268: From Burned Out to Fully Charged in Life and Work

In a society that constantly pushes us to do more, achieve more, and be more, how do we ensure that we're not running on empty, or worse - experiencing debilitating physical, emotional and mental symptoms of stress? Joining us today to help unpack this complex topic is  Dr. Neha Sangwan, who went from working on the frontlines of healthcare as a hospital emergency room physician, to becoming a key voice on burnout as an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. Her transformative new book Powered by Me: From Burned Out to Fully Charged at Work and in Life, was inspired by her own experiences as a young hospital physician when circumstances forced her to navigate the difficulties of extreme burnout. She is also the founder and CEO of Intuitive Intelligence Inc., where she combines the science of medicine with the art of communication to transform workplace cultures. In our conversation, Neha opens up about her life-altering experience with burnout, the impact it had on her, and how it reshaped her entire perspective on life and work. We delve into the complex nature of burnout, why it's different for every individual, and explore the cultural, systemic, and personal dimensions of burnout. We also discuss our values as a society, why Neha believes burnout is a global epidemic and reflect on what would be needed to address our collective mental health crisis and return to equilibrium. If you're interested in learning more about how to balance the relentless pace of modern life with genuine self-care, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. Tune in for Neha's invaluable insights and take that crucial step towards reclaiming your well-being!   Key Points From This Episode: • The life-altering experience that compelled Neha to write about burnout. [05:20] • Learning to understand why burnout is such a complicated issue: the impact of culture, systemic factors, and trauma. [19:21] • Why it can be so challenging for experts to be vulnerable and ask for help. [21:01] • How moments of crisis can shift our perspective and equip us to better help others. [22:10] • What it's like to undergo a paradigm shift; an overview of the five levels of agreement and how to make the transition from insight to personal accountability. [25:57] • A breakdown of the three pieces of burnout: me, we, and the world. [32:40] • Key factors that are contributing to our collective mental health crisis. [40:55] • Our outward focus as a society and the opportunity we have to invest in ourselves and come back into balance. [45:51] • How to assess where you are on the spectrum from burnout to fully charged. [48:24]   For More Information: Neha Sangwan, M.D on LinkedIn Neha Sangwan, M.D. on InstagramNeha Sangwan, M.D. on YouTubeNeha Sangwan, M.D. on TikTok Neha Sangwan, M.D. on X Neha Sangwan, M.D. on Facebook Intuitive Intelligence Inc Intuitive Intelligence Burnout Rx AssessmentPowered by Me: From Burned Out to Fully Charged at Work and in Life Talk Rx: Five Steps to Honest Conversation That Create Connection, Health, Happiness Dr. Neha Sangwan TEDx Talk: Changing and Letting Your Heart Speak Dr. Neha Sangwan at TEDx Berkeley: The Communication Cure Dr. Neha Sangwan TEDx San Luis Obispo: The Community Cure   Other resources mentioned in this episode: The Joy Luck Club Are you ready for a BIG positive shift in how you're working and what you're capable of achieving today in your career and leadership? Let's work together and make that happen! While you might know me best as a podcast host and writer, a key focus in my work is career and leadership coaching for mid to high-level professional women around the globe. In my top-rated Career & Leadership Breakthrough private coaching program, I help women get what they want most, which includes more confidence, impact, recognition, advancement, financial reward, well-being, and fulfillment. And I also help them close their power gaps and embrace their most exciting visions for the future. In the past 16 years, I've worked with over 20,000 women across 6 continents. Before that, I served as a therapist, and prior to that, I was a corporate VP managing multi-million-dollar budgets and global initiatives. I leverage all of that experience to help women build a new chapter of work to reach their highest and happiest potential in careers they love. 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Just paste this link in your browser >> weeditpodcasts.com/findingbrave    ——————— Order Kathy's book The Most Powerful You today!   In Australia and New Zealand, click here to order, elsewhere outside North America, click here, and in the UK, click here. If you enjoy the book, we'd so appreciate your giving the book a positive rating and review on Amazon! And check out Kathy's digital companion course The Most Powerful You, to help you close the 7 most damaging power gaps in the most effective way possible.  Kathy's Power Gaps Survey, Support To Build Your LinkedIn Profile To Great Success & Other Free Resources Kathy's TEDx Talk, Time To Brave Up & Free Career Path Self-Assessment Kathy's Amazing Career Project video training course & 6 Dominant Action Styles Quiz   ——————— Sponsor Highlight I'm thrilled that both Audible.com and Amazon Music are sponsors of Finding Brave! Take advantage of their great special offers and free trials today!   Audible Offer Amazon Music Offer   Quotes: "In one hour, I went from running the hospital to standing in line at the pharmacy as a patient on medical leave waiting for my medication." — @doctorneha [0:08:52] "Sometimes, burnout's not something we recognize, because we're so in it. That's why as a society, as a community, as those we love and lead, we really need to be able to say something. We need to say, are you okay?" — @doctorneha [0:11:13] "Burnout is a very complicated issue. – I would call it our own global epidemic that's going on. But I think when people think about it, they simplify it and then they don't understand why that's not the complete picture." — @doctorneha [0:19:30] "I felt like a complete and utter failure. Why are all my colleagues – handling it? They're still working. How can I be the one that isn't? – I think it was a bit of pride, I think it was a bit of shock. I think it was a paradigm I had never even entertained, thought of, or imagined." — @doctorneha [0:25:57] "Everything we're doing is about speeding up the external world. And I think that we have simultaneously tuned out of our own internal system." — @doctorneha [0:42:05] "What if it's not profit over people? And all these things we're taught about success aren't actually true. What if it's people? Everybody matters, and everybody wins. What if investing in your people, is how you make a greater profit?" — @doctorneha [0:44:00] Watch our Finding Brave episodes on YouTube! Don't forget – you can experience each Finding Brave episode in both audio and video formats! Check out new and recent episodes on my YouTube channel at YouTube.com/kathycaprino. And please leave us a comment and a thumbs up if you like the show!