Actually Sustainable

Episode 6: The ADHD Burnout Loop In this episode, we dive into why high-achieving women with ADHD are especially prone to burnout — and what you can do about it. We cover: What ADHD actually looks like (hint: it's not just a hyperactive little boy) Why ADHD is so often missed or misdiagnosed in women — as anxiety or bipolar type 2 How dopamine dysregulation affects motivation, time management,...

Actually Sustainable – Ep. 5: Why You Feel Exhausted Even When You've Rested Ever taken a "rest" and still felt completely wiped out? You're not imagining it — and it's not laziness. In Episode 5, we break down the neuroscience of why rest doesn't restore you when your nervous system never actually powers down. We talk about cognitive load, decision fatigue, emotional lab...

Episode 4: Productivity Isn't a Personality Are you your job? Do you measure the value of your day by what you checked off your list? In this episode, we dig into the deeply ingrained belief that our worth is tied to our output — and why that mindset is a fast track to burnout. In this episode: Why high achievers are especially vulnerable to tying self-worth to productivity How hustle culture...

Episode 3: Why Rest Won't Work When Your Nervous System Feels Unsafe Ever wondered why you can take a full nap and still wake up exhausted? In this episode of Actually Sustainable , Rachel breaks down the science behind why rest doesn't actually restore you when your nervous system is stuck in "threat mode." In this episode: Why high-achieving women (especially those with ADHD) s...

Actually Sustainable – Episode: "Why Competent Women Burn Out Quietly" Episode Summary: Host Rachel — a physician assistant, educator, writer, and proud ADHDer — explores why high-achieving women, especially those with neurodivergence, tend to burn out silently and how society's structures make that almost inevitable. Topics Covered How competence becomes a trap: being praised for re...

Episode Summary Host Rachel, a physician assistant, educator, and writer, introduces the Actually Sustainable podcast — a show designed to help high-achieving women, especially those with neurodivergence, build a life that's truly sustainable. In This Episode What the podcast is about and who it's for Overview of the year-long series: Awareness → Deconstruction → Rebuilding → Reintegration...

An Introduction to the host, Rachel Berros-Thorpe