Episode 97: Dealing with Burnout with Wendy McCallum

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, stressed out, and overrun with exhaustion? Do you feel like you can’t slow down and your mind is a running to-do list?

Wendy McCallum is a burnout and alcohol life coach. She uses her lived experience and training to help others heal, rekindle their passion, and live a balanced and flourishing life. Today on Euphoric The Podcast, she shares with Karolina her own story of healing from burnout from her corporate lawyer career and her decision to become alcohol-free. Learn what burnout is, the warning signs to look for, and tips for relieving symptoms so you can live your best life!

Karolina’s new book Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You, made bestseller status on Amazon! Sign up today to be part of her Euphoric Book Launch Inner Circle. When you preorder the book and sign up for the team, you'll get an advanced reader copy to read as early as today. You'll also get some cool bonuses and a chance for an author Q&A! Expand your network and meet other incredible alcohol-free badasses. You also get a behind the scenes look at what goes into a book launch. All that’s asked in return is a review of the book and sharing it with your friends.

From success to burnout to thriving

Before she became a successful burnout and alcohol coach, Wendy was a corporate commercial litigator. Growing up, she found herself always focused on doing her best and following the path that was most reasonable. She never had a passion for law, but after doing well on the LSATs it seemed like the “logical” thing to do.

After maintaining a rigorous pace for about 8 years, Wendy and her husband decided to pursue adoption. While she had been unable to have a biological child, unbeknownst to her, she was pregnant with her daughter when the adoption of her son went through!

It wasn’t until Wendy was pregnant with her second child, that she was offered the position of partner at her law firm. Exciting, right? But after taking the promotion, working harder than ever, and juggling the responsibilities of caring for two new babies, burnout slowly began to creep in.

Something needed to change, which kicked off a beautiful healing journey.

Wendy’s burnout recovery took about 10 years, which may seem like a long time, but Wendy explains it as a layering on of new habits and integrating new tools over time to support her.

It was through her healing process that she realized her love for supporting other women. She became a wellness coach, then a certified life coach working with burnout and stress management, and is now also certified in alcohol coaching.

Wendy’s story is about acknowledging when you can’t do it anymore. Burnout happens when we ignore the signs and signals our mind and body are telling us, but it doesn’t have to be like that.

What if you took the time to check in with yourself and just ask, “Do I want to keep doing this?”

Signs of burnout and rekindling purpose

Humans are not designed to stay in prolonged, heightened states of stress. When we experience a stressor, our bodies initially experience a spike of adrenaline and cortisol, followed by a recovery period when they come back down.

Burnout happens when we’re so consistently stressed that our bodies never get the chance to recover.

So how do you know if you are experiencing burnout or are heading down that path?

Here are some of the top signs to watch out for:

Exhaustion that is unrelieved by rest or sleep
Decline in work performance, productivity, and/or efficiency
Preoccupation with what needs to be done (i.e. work, caregiving, errands)
Personal relationships begin to suffer
Decrease in life satisfaction
Over-reliance on unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol, food, and social media
Sickness or health issues

Do you see yourself in any of these burnout indicators?

If so, know that you can heal. Start by making the easiest, most supportive changes first, whether it’s meditating daily or starting a gratitude practice.

Wendy also explains that you can be doing something that fulfills you and surprisingly still experience burnout.

Your burnout recovery process will give you clarity on what’s working and what’s not working in your life, which may or may not include a change in purpose or career.

Becoming alcohol-free as a catalyst to healing

The final step on Wendy’s journey was vital to her full recovery from burnout: becoming alcohol-free. She knew she was living out of alignment and integrity with her values, tired of always thinking about alcohol and when she could have her next drink.

Everything came to a head when she found out her father only had one year left to live. Wendy was clear that she wanted to be fully present for each moment she had left with her Dad. She made the decision to go alcohol-free for 30 days.

Celebrating the first 30 days, she decided to try another 30 days. This continued month to month for the first year of her alcohol-free journey. Wendy’s “aha” moment came when she realized, “I get to not drink!”

Now four years into her alcohol-free journey, she realizes how incredibly beneficial it is to cut negative vices, like alcohol, out at the beginning.

“One of the most common signs of burnout is an over-reliance on unhealthy coping mechanisms... it's really, really common that we use something like alcohol as a way to escape.” Wendy McCallum