The Mental Load at Work: Why Your Job Follows You Home (and Back Again)

You don't leave your mental load at the office door — and you don't leave your home mental load at home either. In this episode of MissPerceived, Professor Leah Ruppanner breaks down how the mental load bleeds across every part of your life, why men and women carry it so differently at work, and what those invisible scripts are quietly costing you. Drawing from thousands of survey responses and her new book Drained, Leah introduces mental load "types" — from the high achiever to the caretaker — and gives you three concrete tools to finally get a handle on where your mental energy is actually going. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction — the mental load doesn't stop when you clock out 01:15 What the mental load actually is — the research definition 02:23 How men and dads carry the mental load differently at work 04:45 Why women feel guilt when they chase their dreams — and men don't 07:08 The two different scripts men and women follow at work 09:24 LightenLab's mental load assessment — what the data shows 11:40 Mental load types: are you the high achiever or the caretaker? 13:00 How one thought becomes 18 — ping-ponging across all 8 types 14:00 How to break the pattern and reset your mental load 16:20 What men need to hear — and why this is everyone's problem Resources Mentioned: 📘 Drained: Reduce Your Mental Load to Do Less and Be More — https://amzn.to/4tVRljQ 🧠 Free Mental Load Assessment — https://www.lightenlab.com Stay Connected with Leah: TikTok: @prof.leahruppanner Email: [email protected] Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: /@missperceivedpodcast About MissPerceived: MissPerceived is a weekly podcast hosted by Professor Leah Ruppanner, sociologist and author of Drained. Each week, Leah breaks down the gender myths that shape our lives — from mental load and caregiving to relationships and identity. No PhD required. Just come hang out. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This description contains affiliate links. #MissPerceived #MentalLoad #WorkLifeBalance #Drained #ProfLeahRuppanner