Welcome! I'm Kelly, Your Burnout Coach
Welcome to my blog where I'll help you Conquer Burnout.
Hi, I’m Kelly Carter, an Emergency Physician, Burnout Coach, Wife, and Mom.
Disclaimer: I do not diagnose, treat, or prescribe for medical or mental illness with my online content. My views are my own and are not associated or representative of my employer(s). This blog is for educational purposes only and not medical advice.
Thank you for joining me in this journey to help moms conquer burnout. Since this is my first blog post, I’ll share a little bit about myself. I grew up in Wisconsin, left home for college to escape the brutally cold winters and mosquito infested summers. For family & job reasons, I returned in my 40’s and now live in the same zip code as my brother, 7 miles from both my parents and my husbands’ parents. You’ll find me sipping port wine and eating dark chocolate on those long winter nights (when I’m not working of course). As fancy as that sounds, my actual favorite, can’t-stop-eating foods are Butterfingers and Cheetos.
Here’s another confession: I suffer from perfectionism. Even my blood type is A+. This blog is my challenge to myself to be real, accept my shortcomings, and put myself out in the world. Maybe I’ll make a difference in someone’s day, maybe I’ll learn more about myself. Either way, it’s a win.
Of course I’ll use spell check and any suggested grammatical changes, but otherwise this is a real, authentic conversation between me and you. So pick up your coffee or tea, and get comfortable.
With this first blog post I’m sharing the why, how, and what behind this blog. Why I’m doing this, how I’m doing things a little differently, and what you can expect to get from my content. I’ll go deeper into my burnout story in the next post.
I’ll start with the WHY. There are thousands (if not more) of blogs/podcasts/videos on burnout, why do I think I should add to the clutter?
I know that we all have our own struggles, our own stories, and as an Emergency Physician I see people on their darkest days. When their mental, physical, and emotional strains have overtaken their resilience. There is no shame in this. I want to help people before they get to this point. To help when this is still an upstream problem.
For those of you who haven’t read Upstream by Dan Heath he references a parable attributed to Irving Zola. It goes something like this:
Imagine you and a friend are enjoying a picnic along a river. Suddenly you hear a scream and see that a child is drowning. The two of you dive into the river and save the child. Just as you reach the shore, you see another drowning child and you dive back in. After rescuing that child, you hear the screams of another child and another, all being swept downstream by the river. You’re surprised to see your friend get up and leave. “Where are you going?” you ask. He answers, “I’m going upstream to tackle the guy who’s throwing all these kids in the water.”
I’m also doing it because I think we all learn differently, we all gravitate to different personalities, and if I can be that person for someone who hasn’t found their right match, even if it’s just one person listening, then it’s worth it.
I’m amazed sometimes how the smallest gestures, things I may think as insignificant at the bedside, have the biggest impact on my patients. I stop to look at photos they show me of their kids, grandchildren, and pets. They don’t leave comments on their surveys that I treated their infection with the right antibiotic, they say that I was kind, nice, and a good listener.
My hope with burnout coaching is that someone says “I made it through because of you.”
So that’s my WHY. Now, here’s my HOW.
I have a degree in engineering and my favorite class in college was computer programming. I got an A+. My brain thrives on organization, processes, and nerdy jokes.
Goal #1: To provide you with a clear and organized approach to understanding and managing burnout.
I am also an Emergency Physician. Efficiency and action are my jam. Despite this, I truly believe that there is a benefit to meandering through your thoughts and finding peace in nothingness. Please do this on a regular basis. When you’ve had your fill of white space, come on over here.
Goal #2: To provide you with action steps to help overcome the overwhelm and conquer your burnout.
As part of my leadership training, I became Lean certified. Lean is an incredibly successful process improvement technique made famous by Toyota that focuses on providing value while eliminating waste.
Goal #3: To provide you with a framework that connects with your values, focuses your priorities, and simplifies your life.
And I am a mom. Somewhere along the line I became my mom. I’ve even caught myself saying “because I said so” and “every day is kids’ day.” I know that my kids are watching and listening to me, and someday they will be adopting my habits and incorporating my values and character as they shape theirs.
Goal #4: To provide you with the confidence and skills to set an example of how to live your life that you’re excited to share with your family, and improve the health and wellness of generations to come.
Now WHAT is this blog going to be like?
This blog is going to be focused on helping moms manage and conquer their burnout. You’ll learn all about what burnout is and why it’s such a problem. I love neuroscience, so I’ll be diving into how the brain works to help you understand why we think and do certain things and how to make changes when needed. Since our brains are so important to our health and wellness, I’ll have strategies to keep your brain healthy. I’ll also share tips on stress reduction, time management, and self care. Throughout this blog, I’ll be introducing you to the language and techniques I’ve learned so you can go Lean and trim your waste!
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