If you've done the work — therapy, retreats, coaching — and still feel an exhaustion you can't explain, this one's for you. Renae breaks down why burnout recovery can feel like it's making things worse before it gets better, what hypervigilance and nervous system dysregulation actually have to do with chronic exhaustion, and why "trying harder" to heal is often the exact thing keeping high-achieving women and overachievers stuck.

In this solo episode, Renae shares what happened when a retreat she expected to leave her rejuvenated instead hit her with months of unexplainable, existential exhaustion — and the moment her coach's blunt feedback cracked open a decade of patterns she didn't know she was running.

You'll learn why your nervous system can't just switch off hypervigilance overnight, the real difference between burnout and nervous system depletion, why discipline and effort can't fix this particular kind of tired, and what it actually takes to let your body — not just your mind — feel safe enough to rest.

If this hits home, Burn the Blueprint is where we do this identity work in a structured way.

MENTIONED RESOURCES:

🔥 Get Week 1 of Burn the Blueprint: 4-Week Identity Reset FREE → [https://wayward-wellness-coaching.kit.com/burn-the-blueprint-week-one]

Ready to go DEEPER? Burn the Blueprint 4-week Course → [https://burn-the-blueprint.my.canva.site]

OR Grab the 3 day video training Burn the Blueprint: Masterclass for only $27 → [https://wayward-wellness-coaching.kit.com/products/burntheblueprint-videotraining]

Support the show

Find more info on how to work with Renae - [ Wayward Wellness Coaching ]

CONNECT ON SOCIALS:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/waywardwellnesscoaching/

Website → https://www.waywardwellnesscoaching.org

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/wayward_wellness_coaching/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/p/Wayward-Wellness-Coaching-61566792351111/

I grew up down the street from a hoarder — and for years I didn't understand it. Then I went three years without cleaning my own back patio, and it finally clicked.

In this episode, I talk about the connection between physical depletion, chronic illness, and the state of the spaces around you — and why "just clean up" advice misses the point entirely for burned-out high achievers. I also share an update on my own health journey (three surgeries in eighteen months, a medical system that kept telling me I was fine when I wasn't) and what it actually looks like to start feeling well again.

If you've ever felt like a failure for not keeping your space together while running on empty, this one's for you.

In this episode:

• Why your environment is a symptom, not the problem
• The hidden cost of pushing through chronic illness while appearing "fine"
• What getting well again actually looks like
• This week's practice: The One Small Thing

🔗 Book a call: [Free Chat with Renae]

Mentioned Resources:

FREE Week One of Burn the Blueprint: [Week One of Burn the Blueprint: Identity Reset]
📩 Subscribe to The Weekly Recharge newsletter: [Subscribe Here]

Support the show

Find more info on how to work with Renae - [ Wayward Wellness Coaching ]

CONNECT ON SOCIALS:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/waywardwellnesscoaching/

Website → https://www.waywardwellnesscoaching.org

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/wayward_wellness_coaching/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/p/Wayward-Wellness-Coaching-61566792351111/

If you've ever felt exhausted by work that nobody acknowledges, guilty for taking a vacation while the world is falling apart, or like you're carrying expectations that were never yours to begin with — this episode is for you.

Renae sits down with Dr. Shruti Punjabi, urban planner and applied social scientist, to unpack the invisible labor that high-achieving women carry every single day — and the layers that get added when cultural identity, gender expectations, and systemic barriers are part of the equation.

In this episode:

• Why your brain is valued in the workplace but your full identity isn't
• How cognitive overload and invisible labor are colliding in real time
• The hidden cost of being trapped in a role you can't walk away from
• Why inherited expectations masquerade as personal ambition
• What it means to redefine success on your own terms — not the ones handed to you

Dr. Punjabi has worked with the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the Fund for the City of New York. Her lens on burnout isn't theoretical — it's lived.

If this episode hits, subscribe and share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Shruti Punjabi on LinkedIn and Instagram:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shruti-punjabi/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shruti_punjabi/

And check out Dr. Punjabi's latest work: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104197

🔗 Ready to do the deeper work? Grab the first week of Burn the Blueprint for free: [Week 1 of Burn the Blueprint].

Support the show

Find more info on how to work with Renae - [ Wayward Wellness Coaching ]

CONNECT ON SOCIALS:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/waywardwellnesscoaching/

Website → https://www.waywardwellnesscoaching.org

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/wayward_wellness_coaching/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/p/Wayward-Wellness-Coaching-61566792351111/