About this episode
What I've realized after nearly two years out of private practice is that the opposite of burnout isn't just taking a break—it's being truly alive. Actually being a human, seeing nature, being with your loved ones, and making memories. And sometimes, to find that aliveness, you have to take a radical leap.Jump on the therapist pen-pal list to get my feeling alive series on the newsletter--you get all the good stuff and I write back: The Burned Out Therapist Pen-Pal ListThat's exactly what my guest, Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby, did.Forget the couch, she hit the open road in an Airstream. For a whole year! That's right, a year of trading in the traditional practice for the open road. Today, Dr. Bobby is sharing how that wild adventure led to a thriving practice and a life she truly loves. We're diving into her journey, from the depths of burnout to the freedom of the Airstream, and how she ultimately found a way to build a career that resonated with her soul.Key Takeaways:Multiple Burnout Chapters:Dr. Bobby experienced significant burnout during her doctoral internship, marked by overwork, vicarious trauma, and feeling inadequate in all areas of her life.She later faced burnout in her solo private practice due to feeling ineffective with clients whose needs didn't align with traditional clinical therapy models.The Impact of ADHD:Dr. Bobby discusses how her undiagnosed ADHD contributed to her stress, particularly in managing administrative tasks and time management.She also highlights the "superpowers" associated with ADHD, such as flexibility and a different approach to life.Life-Changing Decisions:A period of intense burnout led Dr. Bobby and her husband to take a year-long road trip in an Airstream, demonstrating the possibility of radical life changes.This lead to a life of more joy, and less conformity.Evolving Career and Coaching Psychology:Dr. Bobby found renewed purpose by incorporating coaching psychology into her practice, which better served clients with non-clinical needs.She emphasizes that therapists have more career options than they are often taught, and she seeks to empower her supervisees to explore these possibilities.Supervision and Empowerment:As a clinical supervisor, Dr. Bobby aims to provide a different perspective to early career clinicians, offering hope and showing them they can design their own careers.She tries to help clinicians see their own strengths, and to not make career decisions from a place of depletion.Challenging Traditional Paths:The interview touches on the pressures placed on therapists to conform to traditional career paths, such as taking insur
