Burnout to Balance

Burnout to Balance: What Does This Even Mean?

Over the past few months as a life coach, I’ve learned a lot about what resonates with my audience. Through surveys, feedback, and some hard truths (‘your content is too complex,’ ‘I don’t get it’), I’ve dialed in on words that capture the journey I’ve been on - and the transformation I offer.

One phrase that stands out: Burnout to Balance.

So, what does it take to move from burnout to balance? In my experience, there are three key ingredients:

1. Financial Freedom

2. Time Freedom

3. Emotional Freedom

Financial and Time Freedom

Early in our marriage, my husband and I set a goal: debt-free by 40, so we could work less and live more. We achieved this at 35. How? By learning to leverage our time and invest in ourselves - through courses, coaching, and attending events like Tony Robbins (twice!).

It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen overnight. But with persistence, we created time freedom through financial freedom. (Read more about this journey here.)

Emotional Freedom: The Real Challenge

But what about emotional freedom? For many of us, it’s the hardest part of the equation. In a culture that links productivity to self-worth, having time freedom doesn’t automatically mean we know how to enjoy it.

Emotional freedom is about learning to detach our sense of worth from external things like work, productivity, or approval. Here are a few examples of common patterns I’ve worked through:

• Addiction to Approval: I’ve learned to say ‘no’ to commitments that don’t resonate, even if I technically have the time for them. Boundaries are key to emotional freedom.

• Addiction to Productivity: Cutting back to 12 hours per week as a dentist wasn’t just about time—it was about breaking my habit of tying self-worth to how much I get done.

• Addiction to Being Right: Couples counseling has taught me how to listen, embrace nuance, and create space for my husband and others. This skill has translated into emotional freedom in many areas of my life.

• Addiction to Identity: We are not our job titles, our productivity, or our achievements. At our core, we are enough, just as we are. This shift in perspective is central to emotional freedom.

Tools for Emotional Freedom

Here are a few tools that have helped me (and my clients) cultivate emotional freedom:

• Affirmations: Start with ‘I am enough.’ Write it everywhere - on your phone wallpaper, your mirrors - and repeat it often.

• Grounding: Whether it’s walking barefoot outside or using an earthing mat, reconnecting with the earth’s natural energy can help regulate your nervous system and reduce inflammation.

• Nervous System Basics: Understanding where you are on the spectrum of fight/flight/freeze and developing a personal ‘map’ has been crucial for me. (More on creating your map here.)

• Daily Anxiety Tools: I’m currently sharing a series of daily Instagram reels on how to reduce anxiety in the moment. Some favorites: starfish breathing, vagus nerve massage, and slow belly breathing.

Momentum Matters

If this sounds too good to be true - or even frustrating - I get it. Nothing about this journey was easy, and we faced our fair share of challenges. But momentum is key. You don’t have to reach the finish line to start feeling the benefits. Tiny shifts can feel incredible and lead to lasting change.

Start small. Notice what you enjoy and what feels heavy in your day. Tune into your emotions and make choices that align with your well-being.

If I can do this, you can too. Follow along on Instagram for daily tips, and reach out if you’re feeling stuck!

-Dr. Jen

For further reading, please see my posts about The Power of Now, releasing guilt, shifting from the ego to the higher self, and from ambition to meaning.