About nine years ago, I had a full-blown holistic burnout. My health blew up, and I could no longer work as a hospital nurse or function properly in most areas of my life. I felt blindsided by it, even though I could feel it insidiously happening over time. It all caught up with me; working multiple jobs with crazy hours, navigating high levels of life stress, and running ultras (up to and over 100 miles). I knew full well from being a Registered Nurse that the body can compensate until it can’t and, unless measures are taken to ease the burden on a system, you are out of luck. I kept telling myself that the rules would not apply to me, even though I knew they did. That somehow I could keep gritting through it all and be OK.

That woman in the picture above at the finish line of Keys 100-mile race in 2018? That’s me. I had not yet healed from my burnout, somehow I got the race done. It was the most beautiful race I have ever run! I had so much fun, and made lifelong memories. However, the training load came at a steep price and the race finish came at a steep price. I still had so much to learn. I was depending solely on grit to get me through. Grit alone is not only insufficient, but is dangerous.

Healing through my holistic burnout was expensive, isolating, and confusing. Even with my nursing background, it was challenging to find the right support to regain my health and find my way back to sport. I dove deep into all things related to sleep, rest, and recovery. I worked diligently to close the gaps in my health resilience knowledge, skills, and habits. I started to create my own map of building a durable resilient body and mind. I am now on a mission to support others in fostering athletic longevity through the lens of health resilience. My “Joy Before Fear” mantra will continue to serve as a guidepost for life and all its adventures in and out of sport.