Carleen Hicks Career Coach

🧠 Feeling mentally fried before noon?

It might not be the workload - it might be the all the choices.
Decision fatigue is sneaky, and it's draining your energy faster than your inbox can refill it.

My latest blog explores how too many micro-decisions can push you toward burnout - and the laughably simple reframe that can help you take your brain back. 🌀

👉 Read now: Decision Fatigue Is Real: How to Avoid Burnout by Simplifying Your Choices
https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/decision-fatigue-is-real-how-to-avoid?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

📣 New Blog Drop: Burnout or Boredom? 😵‍💫

If you're feeling “blah” at work lately, don’t be so quick to blame boredom. That disinterest might be your burnout trying to get a word in.

Before you rewrite your resume or plan an escape, read this. I promise it’ll save you time and confirm what your intuition has been trying to whisper (or shout): Something needs to change.

👀 Plus: A tiny action step that can shift everything.

💻 Read now: https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/burnout-or-boredom-how-losing-interest?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

👀 Notice who’s running the commentary in your head lately? If your inner critic’s the only one talking, you might be due for a leadership change.

In my latest blog, I explore the burnout warning sign you didn’t see coming - and how to give your inner coach the mic (no pom-poms required).

🎙️ Read now: Your Inner Coach is Hireable. Your Inner Critic Just Yells for Free. https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/your-inner-coach-is-hireable-your?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

🌡️ That voice in your head saying, “You should be doing more”? It might be burning you out.

Your inner critic isn’t just annoying -it’s exhausting.
This week on the blog: how your self-talk could be the hidden culprit behind your fatigue, and one powerful reframe to help you step out of burnout (without quitting your job or your ambition).

🔗 https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/your-inner-critic-is-exhausting-you?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

🧠💬

🌡️ Ever cried at your desk for “no reason”? Or wanted to quit your job mid-meeting over someone’s tone?

Spoiler: There is a reason - and it’s not that you’re weak. It’s that you’ve been holding too much for too long.

In my latest blog, we’re talking about those intrusive emotions at work (you know the ones). Not to shut them down - but to decode what they’re trying to tell you before burnout makes the decisions for you.

✨ Includes:
✅ Validation
✅ A reframe you didn’t know you needed
✅ A laughably small step to stop emotional ambushes in their tracks

📖 https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/when-your-emotions-interrupt-you?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Your nervous system will thank you.

☀️ It’s here! Issue No. 5 of the Love Your Working Life journal has officially dropped — just in time to remind you how good it feels to flop on a beach towel and not check your phone every 30 seconds.

This one’s a love letter to summer and your inner teenager (remember them?).

It’s a gentle nudge to slow down, do less, and soak up the season before fall breezes in with its to-do lists.

We only get 18 summers with our kids and extended fam before adulting takes over — so let this issue be your permission slip to linger, laugh, and loaf.

📬 Already a subscriber? It’s in your inbox.

Not yet? Now’s the perfect time to grab a lounger, a cold bevvy, and catch up on what it really means to take a break. https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/learning-how-to-linger?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

🚨 Feeling tapped out by 2:47 pm?

No spa weekend in sight? No problem. Your brain’s begging for a breather, and guess what - tiny rituals can be a game changer.
Think 3-breath resets, a sip-and-stare moment, or a 10-second body check-in. No meditation required.

✨ Ready to feel less frazzled and more you? Check out my latest blog for mini rituals that build resilience - because surviving Thursday shouldn’t feel like a marathon.

👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/mini-rituals-that-build-resilience?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

(P.S. Paid subscribers get a 2 Minutes to Success Cheat Sheet that makes putting this into action ridiculously easy. Because who has time for complicated?)

🚨 Tiny tasks, BIG burnout risk! 🚨
You know the drill — a “quick” email, a Slack ping, a calendar tweak. Five minutes here, two minutes there… until your day’s a blur of small tasks, and your actual priorities? Still untouched.
Sound familiar? You might be in the Overwhelm Spiral. But don’t worry, I’ve got you.
In my latest blog, I’m breaking down why these sneaky little tasks drain your energy and what you can do to break free (spoiler: it takes two minutes — literally).
👉 Read it now and give your brain a breather. Your future, less-frazzled self will thank you! https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/the-overwhelm-spiral-how-too-many?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

🚨 Feeling guilty when you set boundaries? You’re not alone. For high performers, “just say no” feels about as simple as solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. 🙃

But here’s the thing — boundaries aren’t just about saying no. They’re about protecting your energy without that side of guilt fries. 🍟

In my latest blog, I’m breaking down how to make boundaries stick (and feel good doing it). Plus, paid subscribers get access to my 2 Minutes to Success cheat sheet - a quick, empowering guide to help you take action without second-guessing yourself.

🔗 Read the blog and grab your cheat sheet now!: https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/boundaries-are-more-than-saying-no?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

👉 P.S. Your future, well-rested self will thank you. 💛

Micro-burnout: It’s like death by a thousand calendar invites. ☠️
But the good news? You don’t have to burn everything down to feel better. One small reframe could change how you face your week. Curious? Let’s dive in. ⬇️
https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/micro-burnout-the-subtle-burnout?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

🚨 Is your afternoon slump actually a burnout signal? 🚨

You know the feeling — it’s 3 pm, and your brain’s buffering like bad Wi-Fi. Coffee seems like the answer, but what if that midday crash is your body waving a burnout flag?

✨ In my latest blog, I break down:
• Why your slump might be more than just a sleepy moment
• The sneaky burnout signs hiding in plain sight
• A tiny but mighty reframe to shake off that slump (no caffeine IV required)

👉 Plus, paid subscribers get access to my 2 Minutes to Success Cheat Sheet — your quick action guide to reclaim your energy.
Because let’s be real, no one has time to feel like a human potato by mid-afternoon. 🥔

📖 Check it out here: https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/the-afternoon-slump-thats-actually?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

💡 Toughing it out isn’t a flex — it’s a fast track to burnout.
If “just get through this week” has been your mantra for months, it’s time for a reframe.
Your confidence, career, and sanity deserve better.
✨ Discover why pushing through isn’t proving your strength — and the one small shift that actually will.
👉 Read the blog here: https://open.substack.com/pub/carleen105/p/why-toughing-it-out-is-silently-draining?r=22hrm8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true