The Teacher as the Student: My Physical Journey Out of Burnout
Healer, Heal Thyself
For the last three years, I’ve stood at the front of the room teaching others how to listen to their breath and honor their bodies. But the irony of burnout is that it can make you a stranger to your own skin.
My burnout didn't start on a yoga mat; it started with a job I loved, navigating the volatility, uncertainty, and incomprehensible realities of the boardroom. My body was sounding alarms I chose to ignore. I was carrying an extra 20 pounds and navigating panic attacks that seemed to come out of nowhere. I wore a painted-on smile that felt more like a mask, and my jaw literally ached from the effort of pretending and from biting my tongue when I should have been speaking my truth.
When I finally left my leadership position, ready to start a new career teaching yoga and meditation, I thought the transition itself would be the cure. I expected the weight to drop and the anxiety to vanish the moment I traded my professional attire for leggings.
But I quickly realized: you can’t out-stretch a nervous system that’s been fried for years. Leaving the job was only the first step. Even as I guided others through Savasana, my own body remained on high alert, trapped in a leadership hangover I couldn't shake.
I had the ultimate toolkit, or so I thought. I had a decade of therapy under my belt, bookshelves lined with self-help wisdom, a dedicated meditation practice, and regular appointments with my chiropractor and massage therapist. I even had the freedom to jump on a plane and explore the world. Aren’t vacations supposed to be the antidote to burnout?
I spent two years doing the internal work, researching, reflecting, and trying to deconstruct what had happened to me. But even with my therapist’s voice in my head and my newfound boundaries in place and a calendar full of adventures with the people I love most, I kept hitting a resilience ceiling. I realized that no matter my background, I couldn’t 'downward dog' my way out of the physiological debt burnout had collected. I was the teacher, yet I was exhausted, intimidated, and completely disconnected from my own physical power.
I realized I didn't just need more self-study; I needed a team.
Building a Circle of Support
Recovery happens when we allow ourselves to be seen and supported. For me, that meant stepping off the pedestal of being a teacher and into the role of student with three incredible experts:
Reclaiming Strength with Jon: In our 1:1 sessions, my trainer Jon pushed me past my self-imposed limits. He had a way of adding weight to the bar without me noticing until the set was over. I’d give him the classic side-eye, but his belief in my physical capability helped me rebuild my mental strength just as much as increasing my physical strength.
Facing the Intimidation with Lisa: You’d think a yogi would be a natural at Reformer Pilates, but I was terrified to start. It took my daughter saying "yes" to an intro session to get me through the door. Now, working with Lisa is a cornerstone of my mental, emotional, and physical well-being. It reminded me that it’s okay to be a beginner again.
The Validation of Data with Angie: Angie helped me see the "why" behind the "how." Seeing my physiological measures move in a positive direction wasn't just about the number on the scale (though I won't lie, I love the progress!). It was the data-driven proof that my mind-body-spirit connection was actually knitting itself back together.
Healing From the Inside Out
Movement is no longer a chore or a box to check on my calendar; it is an act of self-reverence.
Today, I am more than a yoga teacher; I am a student of my own recovery. The true value of this year hasn't been found in a specific measurement or a perfect pose. It’s been found in the community I built, the renewed belief in my own capacity, and the permission I finally gave myself to be the one who is taken care of.
This journey, moving from faking it to flourishing, is the blueprint for AWARE Coaching + Wellness.
AWARE is the next chapter of my healing and the manifestation of my work. It is the opportunity to share the hard-won lessons, the nervous system research, and the embodied practices that help leaders accelerate their own recovery. I know firsthand that you cannot lead others effectively until you have reclaimed your first home: your body.
If your body is screaming at you, don’t try to stretch it out alone. Find your team. Give yourself permission to heal from the inside out.
Cultivate Your Presence: Join the AWARE Community
The journey of becoming AWARE is rarely linear, and it certainly isn’t one we are meant to walk alone. If my story resonates with you, I invite you to find your place within our circle. We offer three distinct ways to help you stop "performing" and start leading from a place of embodied presence.
The journey of becoming AWARE is rarely a linear path, and it isn’t one we are meant to walk alone. If my story resonates with you, I invite you to find your place within our community. We offer multiple ways to stay grounded and develop your embodied leadership presence.
The AWARE Newsletter
If you’re looking for a gentle, consistent reminder to return to yourself, join our email list. We deliver a dose of grounded intentionality straight to your inbox, offering the insights you need to begin healing from the inside out.
The AWARE Membership: Daily Transformation
For those ready to move from theory to practice, our membership community provides a space for daily consistency. This is where we do the work together. Through daily practices and monthly Masterclasses, we focus on our five pillars of embodied leadership:
Authenticity
Wellbeing
Alignment
Resilience
Empowerment
The Flagship Leadership Cohort: Becoming AWARE
(Launching April 1, 2026)This is for the leaders who recognize themselves in my story, the "fixers," the disembodied experts, and the high-performers currently surviving on caffeine and overriding your body’s alarms.
Our Becoming AWARE Leadership Cohort is an intensive 8-week journey designed to bridge the gap between knowing better and living better. Traditional leadership training tries to change your mind; we work to change your embodied state.
Instead of giving you more information to manage, we use the specific tools I spent years uncovering, the same ones that moved me from constant panic to grounded presence, to help you literally rewire your physiological response to stress. This isn’t about memorizing concepts; it’s about a transformation that lasts long after the laptop is closed. It changes how you show up in a high-stakes meeting, and more importantly, how you walk through your front door at the end of the day.
Applications are now open. Spaces are intentionally limited to ensure a close-knit, supportive circle of leaders.
