What would you actually do if you woke up tomorrow with all your skills, experience, and wisdom, but zero network, zero reputation, and zero job or clients? That's the question driving this week's episode of The Corporate Burnouts.

The Mandys get into it: the soft skills that outlast any job title, why your career path is probably circumstance, not intention, and what it really means to redefine success on your own terms.

Plus: Mandy Holt's unexpected obsession with hibiscus plants, Mandy Alt's townhouse sale saga, the difference between working for something and fighting for it, and why so many of us feel trapped by a degree or a title we worked hard to earn.

They close with a challenge: do a lifestyle audit. Ask yourself the hard question and stop waiting for a catastrophe to give yourself permission.

📩 Share what YOU would do: hello@thecorporateburnouts.com

Why High-Achieving Women Get Stuck — and How to Break Free | Ep. 68 with Ali Carson

If you've ever felt stuck in your career, burned out from chasing the wrong version of success, or like you're getting in your own way, this episode is for you.

We're joined by Ali Carson, MBA, ACC, Gallup certified strengths coach, brain-based coach, two-time #1 international bestselling author, and founder of Movere Coaching. With 20+ years in HR and leadership development, Ali helps high-achieving women unlock their strengths and lead with authenticity.

In this episode, we dig into:✔️ Why high-achieving women are often the last to recognize when they're stuck✔️ The hidden habits holding women back and the books that expose them✔️ How redefining success changed everything for Ali (and can for you too)✔️ Limiting beliefs: what they are, where they come from, and how to release them✔️ The "implementation intentions" strategy that makes change actually stick✔️ Why accountability is the missing piece most people ignore✔️ Ali's Rise & Thrive group coaching program and why community matters in growth

Ali's story — from small-town Missouri to building her own coaching business after losing both parents and walking away from burnout — is raw, real, and deeply relatable.

Whether you're still in corporate or building something of your own, this episode will help you stop letting yourself get in your own way.

🔗 Find Ali Carson:

- Website - https://moverecoaching.com/

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/moverecoaching/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/movere-coaching

- Links to books she is a part of - https://bit.ly/4olVY4H & https://bit.ly/49VJStk

Ever felt like you've "tricked" everyone into thinking you belong? Yeah, us too.

In Episode 67, both Mandys get real about imposter syndrome: what it actually feels like, why it hits hardest when you're leveling up, and why the goal was never to get rid of it. From Mandy Holt sitting in a boardroom at a multi-billion dollar company thinking "I have done it, I have screwed myself", to Mandy Alt pouring foamy beers as a brand new bartender, we've both been there.

We talk about why imposter syndrome is actually a signal (not a stop sign), how to borrow confidence from the people around you, and why "ready" is a decision, not a feeling.

Plus, college tours, early graduation drama, camper rentals, and a Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead reference you didn't know you needed.

Topics: imposter syndrome, women in business, career growth, self-doubt, mindset, entrepreneurship, burnout recovery, personal development

You are not a victim of your corporate life and this episode is your wake-up call.

In Episode 66, both Mandys get real about one of the most uncomfortable truths in burnout recovery: personal responsibility. After 65 episodes of unpacking toxic workplaces, bad bosses, and burnout, they're turning the mirror around on themselves and on you.

They dig into why so many of us stay stuck in jobs we hate, and it's not just the health insurance. It's fear. It's comfort. It's a corporate identity we've built our entire self-worth around. It's the "frog in the pot" effect and the complaining circles that keep us boiling.

This episode covers:

• Why you're not a victim (even when it really feels like you are)
• The "frog in the pot" theory and how corporate life slowly normalizes the unbearable
• Professional codependency — and why loyalty to your boss isn't a reason to stay
• The "choose your hard" mindset shift that changes everything
• The questions you need to ask yourself if you're ready to explore what's next

Plus, a reference back to their episode with Rachel Zimmerman on health insurance options outside of corporate, and a sneak peek at next week's topic: imposter syndrome.

If you've ever told yourself "I can't leave" , this one's for you.

Confused about health insurance after leaving corporate? You're not alone.

In this episode, we sit down with Rachel Zimmerman, an independent employee benefits broker with 15+ years of experience helping small businesses and individuals navigate the world of health insurance. Whether you're leaving a 9-to-5, starting a business, or just trying to make sense of the marketplace, this episode is your cheat sheet.

We cover:

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) explained in plain English
• How tax credits work and who actually qualifies
• Why you need a marketplace local broker, not an 800 number
• The difference between marketplace plans and employer group plans
• Missouri's Chamber Benefit Plan (and how to find something similar in your state)
• Prescriptions, networks, and the questions most people forget to ask

Rachel also shares the story behind her women's scuba diving club, Midwest Mermaids Scuba, and her brand-new podcast, Dive Like a Girl, launching June 1st.

This one is packed with real, actionable information that could change how you think about your coverage and maybe even give you the permission you need to take the leap.

How to find Rachel:

Instagram - @midwestmermaidsscuba / @thehealthinsurancelady

Websites - https://zimmermanbenefits.com/ & https://midwestmermaids.com/

We'll be honest, one of us procrastinated on her own podcast class about podcasting. And that's exactly how this episode happened.

This week, the Mandys get real about procrastination: why we do it, why we can't seem to stop, and the tips and tricks we're actually putting into practice. No judgment. We're both works in progress.

We get into:

• Why procrastination isn't laziness — it's often fear, overwhelm, perfectionism, or ADHD
• The dopamine hit of the deadline and why some of us genuinely do our best work under pressure
• Why the "eat that frog" method and waking up at 5am won't work for everyone
• The brain dump + time blocking combo that's actually making a difference
• How to use a secondary calendar to stop your week from blowing up on Thursday
• Why setting deadlines, even fake ones, changes everything
• The resentment connection: why you're putting off that task at work (hint: it might be a sign)
• The bite-sized piece method for massive projects you keep avoiding
• Why procrastinating on things that don't have deadlines is punishing future you
• How to take the shame out of the way your brain actually works

🔒 Share your corporate secrets anonymously at thecorporateburnouts.com⭐ Subscribe & leave a review — it means more than you know!

Whether you're the boss or the employee, giving and receiving feedback is one of the hardest parts of any workplace, and nobody teaches you how to do it.

This week, the Mandys break down a real-life corporate nightmare: a manager who calls out his entire team on a weekly group call, gets called out himself for it, and completely falls apart. From there, the conversation goes deep on what actually makes feedback land, and what makes it blow up in everyone's face.

They cover:

• Why bad bosses use feedback as an outlet for frustration (and how to spot it)
• The "praise in public, coach in private" rule and when to break it
• How to give feedback that actually changes behavior vs. just venting
• What to ask your team before you ever give feedback
• How to separate the delivery from the content when feedback is given badly
• The mindset shift that turns even the worst feedback into real growth

If you've ever had a boss who couldn't take what they dished out, managed someone who shuts down at the first sign of criticism, or just want to get better at this stuff, this episode is for you.

The Corporate Burnouts is your no-BS, real-talk podcast for anyone who's ever wanted to quit, already quit, or is somewhere in between.

New episodes every week. Follow so you never miss one.

We've talked about burnout a lot. But this week, we brought in someone who can explain why it's happening in your body — at a biological level.

International bestselling author and physiotherapist Jessica Maguire joins the Mandys to break down the nervous system science behind burnout, and honestly? Everything finally makes sense.

This episode covers:

• What the vagus nerve actually is and why it controls so much more than you think
• Why burnout isn't a willpower problem — it's a physiology problem
• The "hot water" analogy that perfectly explains how we end up completely depleted
• Why the freeze response gets unfairly judged (and why it's not weakness)
• The physical symptoms of burnout you're probably not connecting to your job — gut issues, brain fog, immune problems, loss of libido, and more
• How to start regulating your nervous system if you're already deep in it
• Why play — yes, actual play — is one of the most powerful recovery tools
• The role of shame, perfectionism, and overachieving in keeping you stuck

Jessica has trained over 25,000 people through her nervous system programs and her book The Nervous System Reset has been published in 9+ languages. This one is packed.

Find Jessica:

Website: https://www.jessicamaguire.com/

Instagram: @repairing_the_nervous_system

Purchase her book (The Nervous System Reset): https://bit.ly/4w5kNpi

Submit your anonymous corporate secrets: https://www.thecorporateburnouts.com/secretsSubscribe & leave us a review!