Outsmart Burnout
Outsmart Burnout
Podcast Description
Welcome to Outsmart Burnout, the ultimate podcast for smart, driven women in midlife who are ready to reclaim their passion, purpose, and joy. Hosted by Dr. Zarya Rubin—a Harvard-educated functional wellness expert, burnout strategist, TEDx speaker and mom. This show is inspired by my personal journey of struggling with and overcoming burnout; I know firsthand how overwhelming life can feel when you’re exhausted, stressed out and trying to do it all; I’m here to share the insights, tools, and strategies that will help you reclaim your energy and discover what makes you truly thrive. Remember, burnout is not your destiny, it's your wake-up call.Listen to my TEDx talk about my burnout story: https://bit.ly/TEDxBurnoutLearn more: www.drzarya.comFollow along on Instagram: www.instagram.com/drzaryarubinDownload your FREE Outsmart Burnout Toolkit: https://drzarya.myflodesk.com/outsmartburnouttoolkitNew episodes released every Wednesday.Leave us a comment, like, subscribe, download, and share an episode with a friend who could use a lifeline in this chaotic world.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on topics such as burnout prevention, emotional resilience, boundary-setting, and the mental load of motherhood. Episodes delve into specific examples like setting boundaries without guilt with confidence coach Molly Ruben and understanding the emotional labor of motherhood with Paige Connell, highlighting the complexities women face in midlife.
You’re smart, driven, and accomplished — but you’re exhausted. Not the kind of tired that a good night’s sleep fixes. The kind that makes you wonder how much longer you can keep going at this pace, and whether the life you’ve built is actually the life you want.
Welcome to Outsmart Burnout.
I’m your host, Dr. Zarya Rubin — a Harvard-educated physician, TEDx speaker, burnout expert, and recovering overachiever — this show is for high-achieving women who are done white-knuckling their way through life and ready to reclaim their passion, purpose, and joy. As a physician who burned out in medicine and found my way back to personal and professional success, I don’t just study burnout – I’ve lived it.
Each week, I invite expert guests to dive into the real conversations high-achieving women need most: the science of burnout and nervous system regulation, the identity shifts that midlife brings, the systems and patterns keeping you stuck, and the practical strategies to help you feel like yourself again.
Remember, burnout is not your destiny, it’s your wake-up call.
Listen to my TEDx talk about burnout: https://bit.ly/TEDxBurnout
Learn more and work with me: www.drzarya.com
Follow along on Instagram: www.instagram.com/drzaryarubin
Download your FREE Outsmart Burnout Toolkit: https://drzarya.myflodesk.com/outsmartburnouttoolkit
For 1:1 burnout support, check out The Burnout Blueprint! https://drzarya.myflodesk.com/
New episodes drop every Wednesday.
Leave us a comment, like, subscribe, download, and share an episode with a friend.
Laurie Maddalena spent years as the “fixer” — the leader who carries her team’s entire workload — before discovering the archetype shift that changed her career: becoming a facilitator instead. She and Dr. Zarya unpack why “open door policies” and multitasking quietly fuel burnout, the five-minute practice that ends workday chaos, and how Laurie holds a 40-hour workweek while running a company and raising three kids. They also share a candid conversation about parenting kids with chronic illness and the mantras that help them stay grounded when control isn’t an option.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
– The fixer-to-facilitator shift is the most important transition in leadership — and most people are promoted into it with zero training.
– Task-switching (multitasking) increases the time it takes to complete a task by over 500%.
– The “open door policy,” taken to the extreme, is one of the most burnout-inducing workplace practices — protected, undistracted time is essential.
– A five-minute end-of-day practice — naming your top two priorities for tomorrow — reduces mental clutter and lowers stress.
– Burnout is often a leadership and systems problem, not just a personal one — vague delegation (“drive-by delegation”) sets people up to fail.
– Boundaries, like disconnecting fully on vacation, model healthy leadership for the whole team rather than restricting others.
– When facing what you can’t control, the mantras “be with what is” and “invested yet detached” can help you stay engaged without burning out.
TIMESTAMPS
01:53 Laurie’s two pivotal leadership moments
09:48 What the “fixer” actually looks like at work
15:00 Banishing the open door policy and multitasking
20:56 The five-minute end-of-day recalibration practice
32:01 How Laurie caps her workweek at 40 hours
41:49 Instilling accountability instead of “drive-by delegation”
48:06 Parenting through chronic illness: “be with what is”
51:29 Rapid fire round
55:04 “Be a facilitator, not a fixer”
GUEST CONTACT
Website (free Fixer to Facilitator assessment): lauriemaddalena.com
Connect on LinkedIn: Laurie Maddalena
Connect with Dr. Zarya, The Burnout Doctor:
Website: www.theburnoutdoctor.com
IG: www.instagram.com/theburnoutMD
Get your FREE Burnout to Balance Toolkit: https://drzarya.myflodesk.com/burnouttoolkit
Book a FREE Consult with The Burnout Doctor: https://calendly.com/drzarya/free-burnout-consult
Reach out with questions or to book The Burnout Doctor for your next event: [email protected]
Disclaimer
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