The Neuroscience of Burnout: Why Your Body Keeps the Score | Dr. Alexis Kennedy

What if burnout isn't a character flaw, but your nervous system running out of resources? In this episode of Holding The Sea, host Mia Perry Bowick sits down with Dr. Alexis Kennedy — a former academic who spent decades researching sexual abuse, assault, and human trafficking before turning her attention to the neuroscience of burnout. After her own catastrophic collapse (a migraine in a first-responder resilience course that forced her to confront her own PTSD), Alexis left academia to teach what she'd learned about keeping the nervous system safe. Together, Mia and Alexis explore: The difference between burnout, vicarious trauma, secondary victimization, and moral distress Why the amygdala behaves differently in burnout than in depression How chronic fight-or-flight impacts digestion, sleep, inflammation, and the ability to think clearly Why "the body keeps the score" — and how shaking, movement, and breath help release stored stress The lie of peak performance, and why rest is the real path to being your best self Grief as an inherent part of change, identity, and career transition Simple, science-backed tools: a glass of water, a walk, a "brag book," and better sleep routines A grounding, honest conversation for anyone in a helping profession: therapists, first responders, caregivers, entrepreneurs who've been telling themselves they're "fine." Self-care isn't woo-woo. It's healthcare. 🎧 Subscribe to Holding The Sea for more conversations on healing, resilience, and being human.