We had such an amazing time reading Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle and now we’re excited to be gearing up for our next book!
What should we read next?
Image: Joshua McArthur on Unsplash
Welcome to May! We’ve been busy creating new burnout support offerings, and are so excited to share them with you.
We had such an amazing time in our first Book Club live discussion! We dove deep into Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.If you are reading along with us but were unable to make the live discussion, the recording is now posted here.
This hour was packed with poignant honesty and real-time revelations, including real talk about:
This is an on-demand, self-paced book club offering worth 1.3 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!
0.35 GS CEUs through The Insightful Interpreter, processed by Interpretek
Why complete your stress cycle?
You might be experiencing burnout. Burnout and emotional exhaustion can have negative impacts on your health, relationships, and work.
It can be hard to know how to rescue yourself, let alone find the energy to take positive steps.
Good news! You don’t have to live like this. A long, fulfilling career is within your grasp. This course can help.
You will explore:
Oregano – Stop trying to play God. Reconnect to your own and others’ humanity. Sidestep judgement and invite compassion. Accept your imperfections while opening to curiosity and grace.
Marjoram – Connect. Connect with yourself, connect with others. Loving relationships can heal the most painful scars. Invest in them. Open to them.
Arborvitae – Grace surrounds you. Receive it. Rest in it in every moment that you’re able. Soak it up and learn to trust in it.
Neroli – Partner with Life. Believe that it’s on your side. Acknowledge the way it works in you – your feelings and intuitions are a part of Life’s communication network.
May we find peace and growth in the in-between times. May the rain showers and sunbeams remind cleanse and warm us. May we keep reaching deeper inward, and ever toward one another.
I look forward to all the ways we’ll connect in the month ahead!
Image credit: Ray Hennessy on Unsplash
The vernal equinox on March 20th ushered in a new season that can feel like the start of the new year in the northern hemisphere.
You may be noticing new life emerging around you and feeling the urge to open the windows or blinds (depending on how cold it still is where you are!), clean and clear your space, and be outside in nature.
Here are some of the exciting things emerging this month at Burnout Proof Academy.
We’ve been busy creating new burnout support offerings, and are so excited to share them with you!
The Insightful Interpreter is hosting the course Healing Interpreter Burnout: Complete Your Stress Cycle taught in English and ASL by Brea Cross-Caldwell.
You might be experiencing burnout. Burnout and emotional exhaustion can have negative impacts on your health, relationships, and work.
It can be hard to know how to rescue yourself, let alone find the energy to take positive steps.
Good news! You don’t have to live like this. A long, fulfilling career is within your grasp. This course can help.
You will explore:
0.35 GS CEUs processed by Interpretek, an approved continuing education sponsor. $70
*Videos for this course are presented in both American Sign Language and spoken English. Instructions and activities are provided in written English.
*The Insightful Interpreter recognizes that Deaf and BIPOC interpreters have unique skill sets, expertise, and valuable perspectives that benefit the interpreting field. These interpreters also experience bias, oppression, and barriers in our field and our society; in response, we offer discounts on all courses to self-identified members of these groups.
*This course is intended for working sign language interpreters, students of interpreting, and Deaf and DeafBlind community members.
The long awaited Book Club is finally here! Join us for this deep dive into a foundational and transformational Burnout Proof text:
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
This course is available on-demand, so you can read along at your own pace and go deeper in the online discussion forums. We’ll do a live discussion through Zoom on April 28, 2021 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific – we hope to see you there! If you can’t make the live discussion, the recording will be posted so you won’t miss a thing.
1.3 GS CEUs processed by Interpretek, an RID approved continuing ed sponsor. $65
As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:
Invite the properties* of each oil to inspire your intentions:
*From Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing
May you allow space for newness, for birth, for the vast unknown of possibility.
I look forward to all the ways we’ll connect in the month ahead!
Spring is approaching! Who’s ready for warmer weather, flowers, sunshine, and longer days?!
As we look forward to spring, we’re also looking forward to all of the exciting things happening this month here at Burnout Proof Academy.
We’ve been busy creating new burnout support offerings, and are so excited to share them with you!
Willie Ross School for the Deaf is hosting Self-Care for Stressful Times taught in ASL by Brea Cross-Caldwell. We invite all interpreters, students, and Deaf professionals in all industries to join us in slowing down and taking inventory, so we can ensure longevity in our field of service.
Worry and uncertainty make for more charged work situations, and can trigger reactions that aren’t always aligned with our values.
This workshop will teach tools from the Learning Zone Model, mindful awareness, and neuroscience to better work with our brains during times of stress.
We’ll create a triage-care practice to provide daily maintenance through stressful times while building empathy, emotional regulation, and resilience.
This workshop will be held in ASL on Tuesday, March 30th at 6:30-9:00pm Eastern time.
0.25 GS CEUs processed by MassRID, an approved continuing education sponsor. $35
Deaf practitioners (independent living assistants, counselors of all kinds, healthcare workers, school staff and faculty, first responders, case workers, interpreters, and schedulers) are invited to contact aslater@wrsdeaf.org for a discount code.
* WRSD is a “most enabling environment” and we expect and will ensure that the learning environment is safe for all.
* refund policy and cancellation policy are available on the registration website.
* The language of this workshop is ASL. We will use breakout rooms. Your participation in practice activities or discussion is required for CEU credit.
In case you missed the announcement last month, the long awaited Book Club is finally here! Join us for this deep dive into a foundational and transformational Burnout Proof text:
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
This course is available on-demand, so you can read along at your own pace and go deeper in the online discussion forums. We’ll do a live discussion through zoom on April 28, 2021 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific – we hope to see you there! If you can’t make the live discussion, the recording will be posted so you won’t miss a thing.
1.3 GS CEUs processed by Interpretek, an RID approved continuing ed sponsor. $65
Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.
All too often our so-called strength comes from fear, not love; instead of having a strong back, many of us have a defended front shielding a weak spine. In other words, we walk around brittle and defensive, trying to conceal our lack of confidence. If we strengthen our backs, metaphorically speaking, and develop a spine that’s flexible but sturdy, then we can risk having a front that’s soft and open….How can we give and accept care with strong-back, soft-front compassion, moving past fear into a place of genuine tenderness? I believe it comes about when we can be truly transparent, seeing the world clearly – and letting the world see into us.
Roshi Joan Halifax
As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:
Invite the properties* of each oil to inspire your intentions:
*From Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing
May you enjoy this time of transition in seasons and in energy. May you make space for all that’s ready to fall away and all that’s being born – within and around you.
I look forward to all the ways we’ll connect in the month ahead!
This new month brings with it a fresh look for Brighter Focus, as we unveil our new logo created by my talented and intuitive dear friend, Makenna O’Keeffe.
Look for this beauty to be popping up on social media, in emails, and on our websites – give it a like and let us know what you think!
We’ve been busy creating new burnout support offerings, and are so excited to share them with you!
The long awaited Book Club is finally here! Join us for this deep dive into a foundational and transformational Burnout Proof text:
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
This course is available on-demand, so you can read along at your own pace and go deeper in the online discussion forums. We’ll do a live discussion through zoom on April 28, 2021 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific – I hope to see you there! If you can’t make the live discussion, the recording will be posted so you won’t miss a thing.
Self-Care Spotlights are returning to The Burnout Proof Collective Facebook group! I’m so excited to kick off a new round with Sandra Leith, sharing her passion for juggling and how we can use circus arts to practice flexibility with LIFE.
You can catch her live broadcast in the group on Thursday, February 11th, at 4:00 pm pacific.
After hosting the live Healthy Boundaries workshop in November, we’ve been editing and processing of the 2-hour long video to get bite-sized chunks you can stream on-demand. Online activities get added, captions are created, and now we’re ready to share the finished product with you!
You can begin the new + improved Healthy Boundaries workshop today!
You may have noticed that Brighter Focus is now a ‘we’ – I’m so excited to introduce you to the organizational brain behind Brighter Focus, Courtney Williams. She keeps all of our projects running on time, and has added so much joy to the process!
Courtney began her virtual assistant journey in August of 2019. She’s an Enneagram 2 so helping people brings her so much joy! When she’s not helping Brea manage all of her projects, you can find Courtney snuggling with her 5 kids on the couch watching Disney movies, drinking sweet tea, and eating chocolate.
Courtney also has a website where she talks about her grief journey of losing her 4-year-old son, Sam in 2017. You can read her story of loss and hope at www.unlockingjoy.com.
February entered with fresh hope and much work to be done. The focus is on embodying qualities of focus, perseverance, and wisdom – while gathering comfort and gentleness for ourselves. It can be a tricky balance some days!
As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:
Here are some properties of each oil*, to inspire your intentions:
*From Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing
May this new month bring you comfort and continued growing self-awareness. May you feel the strength to persevere in the work that’s yours to do, and may you know the grace of rest and joy.
I’m so glad to be on this journey with you.
2020 is officially over, and here at Burnout Proof Academy we’re welcoming in 2021 with a commitment to caring for ourselves and cultivating our support-systems.
Explore the roots of your burnout and build habits of resilience, while connecting with a nurturing and supportive community.
Created for interpreters, teachers, parents, and anyone who finds it easier to care of others than to care of themselves, Burnout Proof Bootcamp is a self-paced self-care intensive that offers 1.5 GS CEUs through RID, and has the power to change your life.
From past participants:
“Strongly encourage everyone to take this workshop! Life changing!”
“The flow and order of the workshop/course was spot on. The timing and the ability to take it at your own pace is exactly what we need as busy interpreters!”
“Brea is a masterfully mindful instructor/ coach! Such great tools, resources, guidance, nudging, and support throughout the course! So helpful to be able to complete it at one’s own pace. Inner work does not follow a schedule or deadlines. THANK YOU!”
In October and November of 2020 we hosted two Saturday School workshops: 
Healthy Boundaries for Interpreters
These 2-hour sessions gave us a space to connect, learn, and practice together – and they’re both now available on-demand!
In 2021 I want to try something different!
Building a strong community of heart-centered folks who are committed to caring for ourselves so we can take better care of each other is a top priority at Burnout Proof Academy.
To that end, we’re going to kick off 2021 with a high-connection offering:
I’ve been dreaming of hosting a book club for quite a while now…A space where we can learn together through reading new and transformative burnout-related books, discuss them in an informal and fun atmosphere, while getting CEUs!
If this sounds like your jam, add your name to the list so you can get all the details as soon as they’re released.
Our first book will be the must-read, can’t-put-down:
I’m so excited for this fun, new way to connect and grow together!!! Don’t miss it!
Welcome in the new year and solidify your intentions with this nourishing oil protocol.
Melaleuca – energetic boundaries – “I release what’s no longer serving me.”
Clove – boundaries – “I ground and support myself with healthy boundaries.”
Myrrh – nurturing – “I invite deep nurturing.”
Arborvitae – divine grace – “I receive divine grace.”
Neroli – shared purpose + partnership – “I open to the web of life.”
Juniper Berry – the dark – “I’m willing to stay with myself through the darkness.”
Cypress – flow – “Life is dynamic and I flow with it.”
Wild Orange – abundance – “I give thanks for the abundance in my life.”
Photo by: Jason Abdilla
May this new year open many possibilities in your life. May it bring you closer to yourself and those you love. May it deepen our ability to care for ourselves and each other.
With love and blessings,
Brea
Use this month to take stock of how far you’ve come this year. Over the course of the month I’ll be posting prompts for reflection and ideas for rituals that can support us.
May we take the lessons that are ours to carry forward, and leave the rest in 2020.
December is a time for reflection and introspection. It’s a time to gather the lessons we learned over the course of the last year with curiosity and compassion.
Use this oil protocol to support your meditation and intention toward forgiveness, responsibility, and generational healing.
On Guard – Protective Blend – healthy boundaries, a sense of being protected and reinforced
Myrrh – The Oil of The Mother – a sense of safety in the world, healthy attachments, trust, and groundedness
Wild Orange – playfulness, creativity, joy
Fennel – taking responsibility, claiming oneself, developing a strong connection with one’s body, healing shame
Siberian Fir – forgiveness, generational healing, perspective, and wisdom
Douglas Fir – learning from the past, generational healing, renewed energy for a new chapter
Lemon – clarity, focus, supports thoughts which contribute to well-being
Frankincense – The Oil of The Father – truth, release lies and limiting beliefs, a sense of discernment, protection, and valuing oneself
Apply daily before meditation, journaling, bathtime, bedtime, or any other reflective practice.
We’re taking December off from Saturday School at Burnout Proof Academy. Thanks to everyone who attended November’s Healthy Boundaries LIVE workshop. It was a success! We had a wonderful turnout and so much rich discussion! It’s now available as a self-paced online course – you can get all the info and register here.
Wrapping up courses is our focus for December. If you are enrolled in a course that you would like CEUs for in 2020 and you haven’t yet completed and received your certificate – the deadline for completion is December 14th, 2020.
Our community has grown so much in 2020, and I’m so excited for all that’s in store in 2021. More opportunities for connection, learning, and self-reflection abound!
Burnout Proof Book Club – Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
We will be kicking off the year with the inaugural gathering of our book club! This book is foundational to everything we practice, so I hope you’ll join us. Add your name to the interest list here to be notified of important dates. Get a copy of the book to prepare!
I needed the paperback and audio versions of this one, it’s just that good.
Back to Basics Saturday School LIVE Workshop – tentative date sometime in February 2021
Kickstart your new year by getting back to the basics with us! We’ll explore the foundational self-care practices of getting enough sleep, daily movement (aka: exercise), drinking enough water, and eating food that supports our well-being. Make sure you’re on the mailing list to get info about this workshop!
Burnout Proof Collective Gatherings
Our private Facebook group has grown so much closer in the last few months, and I’m so excited to deepen those relationships in 2021!! We’re working on plans for potential lesson units, virtual social gatherings, skill sharing, and mentoring. If you’d like to be a part of the fun, make sure you’ve joined the group here and turned on notifications!
Subscribe to our mailing list so you don’t miss an ounce of self-care goodness!
Wishing you peace and joy and rest this weekend, friends! Until next week.
xo,
b
Healthy boundaries can be hard to identify and maintain. Here’s one concept that can help.
We’ll be diving further into Healthy Boundaries this weekend in our LIVE Saturday School workshop on November 21st, 2020.
Check it out and register here to join us!
Let’s start with a really tangible definition for the often nebulous concept of ‘boundaries’:
A boundary is a property line, as defined by Dr. Henry Cloud.
Photo by Rodrigo Kugnharski
The boundary tells you who controls the property, who has freedom and choices over the property, and who is responsible for the property.
Now let’s take that definition into the realm of our everyday lives, and pair it with a concept that can help us decipher our property lines.
The property that boundaries are helpful for include:
According to Byron Katie, there are three kinds of ‘business’ in the universe. I like to think of this as ‘Who owns the property?’
I like to think of these three kinds of ‘business’ as three separate yards – like three pieces of property.
Mine – My yard contains those pieces of property that I control and am responsible for: what I do, what I say, how I feel*, how I spend my time and energy, my possessions and what I believe.
*Feelings get a little star, because they are by-products of our thoughts, beliefs, and circumstances – not as easily in our control, but nevertheless, still our property. You can read more about getting to know your garden here.
Yours – Your business is what you control and are responsible for. All those same bits of property: emotional, material, mental, physical, time and energy.
Life’s/God’s/reality – This is made up of all the things that are outside of my control and your control. Examples include: the past and the future, as well as elements of the weather, accidents, traffic, etc.
Photo by Brandon Nelson
With my yard, your yard, and Life’s yard, we’ve basically drawn ourselves a map of our existential ‘neighborhood’. Maps are cool on their own, don’t get me wrong, but the magic comes when we use them to navigate.
Some scenarios where this map comes in handy:
In any of these not-so-hypothetical cases, you can pull out your map and ask yourself:
“Where am I?”
Photo by Daniel Gonzalez
Let’s use an example from above, and ask this question: “Where am I?”
When I’m afraid you will be upset with me, the property I’m focused on is your feelings – specifically your feelings of being upset with me.
Whose yard do other people’s feelings reside in? Their yard. Their feelings are their responsibility. When I’m trying to take responsibility for them, I’ve left my own yard – walked right off my own property and onto theirs – which leaves no one home to care for me.
When you’ve found yourself trying to manage someone else’s property, walk yourself back home by asking:
“What’s my business?”
Identify what is in your control, or what is your responsibility, and take action.
That could look like:
At first glance, boundaries can seem like a way to stop caring about anyone but yourself.
Let’s just sit with that. If you’re anything like me, that idea brings up a lot of fear about being selfish, putting my needs ahead of others, etc. When I pause, put my hand on my heart, and just feel those feelings of fear and guilt and breathe through them without feeding them more thoughts, they’re usually a lot quieter in 90 seconds or less.
Here’s the real truth that I invite you to experiment with for yourself, straight from Brene Brown’s research:
The most compassionate people are absolutely the most boundaried.
Let that sink in.
The more I leave you to your work/business/journey/lessons, and the more I take responsibility for my own work/business/journey/lessons – the more compassion I’m able to have for you and what you’re going through!
Healthy boundaries are the foundation of empathy, authenticity, and accountability – and they’re an integral part of self-care.
For more on staying in your own business and listening to your intuition as an interpreter, check out this RID VIEWS column – Self-Care: Caring For Ourselves Within a Community.
I hope you’ll join us November 21st, 2020 for Healthy Boundaries for Interpreters. We’ll explore what healthy boundaries are, what makes them hard to hold, how to tune into your guidance system, and how to communicate your boundaries in a kind and honest way. I can’t wait to spend this time with you!
Get all the info and register here
Take a few minutes to journal and reflect, and then share with us in the comments:
Describe a time that healthy boundaries – yours or someone else’s – created a space for more compassion.
Want to be notified when new posts come out? Sign up here for my weekly love note.
Here are the highlights of what ‘s happening this month at Burnout Proof Academy:
Healthy Boundaries for Interpreters – 0.2 GS CEUs – Our Saturday School LIVE workshop is happening on November 21st, 2020 from 10 am to noon pacific. Join us to discuss this tricky topic and develop tools to make holding clear, kind, healthy boundaries much easier. Saturday School LIVE workshops are a great opportunity to get to know other interpreters who are struggling with burnout and working on taking better care of themselves!
Self-Care for Stressful Times – 0.2 GS CEUs – Have you heard this episode of Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast on burnout and completing the stress cycle? Do yourself a favor – listen now, and then register for Self-Care for Stressful Times! You’ll come away with more awareness of your own stress responses, specific supports that help you complete your stress cycle, and a plan for turning these actions into habits.
Put On Your Raincoat: Energetic Protection for Sign Language Interpreters – 0.5 GS CEUs – Interpreting work is sticky – especially in 2020! In this workshop you’ll create a raincoat to protect yourself from the energetic effects of interpreting work, with practices of self-reflection, self-compassion, and mindfulness.
Check out our full list of courses here + sign up to get email updates and self-care support here.
I look forward to spending time with you soon at Burnout Proof Academy!
With love + bright focus,
Brea
This is part 4 in a series on Self-Care Strategies for Fear. You can find part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here.
Emotional Regulation 101 @seerutkchawla
As you’re spending time in your garden, you’ll notice uncomfortable emotions. This might be one reason you struggle to make time for yourself.
Emotions can be very inconvenient, downright painful, and at times excruciating.
Emotions are also called feelings, because we feel them in our bodies. Feeling things in our bodies is something that Americans in general, and white Americans 🙋 in particular, often avoid. This avoidance of feeling our feelings is at the root of many of our distraction-techniques and addictions.
The first warning light that signaled my burnout was physical pain. I was unable to sleep, run, play with my kids, do yoga, or even brush my teeth without shooting, aching, burning pain in my wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, and head. I tried all the typical physical healing modalities I had access to: supplements, physical therapy, diet, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture treatments.
It wasn’t until I explored my experience of the pain with my own coach, that I began to uncover the years of emotions that were just sitting in my internal waiting room – begging to be heard. Together in that safe container of support, we made space for guilt, anger, sadness, regret, feelings of unworthiness, fear, and finally hope, joy, pleasure, and love.
Emily and Amelia Nagoski wrote a whole, amazing book on this subject. They say, “Emotions are tunnels. If you go all the way through them, you get to the light at the end. Exhaustion happens when we get stuck in an emotion.”
Let that sink in.
Quote by Emily and Amelia Nagoski @brenebrown
Exhaustion happens when we get stuck in an emotion.
Emotional exhaustion is one of the hallmarks of burnout, according to Herbert J. Freudenberger who coined his definition in 1974. Emotional exhaustion is described as, “fatigue that comes from caring too much for too long.”
Of the three components of burnout, emotional exhaustion is the one most strongly linked to negative impacts on health, our relationships, and our work – especially for women or those aligned with feminine cultural norms.
Every word of this Brene Brown podcast episode with the Nagoskis describes so beautifully how emotional exhaustion contributes to burnout and what to do about it. This is required listening or reading for every interpreter!
Burnout and How to Complete the Stress Cycle
Photo by Jana Sabeth
When emotions are stored up without acknowledgment or space to be felt, they must get our attention in other ways. It can be so scary to allow these feelings to move through you. It can feel as if they’ll never leave or they’ll consume us – but I’m here to tell you:
They always end.
Just like a wave, crashing on shore, feelings have a beginning, a crescendo, and a receding conclusion. The more willing and intentional we are about giving them space and ways to move, the less backlog we incur, and the more clear, present, and grounded we can be – even through our experience of them.
This Saturday, October 24th, 2020, I’ll be teaching a specific practice for completing the stress cycle and allowing emotions to move through that you can be doing throughout your day. Check out Self-Care for Stressful Times and join us!
When you first begin feeling your feelings, put some supports and boundaries in place to make it feel safer. Play music that helps you access the feelings that are coming up. Try this song for sadness. This one for anger. This one for disappointment. Make a whole playlist of your own.
Keep a comfort object nearby – a pillow, soft blanket, or an essential oil. Juniper is especially helpful for fear. Set a timer, and when it goes off switch to an activity that feels comforting and safe.
Reach out to a professional – a therapist, a coach, a spiritual guide. Get support in place so that you can feel free to explore this messy, roiling mass that is our unprocessed emotions.
We’ll be talking more about ways to honor our own boundaries and to build trust with ourselves in the November Burnout Proof Saturday School workshop: Healthy Boundaries for Interpreters. Register to join us here.
It can be really scary to feel some of these feelings, or you might not feel anything at all. Whatever you find here as you explore your emotions is a-okay. The most important thing is to stay with yourself. This means:
Don’t judge yourself or your experience.
Be willing to be uncomfortable.
Prioritize time and space for yourself – even if it’s just 5 minutes.
Notice that you’re still here when the feelings pass.
Allow yourself to feel proud of this scary accomplishment.
Set a timer for 5 minutes and be with your feelings. Maybe you have a certain situation you want to focus on to inspire the feelings, or maybe they’re already simmering at the surface. Just give them space and keep breathing through them.
This may be in your bedroom or bathroom, with the door locked, in your parked car, or outside while walking or running.
Let us know in the comments:
What helps you access and process your emotions?
@keeleyshawart
In part 5 next week we’ll explore ways to identify the weeds in our thinking patterns and how to work with them when we find them. Because our thoughts feed our emotions, pulling the weeds helps to reduce how often we go through our stress cycle.
Until then, take such good care of your precious self.