"Are Sunday Scaries Turning into Everyday Dread? How Corporate Culture Fuels Burnout"

🎙️ Welcome back to the Corporate Cliché podcast!
Join Jess and Jen as they dive into the realities of corporate life through relatable and unfiltered watercooler conversations.

💼 Episode 10: Watercooler Cliché – Burnout

Episode Summary:
In this episode, Jess and Jen peel back the layers of the ever-present corporate cliché: burnout. They share candid personal stories, explore the systemic causes behind widespread burnout, and offer real, practical steps to help you regain your balance. From toxic expectations and value misalignment to walking your dog at lunch and rewriting your job description—this conversation is full of insights, validation, and encouragement. Whether you’re exhausted, emotionally numb, or just feeling “off,” this episode will help you name what’s happening and take back your power.

🔥 Episode Highlights:

✅ What Burnout Really Means
A state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that leaves you disconnected from your work—and even from yourself. It’s not just about long hours, it’s about misalignment.

✅ Corporate’s Role in the Burnout Epidemic
From impossible workloads and poor management to toxic environments and lack of recognition, burnout has been normalized in the workplace. But that doesn’t mean we have to accept it. We found this LinkedIn Article so insightful!

✅ Real Stories, Real Talk
Jess and Jen get personal—sharing their own burnout experiences, what triggered it, and how they started to heal. Spoiler: walking your dogs at lunch might be more powerful than you think.

✅ Signs of Burnout You Shouldn’t Ignore
• Emotional numbness
• Feeling isolated
• Reduced motivation
• Dread before every workday
• Loss of purpose or values misalignment

✅ Burnout Triggers
• Overload: You’re doing the job of three people
• Lack of control: Always firefighting, never planning
• No recognition: You're invisible unless you mess up
• Toxic culture: Narcissistic bosses, no psychological safety
• Value mismatch: Your work doesn’t align with your beliefs

🛠️ What You Can Do About It:

💡 Understand Where the Burnout Is Coming From
Not all burnout is the same—identify your unique stressors so you can make meaningful changes.

📝 Try This Exercise: Re-Write Your Job Description
Turn it into a calling instead of a checklist. Focus on the impact, not just the tasks. Then bring 3 actionable ideas to your manager that support this version of your role.

🧘 Create Sustainable Stress-Release Routines
Breaks, water, movement, journaling, boundary-setting—build habits that restore you daily instead of relying on weekends to “recover.”

💬 Redefine Success at Work
Are you working toward your goals or someone else’s? Burnout often stems from chasing achievements that don’t fulfill you.

🚨 The Canary in the Coal Mine
Listen to early signs—both in yourself and those around you. Silence from once-passionate employees often signals deeper issues in company culture.

💬 Key Takeaways:

• Burnout is a signal, not a personal failure.
  • Rewriting your job as a calling can help reframe your mindset and goals.
  • Small changes in your day can have a big impact on how you feel.
  • You have power—even in corporate—to push back on toxic narratives.
  • Culture change starts with conversations just like this.

👥 Join the Conversation!

🔗 Engage with Us:
Have you experienced burnout at work? What helped—or what didn’t? We’d love to hear your story. DM us or comment on Instagram @CorporateClichePodcast.

🎧 Listen & Subscribe:
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📝 Rate & Review:
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