You Are Not A Frog
by Dr Rachel Morris | Burnout Podcast
The podcast for GPs, hospital doctors and other professionals in high-stakes, high-stress jobs who want to thrive rather than just survive.You studied for years, you’re really good at what you do but you’ve noticed that you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, overworked and under-resourced. You may be comparing yourself to a frog in boiling water - the heat has built up so slowly that you haven’t noticed the extra-long days becoming the norm. You may feel on the edge and trapped in the very job that you’ve spent years working towards.Here’s the problem, frogs only have two choices; stay and be boiled alive, or jump out of the pan. The good news is that you are not a frog. You have many more choices than you think you do. You don’t have to quit, and nor should stress and burnout be inevitable.It is possible to be master of your own destiny, to craft your work life and career so that you can thrive even in the most difficult of situations. There are simple changes you can make which will
Episodes
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The Exact Moment a Difficult Conversation Goes Wrong (and How to Spot It)
If you’ve ever plucked up the courage to have ‘that’ conversation, and planned it carefully so that you can be kind and clear - but two minutes in, it goes south - you’ll know what it feels like when their face changes, your chest gets tight, and suddenly you're both defensive and you’re both...
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Am I an Accidental A**hole?
Have you ever lain awake replaying a conversation with a tricky colleague, wondering if you were the one completely out of order? If you're a high achiever in a leadership role, you know the dilemma - you don't want to be the bad guy, so you avoid the awkward chat, pick up everyone else's slack,...
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It's OK Not to Know: What to Do When the Furniture Is Shifting
Have you ever felt ashamed or frustrated that you didn't know the answer? Not to a clinical question, but about your own life - what's next, what's wrong, why you feel the way you do? If you're the one everyone relies on, not knowing can feel like failing at the one thing you're supposed to be…
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If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes: How to Avoid the Burnout Cliff
You may think you're fine. You're still performing well at work, still the one people rely on, yet you know something's off. In this episode - a replay of one of my most important conversations from 2025, I share the question that changed how I think about burnout: What are you borrowing from…
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It's Not Whether You Let People Down. It's Who
You tell yourself that never letting anyone down is how you protect the people you love. But our ingrained programming tells us we have to please everyone all the time to feel good enough - and the people you love are the people who suffer most when you're stuck in the Responsibility Trap. They…
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The Real Reason You Can't Switch Off (with Nick Petrie)
Do you lie awake replaying a decision you had to make? That work anxiety loop where you can't stop thinking about work even when you are home? Maybe you've told yourself burnout is just the occupational hazard of this job. You've tried to put things in place — to leave on time, to say no more…
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Doing Nothing Feels Safe - That's What Makes It Dangerous
Note: This is a re-release of one of our most-listened to episodes — originally recorded Autumn 2025. We've given it a new edit because it's more relevant than ever. If you know you need to do something about how you're feeling — but you keep telling yourself "not yet" — this is for you. We are...
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Try Softer, Not Harder
Every high-achieving leader has a to-do list that doesn't end — it just refills. And the only response most of us were ever handed for that is push harder. Grip tighter. Muscle through. In this episode, Rachel talks to Ellen Coomber, co-founder of the Softness Revolution, about why that instinct…
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Going Back After Burnout When Nothing Has Changed
Nearly one in three people who take time off for burnout are off again within a year - and over half of them work in healthcare. This episode is about why that keeps happening, and it isn't because anyone's weak. You go back to the same poisoned water, you carry the same responsibility you…
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The 12-Minute Method for Getting Stuff Done
There's a project you've been meaning to start, a conversation you've been meaning to have, or a change you've been meaning to make. You know that you can do it, but what you can't quite find is the moment, the time, or the right conditions…and so it waits. Robbie Swale is a coach and author who...
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How to Embrace Your Capacity Instead of Defining Your Limits
Most of us were taught that having limits is a weakness - something to push through, not something to honour. And if you're a doctor, a nurse, a vet, or anyone in a high-stakes role, that message arrived early and arrived hard. The result is a profession full of people operating at full stretch...
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Is Your Dedication the Reason You're Burning Out?
Most of us have been told that burnout is caused by overwork and that the solution is to rest, take a break or slow down. Set some boundaries. But what if that's only part of the picture? What if the very thing that made you good at your job - your values, your drive, your commitment to never...
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The Analytical Brain Trap: Why Smart People Can’t Switch Off
Every doctor and high-achieving professional knows what it feels like to lie awake with a brain that refuses to stop - replaying a decision made that afternoon, running tomorrow's list at midnight, scanning ahead for what might go wrong. Our ingrained programming tells us that more thinking keeps...
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Why Every Doctor Should Learn to Coach
Boundaries aren't walls. They're fences. A wall keeps everyone out. A fence has a gate, and it's yours to open or close, if you're willing to hold it when someone pushes. That idea comes from this conversation with Dr Sarah Coope, recorded for the Your Coaching Journey podcast. Sarah talks about...
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How to Work Free From Burnout
There is one belief that keeps high achievers stuck in burnout long after they should be recovering - the belief that burning out means they failed. This is a live panel discussion from the Burnout Free Working Conference — an unscripted conversation about what burnout recovery actually requires,...
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How to Hold Someone Accountable Without Losing the Relationship
There's something most leaders do - we avoid the conversation that needs to be had. We care too much about the wrong things: how the other person will react, whether it will make things awkward, whether we'll be the one blamed if they go off sick. Our ingrained programming tells us that keeping…
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Am I a Snowflake If I’m Not Coping Now?
A doctor emailed me recently, she's been in medicine for 25 years, and the question she asked was one I've heard in a hundred different ways: "Am I a snowflake?" She felt a great deal of shame about finding things hard - something I see time and time again in high achievers. Like the feeling that...
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How Wanting to Do More at Work Becomes a Burnout Warning Sign for High Achievers
When Aoife O'Brien is close to burnout, she doesn't want to stop. She wants to do more. One more task. One more thing to get through before she can stop. She says that's how she knows now - not the exhaustion, not the breaking point, but the acceleration. If you recognise that feeling, this...
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Why Summer Makes Your Burnout Worse (And It's Not Your Fault)
You may have been counting down to summer all year, telling yourself that you just need to survive until your next holiday. You may have been looking forward to taking a pause and getting a chance to finally breathe. But when you get to your holiday, instead of feeling rested, you feel more...
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Masking, Over-Functioning and the Shame That Keeps You Stuck
If you've always felt like everyone else got an unwritten handbook about how to behave at work - and you've had to figure it out yourself, one interaction at a time - this episode is for you. This week, Rachel’s in conversation with Kirstie Pickles: vet, autistic ADHD professional, and EDI...
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Why You Can't Switch Off (And It's Not About Workload)
Burnout in high stress jobs isn't always about doing too much; sometimes it's about a belief you were never taught to question. You finished your day, finished (most) of your tasks, and you still can't switch off. Most people assume that's a workload problem, but the reason people in demanding...
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The Occupational Hazard Every High-Achieving Leader Needs to Know About
Getting a complaint from a colleague is one of the most destabilising things that can happen to a high-achieving leader. Not because of the process, but because of what it makes you ask about yourself. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Pallavi Bradshaw, Medical Director at the MPS, to talk about...
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Why Imposter Syndrome Isn't a Confidence Problem
Imposter syndrome is something we often don’t talk about openly, and the standard advice - build your confidence, reframe your thinking, remember your achievements – rarely addresses the real cause. In this Quick Dip, Rachel shares a piece of feedback she received years ago that still stings and...
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Why Your Workload Keeps Growing Without You Agreeing To It
If you constantly find yourself picking up tasks that nobody else will do, staying late to cover gaps, or slowly absorbing more and more without anyone asking you to - this episode is going to name exactly what's happening. Occupational psychologist Leanne Elliott joins Rachel to unpack why...
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What to Do When Your Career Map No Longer Fits
You know something needs to change, but you just have no idea what, how, or where to begin, and your lack of a plan may be starting to feel like failure. In this Quick Dip, Rachel unpacks why the belief that you need everything mapped out before you're allowed to move is the very thing keeping…
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How to Break the People-Pleasing Cycle That's Burning You Out
If you have ever ended a clinical day exhausted not from the medicine itself but from the weight of everybody else's feelings, this episode might hit home. Josh Connolly, resilience coach and author of ‘It's Them Not You’, joins me to explore why many healthcare professionals take on so much of…
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How to Stop Doing Everything
If you’ve ever thought to yourself ‘if I don’t do it, no one will’ this episode is for you. You tell yourself something important will go wrong if you don't do it all - but what if that's not what's actually driving your decisions? In this Quick Dip, Rachel suggests something uncomfortable: that...
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5 Reasons Your Ideas Keep Getting Overlooked (And How to Fix It)
You're working hard, doing excellent clinical work, and genuinely trying to make things better for your patients - so why does it feel like no one's listening? So many healthcare professionals hit a wall where their ideas get talked over, their proposals stall, and their careers plateau, even…
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How to Stop Feeling Guilty When It's Impossible to Do Your Job.
Every day in healthcare, a meeting ends, and a problem that was never formally handed to anyone lands on the person who cares most - you. If you've ever walked out of a room carrying something that somehow became yours without anyone asking, this Quick Dip Episode gives that experience a name,...
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Why ‘I Have To’ Is Keeping You Stuck (And What To Say Instead)
How many times this week have you thought, "I just don't have a choice"? About your rota, your inbox, the extra patient squeezed in at the end of clinic? That thought feels true, and it can feel like a fact... But what if it’s actually a story, and that story is costing you your peace of mind? In...
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When 'Can You Help' Doesn't Feel Like a Question (Part 2 of The Over-Responsibility Trap)
Have you ever had someone ask for “a quick bit of help”… and somehow ended up owning the entire task? In caring professions, requests for help can feel less like requests and more like responsibilities landing on us. We’re trained to notice problems, fix things and support colleagues - which…
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Freelance vs Employed - On Which Side is the Grass Greener?
The founder of the National Association of Sessional GPs on whether the grass is always greener, and the changes you can make in your career without feeling like a frog forced to jump out of the pan. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: Am I Stressed,...
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Why Responsibility Keeps Landing on You (Part 1 of The Over-Responsibility Trap)
Have you ever looked at a task on your plate and wondered when it became your responsibility? Nobody asked you to do it. Nobody assigned it to you. But somehow it landed on you, and now you're carrying it. In this Quick Dip, Rachel explores the responsibility trap - the pattern where capable and...
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How to Use Clean Language to Stop Rescuing and Really Feel Your Feelings
Mindset shifts to help you explore difficult feelings and find solutions without falling into rescuer mode or getting overwhelmed. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: Am I Stressed, Overwhelmed... or Burning Out? Get honest with yourself — discover…
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You Can’t Meditate Yourself Out of a 60-Hour Work Week
There’s more on your plate than you realise, and most likely you’re trying to cram 25 hours of work into a 24 hour day, not counting sleep and time away from work. Here’s some practical advice to help you see what’s on your plate, and what you need to sacrifice. Get more episodes and resources by...
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When Speaking Up is Stressful – A Psychology Researcher Tells Us What to Do Instead
What happens when we need to raise a serious concern that could affect patient safety? And what happens if someone raises a concern to you? Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest Ticket Now Am I Stressed, Overwhelmed... or Burning Out?...
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You Do Not Have to Be Good
What does it mean for a doctor to be “good”? Can you be “good” and still take care of yourself? And how can we rescue ourselves from the trap of thinking that asking for support is somehow a moral failing? Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your...
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How to Tell if Your Workplace is Toxic or Just Misaligned to You
Practical questions from a clinical psychologist to help you assess whether you’re in a harmful work environment, or one that doesn’t align with your values or strengths. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Get more links and show notes via our website Mentioned in this episode…
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How to Stop Overthinking at Work (Without Ignoring the Real Problems)
And what BBC’s The Traitors can teach us about trust, group-think, and truth. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Find more links and show notes via our website Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest Ticket Now
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The Dangerous Programming That Influences Over-responsible Doctors
Practical techniques to help you respond when someone makes demands on your time, from an expert in mediation and team coaching. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest Ticket Now Am I Stressed, Overwhelmed... or Burning Out? Get honest...
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Why “You Always Have a Choice” Makes Doctors Feel Worse (And What to Say Instead)
How to reframe impossible choices into doable decisions, using a tried-and-tested framework and a simple power mantra. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Get more links and show notes via our website Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest Ticket Now
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How to Confront Someone Without Creating Conflict (According to a Conflict Expert)
How to recognise and avoid “chronic niceness”, regulate your nervous system, and confront people in a way that deepens – and doesn’t damage – relationships. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest Ticket Now Am I Stressed…
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Why You Keep Missing the Stress That’s Draining You
Stress doesn’t always come from work, or from things we traditionally think of ass stressful. As 2026 begins, here are three questinos you can ask yourself to see what it’s time to stop doing. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest...
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The Hidden Shame Spiral That Keeps Us Stuck (Our Most-Watched Episode Ever)
When shame becomes toxic, we can end up in a spiral that’s difficult to escape. This quick dip offers a chance to break free of that spiral, remember that we’re human, and remind ourselves we’re doing our best. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book...
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The Midlife Career Trap: Why So Many Doctors Feel Stuck After 20 Years — According to a Consultant Surgeon & Decision-Making Scientist
When it comes to work, what we seek can often shift in mid-life, from recognition and status towards meaningful contribution and purpose. What do you do if you’r at that crossroads in your career? Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest...
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Why Women in Healthcare are Exhausted (According to a Burnout Specialist)
Women are conditioned to be the emotional shock absorbers for men, and to carry the emotional load of a relationship or a family, on top of their duties at work. As Tamu Thomas explains, this isn’t about apportioning blame or guilt, but recognising what’s needed to create systems that allow both...
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300 Episodes In… Here’s the Hardest Truth About Burnout No One Says Out Loud
Burnout is not your fault, and it’s not inevitable. The choices you make will shape how you survive in a toxic system, and they don’t involve victim-blaming. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest Ticket Now
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Why You Won’t Feel Better Until You Give Yourself These 3 Permissions
Small, actionable steps you can take to reframe self-care as necessary care, and equip yourself to avoid burnout rather than waiting for someone else to tell you it’s OK. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Permission to Pause – Join Dr Rachel Morris and Dr Caroline Walker for a...
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The Real (Toxic) Reason You’re a People Pleaser
Here’s what to say when someone asks you to overextend yourself, but you’re afraid of what they’ll think if you say no. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Mentioned in this episode: ⭐️ Book Your FrogFest Ticket Now
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How to FINALLY Get on Top of Your Emails
Practical strategies to help you spend less time sorting and sifting through emails, and more time in deep work. Plus, how to set clear boundaries around what comes into your inbox. Get more episodes and resources by joining FrogXtra Visit our website for more links and show notes Mentioned in…
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About this show
The podcast for GPs, hospital doctors and other professionals in high-stakes, high-stress jobs who want to thrive rather than just survive.You studied for years, you’re really good at what you do but you’ve noticed that you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, overworked and under-resourced. You may be comparing yourself to a frog in boiling water - the heat has built up so slowly that you haven’t noticed the extra-long days becoming the norm. You may feel on the edge and trapped in the very job that you’ve spent years working towards.Here’s the problem, frogs only have two choices; stay and be boiled alive, or jump out of the pan. The good news is that you are not a frog. You have many more choices than you think you do. You don’t have to quit, and nor should stress and burnout be inevitable.It is possible to be master of your own destiny, to craft your work life and career so that you can thrive even in the most difficult of situations. There are simple changes you can make which will
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Dr Rachel Morris | Burnout Podcast
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