What happens when you burn out while building a burnout prevention product?
In this episode, Sophie speaks with Austin, tech founder, writer, and systems thinker who created a burnout solution inside Slack, only to hit burnout himself. Together, they explore the complexity of purpose-fueled exhaustion, the invisible weight founders carry, and how productivity culture often disguises suffering.
Austin shares powerful reflections on energy management, journaling, self-worth, and why recovery isn't a clean break, it’s a series of course corrections. He also introduces a moving metaphor: the blister of burnout, a warning to those who jump back in too soon.
If you're a builder, leader, or anyone trying to do meaningful work without losing yourself this one’s for you.
📌 Key themes:→ Purpose-fueled burnout→ Energy & wellbeing debt→ The myth of balance vs. polarity→ Journaling as a healing tool→ Community as medicine
Connect with Austin here: