In this honest and validating episode, Jillian and Meg explore what it means to work inside systems that are not always well, conscious, or emotionally healthy. Not every workplace is built with emotional intelligence, self-awareness, or supportive leadership, yet many people still find themselves needing to show up, perform, and stay grounded.
This conversation is a guide for navigating those environments without losing yourself. Jill and Meg unpack how to maintain integrity, energy, and boundaries, while also discerning when a job can be navigated with rooted professionalism and when it might truly be time to go.
What We Explore:
The Myth of the Perfect Workplace
- Why the fantasy of a fully aligned, fully conscious workplace often sets us up for disappointment
- How to differentiate between normal workplace challenges and truly unhealthy environments
- The grounding truth from Gallup: only 23 percent of employees worldwide feel meaningfully engaged
Disengagement vs Energetic Protection
- How to tell when you’re checked out versus wisely protecting your nervous system
- Why your energy naturally adapts in environments that lack emotional intelligence
- Why disengagement is often a sign of deeper wisdom, not apathy
Emotional Contagion at Work
- Research showing that mood spreads quickly through teams
- How one person’s unmanaged stress or hostility affects an entire environment
- Why boundaries and emotional awareness are essential for protecting your own experience
Burnout as a Systemic Issue
- The World Health Organization defines burnout as a workplace problem, not a personal flaw
- Why you can be doing your absolute best in a broken system and still feel depleted
- Jill shares how operational load affects human behavior and why Trellis exists to relieve that burden
Rooted Professionalism
- Practicing “detached concern”: caring deeply without self-abandonment
- Research from healthcare and caregiving showing lower burnout when professionals have healthy emotional boundaries
- Meg’s insights on holding empathy without over-identifying or being consumed
Identity and Resilience
- Studies on role detachment: why separating your identity from your job increases resilience
- Understanding the difference between what you do and who you are
- How identity detachment protects your joy and prevents burnout in unwell systems
Key Themes and Takeaways
- Most workplaces are not emotionally aware
- And that has nothing to do with your worth or your performance.
- Your job does not define you
- A healthy separation makes you stronger, clearer, and more resilient.
- Boundaries are professionalism
- Caring deeply does not require sacrificing yourself.
- Burnout is not your fault
- Often it reflects systemic issues outside your control.
- Staying or leaving is a conscious choice
- Both are valid when done from clarity, not fear.
Questions to Reflect On
- What needs to be true for you to stay?
- What is a hard limit or boundary that protects your wellbeing?
- If that boundary is crossed, what plan would you put in motion to leave?
Resources Mentioned
Amy Porterfield — “Two Weeks Notice”
A guide for planning a transition with intention and empowerment.
We Would Love to Connect With You
Your reflections, questions, and lived experiences mean so much to us.
If this episode...
