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The Balanced Badass Podcast®
The Balanced Badass Podcast® is for high-achieving professionals who are burned out, checked out, and tired of pretending the job is fine.
Hosted by burnout and career strategist Tara Kermiet, this show helps you make sense of what's happening when the job you worked so hard for starts costing too much.
Around here, burnout isn't treated like a self-care problem. It's career data. Every episode helps you diagnose what's driving your burnout and decide what to do next. Some weeks, that means learning how to make your current job fit better. Some weeks, it means admitting the thing you've been avoiding: you may need an actual exit plan.
If you're tired of vague advice, wellness fluff, and being told to just care less, you're in the right place.
Because survival mode was never supposed to be the plan.
Disclaimer: My content is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. For serious concerns, please consult a qualified provider.
Episodes
61 episodes
The Fuel Problem Behind Career Paralysis
You sit down to figure out your next move and nothing comes. Your brain is doing exactly what years of chronic stress trained it to do: protect today at the expense of tomorrow. In this episode, I break down the real neuroscience be...
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The Thing You Want Is Behind What You Resist with LauraAura
Feeling stuck in a job that’s draining you but too scared to make a change that looks crazy on paper? This one’s for you. I sat down with LauraAura, keynote speaker, coach, and host of The Gutsy Podcast, to talk about what it actual...
The 5 Burnout Patterns I Hear Most as a Coach
Six months into the season, I stopped to count what I was actually hearing. Across dozens of 1:1s, different jobs, different cities, different titles, the same five patterns kept walking in the door. So this is the episode where I name them, in...
How Misaligned Habits Affect Your Wellness with Courtney Townley
This week I'm joined by Courtney Townley, a health and self-leadership coach and author of The Consistency Code. We get into integrity pain, that nagging discomfort when your daily choices don't match what you actually want for your life, why w...
Slinging Burnout Advice Without A Diagnosis
I'm a burnout coach, and I'm about to tell you why most burnout advice doesn't work. Including some of mine.I'm unpacking the reframe that has changed how I work with every single client. The advice is not failing. The advice is answeri...
Values-Based Recovery vs. the Burnout Hustle with Lisa Shubin
What happens when the wellness coach burns out? Lisa Shubin knows.She built a career helping people inside corporate and healthcare systems take care of themselves, then had to figure out how to take her own advice. In this episode, we t...
The Real Reason You Keep Almost Quitting But Never Do
There's a reason you keep almost quitting but never do, and it has nothing to do with motivation. In this episode, I apply Kurt Lewin's three-stage Change Model to career change during burnout. You'll learn why unfreezing is harder...
No, Women Didn’t Ruin the Workplace with Alison Campbell
A 2025 New York Times piece asked whether women have "ruined the workplace," blaming flexibility and empathy for what's broken.Alison Campbell, founder of unBurnt® and former Chief of Staff turned leadership researcher, joins me to set t...
Why Being the Chief Everything Officer is Killing Your Career with Alli Murphy
In this episode, we sit down with Alli, founder of Work and Thrive HQ, to talk about how you can get trapped in the Chief Everything Officer role where you’re being the default for everything, saying yes by default, stepping in because it’s fas...
Know Who You Are Before Deciding What You Do with Elizabeth Galbreath
Most of us built our careers around answers we gave before we really knew ourselves. Elizabeth has a front-row seat to how that plays out. She's an HR pro and founder of Cultivate Growth Co., who works with early career professionals every day....
The One Investment Strategy Nobody Teaches High Achievers
In this episode, Tara breaks down the neuroscience of why burnout kills your joy, and why "just take a vacation" is some of the worst advice anyone can give. If you've ever sat on a free Saturday feeling nothing, or noticed that you can't...
Effective Tools for Stress Reduction with Audrey Rose
Feeling like you're constantly running on empty? In this episode, registered nurse and nervous system regulation coach Audrey Rose breaks down what it really means to regulate your nervous system—and no, it's not about being zen 24/7 or quittin...
The Great Unraveling: Employee Engagement Just Hit a 10-Year Low
Employee engagement just hit a 10-year low, dropping from 36% to 31% since 2020. That’s 8 million workers who’ve checked out.But here’s what the headlines miss: role clarity collapsed, feeling cared about plummeted, and organizations are...
When Someone Takes Your Idea
Back in August, I posted a viral video about workplace mobbing and received overwhelming support from people who could finally put their experiences into words. Recently, another creator copied my content word for word, highlighting the issue o...
Your Story is Your Superpower with Corey Andrew Powell
Your personal brand is being built right now, whether you're intentional about it or not. In this episode, media host and brand strategist Corey Andrew Powell joins me to explore how clarity, consistency, and connection shape the wa...
Job Changes Don't Erase Burnout
Think quitting your job will erase burnout? Think again. In this episode, we dig into the lingering effects of burnout even after you’ve left a toxic work environment. Learn about burnout aftershocks, rebuilding your sense of safety...
Is Your Boss Accidentally Creating Burnout?
Ever felt like your boss is unintentionally making your life a living nightmare? In this episode, we get into how leadership habits and structural systems fuel burnout. Discover why it's not about you being weak, but about navigatin...
Corporate HR Truths Unfiltered with Jesse Tervooren
Join Tara as she chats with Jesse, aka "Your Unfiltered BFF" on TikTok, who is known for her raw and hilarious takes on corporate life and HR nonsense. Jesse shares her journey on social media, unexpectedly becoming a voice of reaso...
When Normal Isn't Possible
In today's shorter episode, I'm sharing some personal thoughts on dealing with the emotional weight of recent events, including a mass shooting close to home and the constant barrage of political noise. We get into the concept of em...
How to Survive in a Resource-Strapped Role
Ever been dropped into a surprise Monday morning meeting with bad news? In this episode, we're spilling the tea on surviving (and thriving) in a resource-strapped job where budgets are frozen and headcounts are shrinking. We'll brea...
Networking Without the Cringe with Devin Lasker
This episode is perfect for those who cringe at the thought of networking! We talk about authentic relationship building, how to feel more connected in a disconnected world, and Devin's key strategies for keeping relationships warm....
Smart Strategies to Advocate for Your Worth with Tessa Grashuis
Why are so many women working harder than ever but still underpaid?Career strategist and former recruiter Tessa Grashuis joins me to unpack the hidden world of salary compression — what it is, how it shows up, and why it keeps talented p...
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Leading from the Middle: Why It's the Hardest Job in the Building
Being a middle manager is tough. You’re stuck between the bosses and your team, trying to keep everyone happy while handling a lot of pressure. In this episode, we talk about why leading from the middle is so hard, what causes burno...
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