Balance & Beyond Podcast

Burnout doesn't always look like a collapse.

For ambitious women, it often manifests as perfectionism, over-functioning, or being the one who holds everything together while slowly eroding from within. Despite countless late-night Google searches and implementing generic self-care advice, nothing seems to stick—because you're facing a unique form of burnout that requires tailored solutions.

This episode reveals the groundbreaking concept of six distinct burnout archetypes that I've identified after working with hundreds of women. We explore the profound difference between visible burnout (the physical collapse) and invisible burnout (the over-functioning that keeps you going while slowly depleting your essence). You'll discover whether you're a Silent Martyr sacrificing yourself with resentment, a Perfect Striver driven by unworthiness, a Relentless Juggler managing everything with military precision, a Self-Help Scholar who knows all the tools yet remains stuck, a Hollow High Achiever successful yet numb inside, or an Untapped Powerhouse frustrated by playing small despite your enormous potential.

What makes this framework revolutionary is how it addresses the unique patterns driving your specific burnout type. Unlike generic "bro advice" that ignores the complex realities of women's lives and responsibilities, understanding your archetype provides the key to breaking free from exhausting cycles. These patterns aren't who you truly are—they're how you've been conditioned to function in the world. By identifying your unique burnout profile, you can finally implement strategies that work for your specific situation, reclaim your time and energy, and create success on your terms without sacrificing yourself in the process. Take the seven-question quiz mentioned in this episode to discover your archetype and access personalised solutions, including a secret podcast episode dedicated to your specific profile.

To discover your Burnout Archetype, take our short quiz here!  https://www.balanceinstitute.com/burnout-quiz

Episode Transcript

INTRO: Welcome to Balance and Beyond, the podcast for ambitious women who refuse to accept burnout as the price of success. Here, we’re committed to empowering you with the tools and strategies you need to achieve true balance, where your career, relationships and health all thrive, and where you have the power to define success on your own terms. I honour the space you’ve created for yourself today, so take a breath, and let's dive right in…

If you've ever Googled "Am I burnt out?" at 3 a.m. but felt like none of the answers really fit, this is for you—because burnout doesn't always look like collapse. Sometimes, it looks like perfectionism, over-functioning, or being the one who holds it all together.

Most women in my world long ago Googled at 3 a.m., "What is burnout?" or "Am I burnt out?"—and you've known the answer for a really, really long time. What you don't know, my friend, is: What type of burnout do you have? What is causing it?

And so, of course, when you stick to all the generic advice out there about meditation and mindfulness, nothing ever seems to stick—and, most importantly, nothing seems to change how you feel.

So in today's episode, I'm going to share with you these amazing six burnout archetypes that I have created.

When we talk about burnout, there are two distinctly different types—and one you may not even be aware of.

There’s the visible burnout that most people have heard about or experienced. This is the type where your body typically shuts down. At the most extreme end, you end up hospitalized, unable to move, unable to function.

This is when your nervous system has just said, “That’s it, I’m out. I’ve been giving you hints, I’ve been giving you tips, and now you’re not listening to me. You’re completely numb—so I’m done.”

On the other end of the scale, we have what we call invisible burnout—and this is what many women are suffering from. This type of burnout isn't about collapse; it shows up more as over-functioning.

Think of it like a cat: darting around like crazy, doing all the things, believing that relief or rest will come at the end of an endless to-do list.

Instead, what we need to do is start understanding our unique burnout archetype.

What do I mean by this? Well, there’s so much generic advice out there: take care of yourself, put your oxygen mask on first, have a bubble bath, go to bed early, read a book. You know all of that. A simple Google search—top 10 tips to escape burnout—and it’s all there.

And yet, no matter how much you try—no matter how much you read or how many podcasts you listen to—nothing seems to change.

This is because, in your likely mode of invisible burnout, your self-trust has started to erode. You’ve ignored the signs. You’ve ignored yourself. You’ve sacrificed yourself.

Often, we use the word self-abandonment—where you’ve completely ignored and abandoned all of your needs and desires because you’re so stuck in your head or caught in over-functioning.

So, we have to start rebuilding that trust for any of these burnout solutions to actually work. And the way we begin to rebuild that trust is by helping you truly understand your unique burnout archetype.

I’ve seen hundreds of women fall into these six patterns. This hasn’t been built out of thin air—it’s the result of a deep analysis of the profiles of the people we work with, whether they come directly through our programs or we’ve spoken to them in other ways.

What are their unique challenges? What keeps showing up?

And once you understand your profile, you’re going to feel seen and heard like never before.

So in this episode, I’m going to give you a quick snapshot of what each archetype is. Bear in mind, there’s a good chance you’re going to identify with more than one.

But—spoiler alert—there’s also a quiz at the end to help you figure out which profile is dominant in your case. And once you know your profile, you can finally get advice that’s actually tailored to you.

So let’s talk about the Silent Martyr. My guess is this will be the most common profile we see as this quiz scales.

A Silent Martyr sacrifices silently and wears their responsibility like armor: “If I don’t do it, who will?” “I don’t have a choice.”

They’re the ones saying yes to everything, with no boundaries—putting themselves last, constantly saying they have no time, and feeling utterly exhausted.

Very often, this Silent Martyr profile is passed down through generations. I’ve had many people say to me, “Oh yeah, my mum was a martyr. She did everything for everyone—and was usually quite resentful and bitter in the process.”

So, if you harbor a lot of resentment, if you feel like you can’t say no, if you’re completely overcommitted and do nothing for yourself, then there’s a pretty good chance you’re a Silent Martyr.

Or—perhaps—you’re the Perfect Striver...

A Perfect Striver is someone who consistently overachieves—who knocks it out of the park, no matter what—in an effort to outrun unworthiness.

At the heart of perfectionism is fear: the fear that you’re not good enough.

So, when you combine perfectionistic tendencies with ambition and a drive to constantly be better, you get this exhausting cycle of doing everything at 150%, never saying no, and living by these crazy, unrealistic, and ruthless standards.

And once again, that means your needs come dead last. You can’t possibly justify doing anything for yourself—let alone resting.

Then there’s the Relentless Juggler.

She’s doing exactly that: constantly managing everyone and everything. This is the woman with the color-coded diary, taking on every task imaginable, and trying to steal time wherever she can.

She runs her life like a military operation, with lists coming out of her nose—because that’s the only way she can keep track of all the moving pieces in her world.

As we start to move into some of the more subtle profiles, let’s talk about the Self-Help Scholar.

She’s the woman who knows all the tools. She’s read every book, listened to every podcast. She’s the one her friends come to for advice. She knows the leadership models, the frameworks—she’s got all the gurus.

She knows it all… and yet, she’s still stuck.

And that makes her feel even worse—because she should know better. She’s done the programs, read the books, taken the courses.

But the Self-Help Scholar is in a constant search for new information, driven by the mistaken belief that she needs more knowledge—because she’s broken, or hasn’t fixed herself yet, or still has some gap she needs to fill.

She believes this endless consumption will somehow magically close the gap—and that then she’ll feel less burnt out, more at peace, more whole.

Spoiler alert: it’s not about the knowledge. You already know enough.

A profile that’s been built largely from my own experience is the Hollow High Achiever.

This is someone who looks incredibly polished on the outside—has everything they ever wanted, presents well, comes across as confident, and probably has all the external markers of success: the position, the title, financial security, the house... whatever matters to you.

And yet, on the inside, it all feels a bit numb. It doesn’t really mean anything.

You get accolades, and they feel hollow. You hit a big achievement and think, “Oh… that was nice.” You get teeny-tiny bits of satisfaction, but nothing that truly sticks.

Life as a Hollow High Achiever feels empty. Numb. And over time, that numbness can start eating away at your soul. It’s like you’re dying very slowly—from the inside first. And then, lastly, you might be our Untapped Powerhouse...

These are women who are deeply, deeply capable—intelligent, ambitious, and fully aware that they’re capable of so much more.

And yet, they’re trapped in proving energy. Whether it’s “I’ve got to prove myself,” “I need to make you like me,” or “I have to show I’m more capable than anyone else.”

Sometimes, there’s even a bit of “FU” energy in there: “You told me I couldn’t do this? Watch me.”

These women have usually hit a ceiling of their own making. It’s like they’ve got one hand on the top of the box—and the key around their neck. And they are incredibly frustrated.

They feel like they’re playing small. Like they’re settling. Like their life is just... mediocre.

And deep down, they know they have more to give. More potential. More leadership. More impact.

They don’t want to leave this world without stepping into what they know is possible for them.

Each of these profiles offers such a beautiful insight into why you’re burning out. Even in these simple descriptions, you can hear how your unique experience—whether you call it childhood wounds, feelings of not being enough, or how these patterns show up in your life—is slightly nuanced.

The strategy for someone who’s an Untapped Powerhouse to truly step into their potential at work needs to be very different from that of a Relentless Juggler who’s probably doing four people’s jobs without delegating.

By understanding your archetype, you can now say, “Okay, I know who I am. Someone has seen me and truly understands not only what’s driving my patterns but, most importantly, with that insight, I can finally fix it.” That’s right—it is all possible.

We’ve helped women from each of these six profiles escape burnout and find balance, fulfillment—whatever success means to them on their own terms.

I decided to create this quiz because I was tired of all the generic advice out there. No one else has the database or the depth of knowledge about this particular cohort of women.

What really frustrates me is that so much of the burnout advice feels like bro advice: Wake up at 5 a.m., take a cold shower, meditate for an hour, have a green smoothie—with zero discussion about who’s taking the kids to school, making lunch boxes, walking the dog, or calling the dentist.

There’s no recognition of those realities. It’s as if your life—or the way you deal with burnout—is somehow separate from your actual life.

So, by really understanding what your archetype is, you need tailored solutions that actually match you.

That’s the only way you’re going to finally reclaim your time, reclaim your energy, and ultimately get your power back—so you can live a life truly aligned with who you really are.

Because these archetypes aren’t who you are. They’re how you’re performing, how you’re showing up, and ultimately how you’ve been taught to survive in this world.

But here’s the good news: there is another way. You don’t have to be a Silent Martyr or an Untapped Powerhouse for the rest of your life. You don’t have to sit in resentment or frustration—whatever your dominant emotional state may be.

So now, the biggest question you probably have is: Which one am I?

Seriously—go take the quiz! It’s just seven questions, and the average time to complete it is about a minute and 20 seconds. I guarantee, no matter how busy you are, you can find that time.

We’ll put a link below the show notes so you can jump right in. Women are already emailing and messaging me, saying this is the first time they’ve ever felt fully seen.

Once you get your results, not only will you receive a full page of tailored solutions, but there’s also a secret podcast episode dedicated just to your archetype.

In that episode, I’ll walk you through where this archetype comes from, what the patterns and behaviors are, and—most importantly—what needs to happen on the other side so you can start conquering burnout for good.

You’re going to feel seen. You’re going to feel heard like never before.

So, make sure you go take that quiz, find out which archetype you are, and let’s get you stepping into your power—reclaiming your time and energy.

I’ll see you in the quiz!

OUTRO: Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who might need to hear this today. And if you're feeling extra generous, leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice would mean the world. If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, visit us at www.balanceinstitute.com to discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women avoid burnout and create a life of balance, and beyond. Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll see you next time on the Balance & Beyond Podcast.