Burnout Psychology Support

Parental burnout is something many parents quietly shoulder — deep exhaustion, emotional disconnection, loss of joy, and the painful sense of not being the parent they used to be or want to be. In this episode, we dive into what parental burnout truly is, how it develops, and why so many parents are struggling under the weight of modern expectations.We explore:✨ the difference between everyday parental stress and actual burnout✨ the three core signs of parental burnout and how they unfold✨ the ripple effects on wellbeing, partners, and children✨ cultural pressures, perfectionism, and the “do-more, be-more” parenting ideal✨ risk factors and why some parents are more vulnerable✨ how burnout can quietly build even in loving, devoted parents✨ and evidence-based ways to support recovery and reconnectionThis is a compassionate, validating look at the real emotional load of parenting — and an important reminder that parenting was never meant to be done alone, without support, rest, or community.If you’ve been feeling worn down, disconnected, or like something in your parenting experience has shifted in a way you can’t quite name… this episode will help you feel seen, understood, and less alone.Host: Shannon Swales: Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Shannon combines clinical wisdom with lived experience to support others navigating chronic stress, burnout, and big life transitions. Through gentle conversations and evidence-based insights, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim their energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.Guest: Dr. Katy Hill is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years' experience of working across a variety of different NHS and university psychology departments. She was the first UK clinical psychologist to qualify as a certified parental burnout practitioner with the Training Institute of Parental Burnout in 2022. As a mum of three herself, Dr. Katy is passionate about supporting parents to reduce their stress levels, manage difficult emotions and improve relationships with their children, and themselves. You can find her at www.drkatyhill.com or on Instagram @‌theparentalstresspsychologist.If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community - a place for women to come back home to self• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn• 1:1 Burnout Therapy hereSubscribe to my Mailing List and receive a free eJournal to assist in coming back to yourself.Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon A Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

Rest isn’t something we earn at the end of the to-do list — it’s something we can gently weave into the middle of our lives. In this solo episode, Shannon explores how to create micro-moments of rest in the midst of busyness — small, compassionate pauses that help the nervous system soften and restore.She unpacks the myth of “enough time,” redefines what rest can look like in real life, and shares practical ways to experiment with different kinds of rest — from sensory and emotional to creative and spiritual. Drawing on Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s “Seven Types of Rest,” Shannon offers real-world strategies for women who find stillness difficult, feel guilty resting, or are learning to regulate rather than run on overdrive.Because rest isn’t just a reward — it’s regulation, renewal, and remembering your humanity. 🌻Host: Shannon Swales — Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Through her clinical wisdom and lived experience, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community — a place for women to come home to self• Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn• 1:1 Burnout Therapy• Subscribe for a free eJournal to help you come back to yourselfDisclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist–client relationship with Shannon A Swales. The views expressed are general and not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help — you don’t have to face it alone.

In this powerful conversation, Shannon is joined by Lazz Tomic — a workplace wellbeing and early intervention specialist who’s lived both sides of burnout: as a professional advising on wellbeing, and as someone who burned out while doing that very work. Together they explore what happens when the system itself is tired — when workplace cultures built on productivity, compliance, and “doing more” begin to erode the wellbeing they claim to promote.This episode explores:How cultural values like performance, speed, and growth clash with human needs for connection, care, and restThe concept of moral injury — when our work asks us to act against our core valuesWhy burnout isn’t just an individual issue, but a systemic onePractical reflections on creating workplaces where people and organisations can thriveIt’s a reminder that wellbeing isn’t just self-care — it’s culture care. When the culture’s not well, none of us can be for long.Guest: Lazz Tomic is a WorkCover, Injury Management, and Workplace Wellbeing Specialist dedicated to transforming how organisations care for their people. With over a decade of experience across major Victorian corporations, he brings lived experience of burnout and a commitment to designing workplaces that value humans over performance metrics. Founder of Early Intervention 2.0 — a free community for HR and OHS leaders — Lazz helps high-care sectors like healthcare, emergency services, social work, and education shift from a compliance mindset to one of compassion and shared responsibility.LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lazztomicJoin Early Intervention 2.0: LinkedIn GroupBook a chat: cal.com/lazztomic/30minHost: Shannon Swales — Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Through her clinical wisdom and lived experience, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community — a place for women to come home to self• Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn• 1:1 Burnout Therapy• Subscribe for a free eJournal to help you come back to yourselfDisclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist–client relationship with Shannon A Swales. The views expressed are general and not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help — you don’t have to face it alone.

In this episode, Shannon is joined by Dr. Stan Steindl to explore the true meaning of compassion — beyond kindness or a fleeting feeling — as a powerful practice that transforms how we relate to ourselves and others.They unpack why so many of us, especially women in midlife, find it easier to give compassion than receive it, and explore the common fears and blocks that get in the way. Together, they discuss how shifting the tone of our inner voice softens self-criticism without losing motivation, and why compassion is about doing what’s good for us, not just what feels good.Stan also shares a simple guided practice to help you begin widening your circle of compassion — to include yourself. 🌻🧡Host: Shannon Swales: Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Shannon combines clinical wisdom with lived experience to support others navigating chronic stress, burnout, and big life transitions. Through gentle conversations and evidence-based insights, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim their energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.Guest: Dr. Stan Steindl is a clinical psychologist, researcher, and author passionate about helping people understand and transform suffering through compassion. He is the creator of Compassion in a T-Shirt, a YouTube channel and podcast exploring self-compassion and compassion-focused therapy, and the author of The Gifts of Compassion and its companion workbook.Connect with Stan’s work: stansteindl.com | Compassion in a T-Shirt | The Gifts of CompassionIf you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community - a place for women to come back home to self• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn• 1:1 Burnout Therapy hereSubscribe to my Mailing List and receive a free eJournal to assist in coming back to yourself.Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon A Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

Welcome to Season 8 of Midlife Reclaimed! In this first solo episode of the new season, I’m introducing a fresh format: shorter, more focused episodes designed to fit gently into your month.So many of us in midlife crave rest, yet when the moment finally arrives, it can feel deeply uncomfortable — even unsafe. In this episode, I explore why rest is harder than it looks, and how years of conditioning, caregiving, and productivity culture have shaped our resistance to slowing down.Together, we’ll uncover the hidden barriers — from guilt and perfectionism to nervous system wiring — and learn how to meet them with mindful acceptance and compassion. This isn’t about doing rest “perfectly,” but about beginning, gently, to let rest in as a source of fuel and recovery.If you’ve ever found yourself exhausted but unable to stop, this episode will remind you that you’re not failing — you’re human. And there are softer, kinder ways forward.Host: Shannon Swales: Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Shannon combines clinical wisdom with lived experience to support others navigating chronic stress, burnout, and big life transitions. Through gentle conversations and evidence-based insights, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim their energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community - a place to come back home to self• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn• 1:1 Therapy hereSubscribe to my Mailing List and receive a free eJournal to assist in coming back to yourself.Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon A Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

In this episode, I sit down with Karina Schneider — a certified coach (ACC), Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and seasoned Global People & Culture Leader.Karina has spent over 20 years working across consulting, healthcare, engineering, and non-profit sectors. Today, she combines her HR expertise with coaching and lived experience to help people return to work in a way that’s paced, meaningful, and mentally sustainable.Together, they explore:Why burnout recovery and job reintegration are deeply personal journeysHow traditional return-to-work systems often miss the markWhat a more compassionate, human-centred approach can look likeHow values, identity and agency can guide our next steps — especially in midlife🎧 A must-listen for anyone navigating their way back into work — or rethinking what “work” even looks like.Guest: Karina Schneider is a seasoned Global People & Culture Leader with over two decades of experience spanning consulting, healthcare, engineering and non-profit sectors. Her work is motivated by the commitment to foster positive and healthy workplaces experiences so that employees feel motivated to show up and perform at work. Karina also uses part of her time advocating for mental health awareness and support in the workplace; specifically creating compassionate practices on returning to work after a mental health absence. Karina Schneider HR Business Partnering, Organizational Development & Workplace Wellbeing Mental Health First Aid certified Instructor Visit my website | Connect with me on LinkedInHost: Shannon Swales: Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Shannon combines clinical wisdom with lived experience to support others navigating chronic stress, burnout, and big life transitions. Through gentle conversations and evidence-based insights, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim their energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community - a place to come back home to self• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn• 1:1 Therapy hereSubscribe to my Mailing List and receive a free eJournal to assist in coming back to yourself.Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

This episode was groundbreaking for me—both personally and professionally. In my own journey through burnout, and in the stories I witness daily as a psychologist supporting midlife women, I’ve often sensed that there was something deeper—something unspoken—beneath the exhaustion, the disconnection, the collapse. Meeting Lora Cheadle and learning about betrayal as a root cause of burnout felt like discovering a missing link. Lora—an attorney turned coach, author, and speaker—generously shares her story and her powerful F.U.E.L UP framework for moving through betrayal and reclaiming your inner self. Whether it’s betrayal from a workplace, a partner, a friend, or even from within ourselves, Lora guides us toward recognition, healing, and reconnection. I’ll be forever thankful for this conversation, and I truly believe it’s a must-watch/listen for anyone navigating burnout, broken trust, or a longing to return to themselves.Guest: LORA CHEADLE, JD CHt is an author, TEDx speaker, and leadership wellness coach who specializes in burnout and betrayal recovery. She shows burned-out professionals, teams, and organizations how to reframe burnout as betrayal so they can get to the root cause of their symptoms and stay engaged, productive, and happy for the long haul. She is the creator of the FUEL UP Burnout-Recovery Method and enjoys speaking and coaching on how to move beyond soothing the symptoms of burnout and resolve its root cause. Lora is the author of It’s Not Burnout; It’s Betrayal: 5 Tools to FUEL UP & Thrive, and the award-winning book FLAUNT! Connect with LoraWebsite: https://loracheadle.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/loracheadlelifechoreographerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/loracheadle/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeChoreographer/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lora-cheadle-lifechoreographer/Host, Shannon Swales: Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Shannon combines clinical wisdom with lived experience to support others navigating chronic stress, burnout, and big life transitions. Through gentle conversations and evidence-based insights, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim their energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community - a place to come back home to self• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn • 1:1 Therapy hereSubscribe to my Mailing List and receive a free eJournal to assist in coming back to yourself.Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

In episode 54 of Midlife Reclaimed, we dive into one of the most quietly complex areas of midlife burnout recovery—relationships and intimacy.Whether you’re partnered or not, midlife often brings emotional and relational shifts that can leave us questioning what connection, desire, and closeness mean now. This conversation is an open, compassionate look at how burnout impacts intimacy—and how we can gently reconnect with ourselves and each other.Together with a special guest expert, we explore:- Why desire can feel like it disappears during midlife or burnout- The most common relational challenges women face in this season- What healthy intimacy actually looks like (and how to rebuild it)- Practical steps for nurturing communication and closenessThis episode is a must-listen if you’ve ever wondered, “Is it supposed to feel this hard?” or “Can we get back to what we had—or something better?”Guest: Isiah McKimmie is one of Australia’s most highly qualified Sex and Relationship Experts. She’s a Couples Therapist, Sex Therapist, Sexologist, and Coach who has spent over a decade helping women and couples build deeper intimacy and connection.With two Master’s degrees (Relational Psychotherapy and Sexual Counselling), a Postgraduate Diploma in Sexology, and a certificate from the Institute for the Advanced Studies of Human Sexuality, Isiah combines clinical depth with practical tools.Website: https://isiah-mckimmie.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isiahmckimmie.sexologist/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsiahLinked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isiah-mckimmie-52320153She’s worked with thousands of people, writes a widely-read weekly advice column, lectures in Couples Therapy, and is known for her warm, relatable approach to topics many find difficult to talk about.Host - Shannon Swales: a psychologist dedicated to empowering individuals with essential mental health skills to prevent, navigate & grow from midlife burnout. Having overcome burnout in her early midlife, Shannon guides others from chronic stress to wellness with balance & empathy. Join her as she shares transformative experiences & insights on growth through adversity.If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community: A space to come home to yourself - Find Out More & Join here• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn @shannon.a.swales• 1:1 Therapy: www.burnoutpsychologysupport.com/burnout-therapyStay in Touch: Subscribe to my Mailing List here and receive your very own eJournal to help you towards coming back to yourself.Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

In this solo episode, I invite you to see burnout through a different lens — not as a crisis to fear, but as a call for change, growth, and deeper self-connection.Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), my own burnout journey, the inspiring work of Dr. Dina Glouberman (The Joy of Burnout), and the lived experiences of my clients, we’ll explore how burnout can be a doorway to a life more aligned with who you truly are.Inside this conversation, we’ll dive into:Why burnout often triggers fear, shame, and urgency — and how that response can keep us stuck.How acceptance (not resistance) can transform the burnout experience into a powerful catalyst for change.What it means to stop "fixing" burnout and start listening to it.Reflective questions to help you reframe your own relationship with burnout.If you’re ready to move beyond fear and discover the deeper wisdom burnout holds, this episode is for you.🌿 Burnout isn’t a sign that you’re broken — it’s a message that something deeper is calling for your attention.Meet Shannon Swales—a psychologist dedicated to empowering individuals with essential mental health skills to prevent, navigate & grow from midlife burnout. Having overcome burnout in her early midlife, Shannon guides others from chronic stress to wellness with balance & empathy. Join her as she shares transformative experiences & insights on growth through adversity.Connect & GrowIf you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:Subscribe to receive a FREE Journaling Your Way to Thriving Beyond Burnout ebook and more goodiesOnline Membership: Dive into Midlife Reclaimed—an empowering space for burnt-out midlife women - https://midlife-reclaimed.mn.co/Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn1:1 Therapy: Ready to tackle midlife burnout? Visit www.burnoutpsychologysupport.com.My Midlife Burnout Story: Nothing Left to Give: A Psychologist’s Path Back From BurnoutShare Your Midlife Wisdom: Have professional &/or lived-experience insights on overcoming burnout or navigating midlife shifts? Email: shannon.a.swales@gmail.comDisclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.