Hi everyone — thank you again to everyone who joined us for Thursday’s session. This workshop was different from our usual “business of women’s health” or “get a job in women’s health” programming — but in many ways, it was even more foundational.

As I shared at the beginning of the session, many of you joined IWH to move your career forward, find your next role, or navigate transition. But when burnout shows up — emotionally, physically, or mentally — it quietly rewrites your entire career narrative. Your pitch falls flat. Your confidence wavers. Networking feels draining instead of energizing. You make decisions from depletion instead of intention. You disconnect not just from the work, but from yourself.

This is why burnout has everything to do with your career.
If you can’t feel yourself, you can’t advocate for yourself.
And if you can’t access clarity, you can’t tell the story that moves your career forward.

That’s why this conversation mattered — especially in December, when emotional load, caregiver responsibilities, life logistics, and year-end pressure collide at once. This was a chance to slow down, breathe, and reconnect before stepping into a new year.

What We Covered

1. What Burnout Actually Is — and What It Isn’t

Ray and Brogan grounded us in a clear definition: burnout is physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by chronic stress from a role — not just a job title.

A role could be:

• Caregiver

• Parent

• Job seeker

• Partner

• Community leader

• Team member

• Or simply “the person holding everything together”

Burnout shows up as:

• Loss of joy

• Irritability or emotional flatness

• Chronic fatigue

• Brain fog

• Feeling invisible or unrecognized

• Disconnection from the things you normally care deeply about

Many participants resonated with real examples shared in the chat:

• Feeling “tired to the bone”

• Being the one who “has to do it all”

• Losing touch with the parts of life that once felt grounding (including spirituality)

• Pulling away from family because the emotional bandwidth simply isn’t there

One of the biggest reframes of the session:
Burnout isn’t a personal failure. It’s a signal. And it’s calling for something to change.

2. The Career Implications — Why This Matters at IWH

Burnout directly impacts your:

• Pitch (you lose the spark that helps you stand out)

• Story (“Tell me about yourself” becomes mechanical instead of aligned)

• Networking (draining instead of energizing)

• Interviewing (you perform instead of connect)

• Decision-making (fear- or survival-based choices vs. intentional ones)

• Clarity (you can’t access the internal cues that point toward your next right step)

This is why, in the IWH Career Mastermind, the first two weeks are dedicated entirely to reconnecting with yourself. Your next career step becomes clear only after your internal system is regulated.

3. The Six Contributors to Burnout

Ray distilled the research into six categories that often overlap and compound:

• Task Load: urgency, unrealistic timelines, bandwidth overload

• Task Type: work that drains rather than energizes

• Recognition: feeling unseen, undervalued, or unacknowledged

• Ownership/Autonomy: no say in decisions or direction

• Community: lack of support or connection

• Life: caregiving, parenting, health challenges, holiday overwhelm, “life-ing”

These contributors are not personal flaws. They’re structural realities — especially for women and especially in mission-driven fields like women’s health.

4. What Emerged from Breakout Rooms

Across all groups, several themes showed up again and again:

• Emotional Load Fatigue

People are carrying the weight of family, work, job searching, caregiving, and invisible responsibilities.

• Uncertainty in Career Transitions

Many shared how the ambiguity of the job search intensifies burnout, even without “a job” causing it.

• Feeling Invisible or Unheard

A powerful throughline — especially for those juggling multiple roles.

• Loss of Joy or Passion

Participants noted decreased motivation even for activities they normally love.

• Perfectionism & Pressure to Perform

Particularly common among women working in mission-driven roles.

• Isolation

People felt disconnected — emotionally, relationally, professionally — and relieved to hear others name the same challenges.

The breakouts reminded everyone:
You are not alone. Your experience is shared. And community is part of the solution.

5. A Simple 3-Step Framework to Move Forward

Ray and Brogan offered a framework that aligns beautifully with the IWH career journey:

STEP 1 — Reflect

Name what you’re actually feeling. Not “I’m tired,” but:

• overwhelmed

• invisible

• unaligned

• resentful

• depleted

Getting specific is how you regain direction.

STEP 2 — Identify

Which of the six contributors is driving your burnout?
(Task load? Community? Recognition? Life load?)

This helps you see the problem clearly — not as a character flaw but as a set of conditions.

STEP 3 — Commit

Choose one micro-shift such as:

• blocking similar tasks together

• choosing a new environment for job applications

• creating a “ta-da” (done) list

• asking for help

• adding a weekly planning ritual

• reclaiming one “ownership snack” — anything you can control

These small, intentional shifts compound over time.

Recording, Slides & Presenter Contact Information

🎥 Recording:

Watch

📑 Slides:

View

💛 Connect with Feelings Found

Website: https://www.feelingsfound.com
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @feelingsfound
LinkedIn:

• Ray Thomas

• Brogan Rossi

Closing Thoughts from IWH

If there is one thing this session taught us, it’s this:
Your career doesn’t move when you’re disconnected from yourself — but it transforms when you reconnect.

As you head into a new year:

• Your ambition still matters.

• Your talent is still intact.

• Your next step is still possible.

• You are not behind.

• You are not alone.

You are part of a community that understands both the emotional weight and the professional rigor of building a career in women’s health. We are here to support your clarity, your momentum, and your wellbeing — not just your resume.

More workshops, events, and January sessions are coming soon.
Until then: breathe, restore, and take care of the human behind the career.

Warmly,
The In Women’s Health Team

P.S.

If this session resonated with you, hit reply and share one insight or moment that stayed with you. Your reflections help us shape future IWH programming and support.