The Biology of Burnout (Part 2): What Understanding Can't Do
The Biology of Burnout (Part 2): What Understanding Can't Do  
Podcast: The Biology of Trauma® With Dr. Aimie
Published On: Tue Dec 30 2025
Description: In part one, we learned why so many of us stay stuck despite trying everything. This episode reveals what actually worked for the dogs in that study. Spoiler: it wasn't understanding. It was movement. I share Claire's breakthrough moment standing at her kitchen sink. What she felt in those 90 seconds changed everything. →  Get the full episode breakdown at Biology of Trauma® Podcast - Episode 154: The Biology of Burnout (Part 2): What Understanding Can't Do In this episode you'll learn: [01:08] How the Dogs Learned to Jump Again: Researchers had to physically move their legs—explaining jumping didn't work [03:30] Why Understanding Isn't Enough: The gap between knowing what to do and being able to do it [05:09] Claire's Aha Moment: Why all her knowledge hadn't created lasting change [08:30] What Happens When We Don't Complete Stress: Two options—complete it or head into burnout [10:04] The Startle Response: How to stop activation before it becomes a full stress response [12:09] The Cost of Not Looking: Avoiding problems drains the energy we need for real demands [15:19] Trying Better, Not Harder: Starting small creates new experiences instead of depletion [18:18] Claire's Kitchen Sink Moment: What completing a stress response actually feels like [20:02] Stress as a Sprint: Why we need the exhale, not just the push [23:35] The Body Already Knows: Our nervous system knows how to complete—we just block it Resources/Guides: Biology of Trauma book - Available now everywhere books are sold. Get your copy Becoming More Calm Alive - A song about the exhale. Learning to let our body complete what it's been holding. Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 153 (Part 1): The Biology of Burnout: Why Pushing Through Stops Working Episode 121: Finding Your Why: How to Break Free from Burnout and Build Meaningful Work