The Career Advice Harvard Never Taught: Burnout, Fear & Flow | Pooja Venkatraman - E712

Executive coach Pooja Venkatraman (Harvard College, Harvard MBA, ex-BCG, ex-Capital One) explains why burnout has almost nothing to do with how many hours you work, and everything to do with the mental soundtrack running while you work. She breaks down the two flavors of burnout high achievers miss, why "just quit" is bad advice, and the framework she uses to help Ivy League grads and operators get unstuck. For founders, VCs, and operators across Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia, this is a candid look at building a career that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside: navigating career pivots, imposter syndrome, and high-pressure decisions without burning out. Pooja also shares her non-linear path from aspiring screenwriter to coach, and why every move was a hypothesis worth testing. Learn more about Pooja: https://poojavcoaching.com/ Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/pooja-venkatraman-burnout-fear-flow  BRAVE is Southeast Asia's leading tech podcast, hosted by Jeremy Au. Honest conversations with the region's top founders, investors, and operators on building startups in Southeast Asia. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss one. Listen & Subscribe YouTube (English), YouTube (Bahasa Indonesia), Spotify (English), Spotify (Bahasa Indonesia), Spotify (Chinese), Spotify (Vietnamese), Apple Podcasts Follow BRAVE LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp Follow Jeremy Au LinkedIn, X / Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Twitch Resources Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com #Burnout #CareerCoaching #ExecutiveCoaching #SoutheastAsia #Podcast #TechCareers #Leadership #Founders #HighAchievers #CareerChange #MentalHealth 00:00 The biggest misconception about burnout 00:39 Intro: from HBS classmates to executive coach 03:35 The writer years: Harry Potter to Harvardwood 08:22 Pivot to business: Capital One and the secret writing job 10:28 HBS, BCG, and the hypothesis that broke 13:12 The Clay Christensen fellowship and the shelved book 17:44 Back to Capital One: "You're not being brave" 23:44 The circular career and the wrapping paper trap 28:56 Hiring a coach, then becoming one 35:17 Burnout is not about the hours 38:44 Why not just quit? The internal tug of war 42:05 Being brave, advice to her younger self, and takeaways