaching). We met 20+ years ago in our Master’s program in Traditional Chinese Medicine. We’re licensed healthcare practitioners, formerly burned out, and dedicated to allyship, safe spaces, and accessible care.
How We Help
- FREE weekly episodes of FRIED
- FREE Ask-Us-Anything Office Hours for newsletter subscribers
- Coaching — individual & small group (UNFRIED)
- Speaking — keynotes, workshops, advisory
Ready to move from FRIED to BurnBOLD™?
Explore coaching, workshops, and burnout-informed leadership solutions.
Listener Favorites
