Burnout chronicles: the final lesson

continued from part 2: the big one.

Obviously, the Universe had a different plan for me than the one I had in mind.

Around my 30th birthday, I had so many deadlines that a surprise weekend away with all my besties flying in from interstate induced a panic attack. Not to mention the surprise wine dinner that I was so unwell for, that I could barely taste the wines.

I finally re-examined my priorities. It wasn't okay anymore for me to keep going through life as if I was a robot, trying to avoid feelings by loading up my plate even more. I was busting my ass at work, freelancing, and preparing for my wedding, but the Universe was sending me hint after hint.

"You can't think your way out of a feeling problem", my coach at the time taught me.

Oh. Right. That's what I'd been trying to do all my life. This is when I started doing my inner work like it was my job. The timing couldn't have been better. The Universe finally got sick of my shit and pulled the rug out from underneath me; I navigated a marriage and difficult separation within a few months. If I hadn't been so busy avoiding my feelings, I might have listened to the nudges from the Universe that I was on the wrong path.

I found myself back in hospitality, this time in the night-time venues I'd never been able to explore. The night that news of Anthony Bourdain's death swept through the kitchens across Brisbane, and I realised my passion for helping others prevent burnout (and worse) and create a positive impact in their lives. There were so many parallels between the passionate people of the hospitality industry and those driven to help others.

Within 18 months I was bar manager and sommelier at a top restaurant, in a national magazines and podcasts on the topic of healthy hospitality, and worked with brands in support of wellness at the country's largest gathering of bartenders. I was in my flow.

But I had one more burnout to come... thanks to a little thing called a global pandemic.

The state lockdown provided an opportunity to rest and reset, and I knuckled down on my personal development, finished my studies, and tuned in to the needs of my body. My cycle balanced itself, finally convinced the cutie at my local to come for dinner — once we could have visitors — and relished my downtime.

I wound up running one of Brisbane's favourite venues, a hot spot for industry events and the pre-midnight cocktail rush. Brisbane opened up quickly, and punters were ready to party. Within months we were hitting record numbers on a Friday night with a skeleton staff.

With the post-pandemmy pressures and a side-gig copywriting, I hit my limit. My body said no more. I said goodbye to my favourite venue and swapped to a part-time sommelier role, to focus on healing my body. It took me 6 months before I started to feel like myself again; through careful nutrition and supplements, bodywork, rest, inner work and patience. I promised myself I would never let things get that bad again.

I'm now a degree-qualified nutritionist and accredited inner work coach, and I still get to play in the hospitality industry when it feels good. I help ambition junkies separate their worth from their work, regain their energy and identity, and achieve a sustainable balance in their lives.

I use a holistic approach that combines nutrition and deep inner work, the way I combined modalities to heal myself. My clients rewrite their stories and limiting beliefs — especially the ones that have their worth tied up in their work — so they can fill up their own cup and achieve the impact they desire.

Does that sound like something you need in your life? Get my free eBook the Hospo's Guide to Wellness here, or find out more about how I can help you go from surviving to thriving too.