The Burnout Collective

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Claimed

► Tell us about you and your podcast

We're two friends who met at a startup nearly a decade ago. We've helped each other through our own personal and professional struggles over the years (especially during Covid). We were surrounded by others who have also been struggling with burnout, so we started talking about doing something about it. Realizing we needed to start doing things for ourselves and work toward a goal we feel good about, The Burnout Collective was born. We make space for everyone to share their stories and feelings and struggles with everything from corporate burnout to Covid PTSD to dealing with life's everyday challenges.
 

► Why & how did you start this podcast? 

Our goal creating this podcast was to bring together others in similar situations in life and work who needed support and encouragement. We talk about all aspects and types of burnout openly and candidly with each other, our guests, and our listeners. We've found that this doesn't just resonate and empower us to reclaim our lives, it also encourages our guests and listeners to do the same.

We're both avid podcast listeners (our favs being true crime and comedy), but we noticed most mental health podcasts we came across weren't as honest and blunt. Although we're always discussing something serious about burnout, we also use dark humor a lot to cope with *gestures broadly* which we noticed is something others would connect with, too.

We always wanted to work on passion projects together, but never felt like we had the time with our full-time corporate gigs. But last summer, after seeing each other face to face for the first time in 6 years, we made a promise that we would take a simple step toward that goal. To do something for us. And that baby step we took was just meeting for an hour every Saturday to brainstorm ideas and figure out what we wanted to do. That first Saturday, we ended up meeting for over 3 hours, and continued to do so every week. Until the idea for the podcast crystallized in September 2025.

We decided it would be interesting to live stream the podcast each week on Twitch, then eventually, when we had enough episodes we edited them and released them into the podcast feeds. We also play a game after our Twitch stream with our viewers/listeners. We still stream live every Thursday at 5pm PT, with our new episodes coming out every Tuesday.
 

► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?

Because we also live stream with video on Twitch on top of editing the audio to send into the podcast feeds, the production time can be lengthy. Neither of us had experience with audio editing or podcast editing at all, so we had to teach ourselves everything from social media marketing to audio editing to designing a website and a Twitch channel. It's definitely taking us less time now that we have the experience and 17 episodes under our belt.

When we started, we both had full-time jobs, but doing this energized us and allowed us to be creative and work toward something we feel passionate about so we made it a priority. And we continue to prioritize the podcast because it's important to us. The Burnout Collective is completely self-funded by the two of us.

We live stream and record one episode a week, then release that episode's audio every Tuesday.
 

► What do you gain from podcasting?        

Having a creative project together with a business partner is like having a child. You have to prioritize and nurture it, you need to be able to communicate together on a deeper level. This podcast challenges us on a personal, creative, and professional level in ways that encourage growth for both of us.

We make $0 in revenue. We haven't had any sponsorships yet, as our main goal has been to ensure we're creating the highest quality content for our listeners and community, but we hope to partner with like-minded brands in the future (we're looking at you, Uncrustables).
 

► How does your podcasting process look like? 

We use SLOBS for Twitch (along with a Stream Deck), Discord for pulling in the audio and video, Audacity for recording our audio separately, Descript and Davinci for audio editing, CapCut for clips to share on socials, and Canva for other design needs.

So far, we've been lucky enough to have some of our close friends and colleagues as guests. We all meet a few days before the live show to make an outline and to hear the guest's story/interview them. We also go over exactly how Twitch (and Discord) work to ensure each guest understands the process and is comfortable (especially because many of our guests have never heard of Twitch or Discord). Then, we all meet a little early before we go live on Twitch the day of the show to double check all of the technical aspects. Sometimes we stick to an outline, but sometimes we go a little off the cuff.
 

► How do you market your show?

We market via social media, word of mouth, and our website. We think one of the biggest ways we gain listeners is through the video clips we make from the live show and post to socials (IG, Tiktok, Bluesky, YouTube). We've also gained listeners from our guests, since they share the episode and any clips with their own community and network.

The percentage of our listeners is as follows: 43% Apple Podcasts, 25% Spotify, 16% Overcast, 5% Pocket Casts, and 3% via web browser.
 

► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?

Honestly, just go for it. There's really no failure as long as you're excited about it and being true to yourself and the message you want to share. And have fun with it!

Decide beforehand who you are/who your brand is. Brainstorm with yourself and any co-hosts about your mission and purpose. And be ready to learn (if you don't have any experience or background in podcasting). Even reach out to friends or colleagues who may be able to give you tips or guidance because of their expertise.
 

► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?

Have a suggestion for our next episode? A burnout story to share? Send us a text: https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2419114/open_sms
Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=2KREVA6EBBLW2
Every Thursday at 5pm PT, we stream live on Twitch.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-burnout-collective/id1789500328
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5vGTGrlxuUwdJxWMiQK7u3
Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/ZwBjbmVfAF
Follow us on Twitch and Subscribe: https://twitch.tv/theburnoutcollective
Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/burnoutcollective
Website: https://burnoutcollective.com