#612 Burnout Prevention: Master Stress with 5 Health Pillars with Carolyn Apostolou

Are you unknowingly pushing yourself toward burnout?

In this episode of Talking with the Experts, wellness coach and keynote speaker Carolyn Apostolou joins us to explore the hidden cost of chronic stress and the powerful role of proactive wellbeing in our personal and professional lives.

Carolyn unpacks the real definition of stress—beyond the usual symptoms—and breaks down why so many business owners, leaders, and high-performers ignore the warning signs until it’s too late. From brain fog and exhaustion to irritability and burnout, she reveals how our daily habits and lack of boundaries slowly erode our performance.

But there’s good news—Carolyn’s Five Health Pillars provide a simple, evidence-based framework that anyone can use to take back control. These practical strategies are designed to build resilience, restore energy, and prevent burnout before it begins.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify early stress signals in yourself and your team
• Rebalance your nervous system with micro-habits that stick
• Create a personal wellness reset you can actually follow

Whether you’re a solopreneur juggling it all or a manager trying to boost team morale, this episode is your invitation to stop surviving—and start thriving.

🎯 You’ll walk away with a renewed perspective on wellbeing, plus tangible tools to create sustainable success in both work and life.

✨ CONNECT WITH CAROLYN

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynapostolou/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1422406014806279

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolynapostoloucoaching/

Website: https://carolynapostolou.com.au/

📌 PROMOTION: https://carolynapostolou.com.au/lp-30-day-reset-2025/

▼ ▼

Transcript

Intro | 00:01
Welcome to Talking With The Experts. Here we discuss all things business. By business owners. For business owners. Here is your host, Rose Davidson. 

 Rose | 00:11
Hello, welcome to Talking With The Experts. I'm your host, Rose Davidson from rosedavidson.com.au. It's my very great pleasure to introduce you to Carolyn Apostolou, who is a returning guest, and I'm so grateful that she's decided to come on again and discuss with us empowering wellness and some practical strategies to manage stress and to prevent burnout. Now, Carolyn, thank you so much is a catalyst for change in workplace wellbeing. She's dedicated to helping individuals and organisations reach their full potential. As an accredited coach, mentor and keynote speaker, Carolyn has spent years empowering leaders and teams through tailored wellness programs that reduce stress, prevent burnout and build thriving high performance cultures. She partners with businesses to create strategic wellbeing initiatives that improve performance, boost retention and support sustainable success. For individuals, she has a 30-day reset offering and it provides a clear path out of exhaustion replacing overwhelm with confidence energy and lasting habits for health and resilience Carolyn thank you so much for joining me on talking with the experts it's my great pleasure. 

 Carolyn | 01:27
You're welcome rose and thank you so much for having me back. 

 Rose | 01:34
You're such a great guest and I love speaking with you. Now, you know, We'll just retouch again for those who missed the previous episode on why you think wellness in the workplace is such a vital tool to have. 

 Carolyn | 01:51
Well, it has a flow on effect to everything. So if we're not looking after our health and our wellbeing, it means that potentially we are less productive in the workplace, we're less responsible as a parent, as a partner, all those things even in our home life. 
 So we do really need to prioritise our health and wellbeing so that then infiltrates all areas of our life. 

 Rose | 02:17
Absolutely. I think, you know, if you're stressed at home, you tend to bring that to work. You don't mean to, but it's sometimes difficult to leave it at the front door, as it were, and vice versa too. The stressors you tend to bring home and that can be a real challenge with your family life when you're, you know, Your mind's still on your workplace and you're not it. Present with the family or, you know, your friends even. 

 Carolyn | 02:45
Correct. And you can have a short fuse and, you know, blow off at the kids unnecessarily because of that work stress and that work pressure. 
 So it can absolutely go both ways. You're correct. 

 Rose | 02:57
What is stress? How can we define stress? Because stress can be different in different people. 

 Carolyn | 03:04
Correct. And there's many different definitions out there about stress. I like to think that stress is the body's response to a certain threat. Now, not all stress is bad. We're really talking about chronic stress here. That is what can have a really negative impact on our life. 
 So stress is when things happen and you may start to notice that your heart rate is increasing, your muscles may feel tense, you might feel hot or nauseous. Everybody has a different response, but These are some common physiological reactions that our body will give us when we are in a stressful environment. And emotions can play a part. 
 So like we just said, feeling frustrated, showing anger or anxiety, all of those things. And then what can happen is that worry can set in, especially when we're being hypervigilant and our body is kind of in that. Fight or flight stress response for a long period of time. We're not just talking an hour, we're talking, you know, perhaps for the whole day, perhaps for numerous days. And that's when we're talking about chronic stress, ongoing stress that can be really detrimental to our health and well-being.

 
 Rose | 04:24
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, there are stressors at work and, you know, we have to... Know that those are going to happen on a daily basis. Whether it's too many phone calls or too many emails. And there are levels of stress from low stress stressors activities to really high stress activities. 
 So what is the difference between a low stress activity and maybe a higher stress activity? 

 Carolyn | 04:53
Well, a low stress activity may not put you in that freeze. Response. 
 You know, if you're in a high stressful, if you're impacted by a high stressful event, quite often we freeze. We can't fight, we can't run, we just kind of freeze in the motion and that And it could show up as a hesitation, feeling stuck. You might ask yourself if it's a work-related thing, you know, should I even start the task? Should I message somebody about the task? Or maybe not. You kind of, in a high stressful situation, sometimes we don't actually know how to respond. 
 So... Quite often, there's a distinction between a low stressful experience where we may just, you know, have a heightened arousal and a start to an increase to notice an increase in our heart rate. But something that's very stressful will throw us into the depths quite quickly. And yeah, sometimes we just don't know what to do. Do we stick around and deal with that stressful event? Do we flee and, you know, run home sick for the day or palm it off to another colleague? Or do we freeze in that moment because we just don't know what to do? And that's quite a normal. 

 Rose | 06:09
Response. Absolutely. I think if you're living on this high-stress plane for a really long time, it has a detrimental effect to your body as well, doesn't it? 

 Carolyn | 06:21
Yes, absolutely. And the amygdala is responsible for detecting that and trying to notice, are we in a physical danger or are we now dealing with psychological or emotional stress? And that then sets off an alarm to the body. And that's when that worry kicks in. And that's when we start to notice those physiological responses that we've just mentioned. 

 Rose | 06:45
And I've noticed that when I'm overly stressed, you know, through usually through personal contact, dealings that you know I don't sleep well I don't I overate I comfort eat to relieve that stress. And, And, you know, my day-to-day activities, I feel like I've become a procrastinator. I know I need to do things, but I can't find the motivation to do that. How do we, you know, change around what we're doing so that, This doesn't happen to us so often. You. 

 Carolyn | 07:25
Yeah, it's a really good question. And I think it fundamentally comes back to the five health pillars that I talk about a lot. And those five health pillars are really things that if we try to incorporate into our everyday, they become routine and they become automatic go to help us manage practically manage that worry and that stress. 
 So the five health pillars that I always talk about is a healthy diet and socializing. So having really good nutrition, so fuelling your body with good foods to give you the energy and to give you the clarity so that you can make really good decisions. Having restful sleep and really prioritizing sleep is so integral to your overall health and the way that you will manage stressful situations. And so encouraging people to be aiming for seven to eight hours every single night and consistent sleep patterns. The other thing is gentle movement. And so can we make sure that we are moving our bodies every single day? Now, that doesn't mean a really hardcore workout at the gym. That can just mean a half an hour walk, a leisurely walk with a friend to catch up or purposely and intentionally walking to the post office instead of driving, walking to the bakery whilst you're at your local shops. Those sorts of things are super important. And. The fourth one is stress management. 
 So knowing what works for you when you are in a stressful situation, because what works for you, Rose, may not work as well for me. And what I know grounds me immediately and resets my nervous system can be different. But I would say 99% of people, it is being out in nature that gives them that grounding and that reset to deal with that stressful situation better. And the last of the health pillars that I really strongly advocate for is social connection. And we saw a huge impact on our social lives during the COVID pandemic. And thankfully, we're long and truly out of that, but it has really reinforced social Just how valuable social connection is. Now that's in the workplace. 
 So it's feeling that you're connected to your colleagues and to staff around you so that if you are dealing with a stressful situation or a challenge in the workplace, you know who you can debrief with and have a conversation about so that you're not taking on the burden of that stress by yourself. But just as important, having really good social connections in your home. And with close friends so that you can walk and talk. And I think women especially are very good at this, at debriefing with each other and brainstorming solutions to a challenging situation. 
 So we can definitely talk about practical ways to manage stress and worry, but I think fundamentally it does come back to those five health pillars. And being aware of them every single day so that we are making really good food choices every time we put food in our mouth, we are trying to move our body daily, we're really nourishing our body with good sleep at night, having great social connections and knowing whether it be journaling or being out in nature or whatever it might be can really help with managing stress. 

 Rose | 10:59
And having that social connection is so important. I mean... When you live on your own, it can be challenging to, you know, find that motivation to leave the house. But it is really important that you, if you're feeling overly stressed or, you know, something's bothering you, that you reach out to somebody and just, have that five minute chat, even if it's five minutes, just to, you know, find yourself. Telling a story or telling how you're feeling or don't leave them all bottled up don't leave those feelings bottled up because that can then lead to mental health issues like depression. 

 Carolyn | 11:39
Correct. Definitely talking it out is one of the practical ways that I encourage clients, because when you share your worries with someone that you trust, it's like you're just saying them out loud even can just reduce that power and help you really gain better perspective. And they'll often say, yeah, I had a similar situation. And this is what I did that was really helpful. 
 So social connection, it's such a big thing, isn't it? 

 Rose | 12:04
Absolutely. Now, I totally agree with you there. Now, When we become overly stressed, that can lead to burnout. And a lot of people don't believe in burnout. I have spoken to numerous people who think it's just an overreaction. However, I don't believe that it is. There is scientific evidence to say that burnout actually exists. 
 So how can the impact of chronic stress contribute to burnout? And what is burnout? 

 Carolyn | 12:36
Well, chronic stress leads to burnout and burnout is usually when people can't. Well, they struggle to get out of bed in the morning. They struggle to go to work as they would normally have done in the past. They struggle to make good choices with their eating. They don't sleep. Quite often they are just overworking and they just can't see a way out. 
 So there are global statistics on burnout. Unfortunately, Australia is one of the highest. Countries showing this prevalence rate of burnout which is very sad our western countries really seem to idolize working hard and wearing that busy badge on our heart and on our sleeve and that you know gives a lot of people their identity their work gives them their identity and they're quite happy to say yeah I'm working 16 hour days but that's not really a badge to be proud of is it? We want to make sure that people have got work-life balance and that they may perhaps feel choose to take a job that has got better work-life balance rather than a pay increase, for example. 
 So chronic stress absolutely leads to burnout, especially if you can't recognize the signs that you are struggling to get out of bed every day, to be motivated in the workplace, and that you're potentially not making good food choices, not sleeping, pretty much just working 24-7. And so your interactions with children, with a partner, Everything can be impacted, even your work colleagues. It can be tricky to observe somebody who you think is experiencing burnout. Quite often, they are closed to the idea. They're not at all aware of their situation. And so if you're in that workplace and you can see something, my advice really as a mental health advocate is to invite them for a coffee, go for a walk, see if you can have a chat outside of the office where sort of the boundaries are down and, you know, just say, you know, I am concerned about you. I've noticed that you seem to be potentially unmotivated. You look really tired. You're always working. 
 You know, what can we do? Many workplaces have EAP provided. And you can see a psychologist, through your workplace. 
 I mean, it's all confidential. So just encouraging people that you may see around you to reach out for help is really important. 

 Rose | 15:08
And it's important to be aware of the people that you're working with. I think, you know, a lot of us, we go to work, we don't pay attention really to the people that are in our immediate surroundings. And I think, you know, as humans, that human connection is really important and I'm not saying ignoring, but for want of a better word, I guess, is to ignore the people around you and just get on with what you're doing. And what happens if you don't recognise the burnout in yourself and someone comes up to you and says, you know, yeah, I don't think you're coping really well and they say, well, I'm coping fine. But the other person knows that They're not. 

 Carolyn | 15:53
Like I said, it can be very tricky. Quite often a person is not as open to receiving that care and that concern. But I think, yeah. Maybe it's another angle that you can take rather than the boss. It is a colleague that has that conversation or it's a close friend. And that's where our social connections really need to be strong. We can't just be going to work, sitting at our desk, not talking to anybody or, you know, it's important to acknowledge that. Whether that be birthdays or other things and really understand, especially those within a close proximity of our office or if you're in a shared workplace, you know, that you do know and you do ask other people about, you know, how was their Easter, just like we started our conversation, you know, and just to check in with each other. It doesn't need to be for half an hour but really genuinely check in and that just deepens those social connections and that trust. 

 Rose | 16:49
Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, We're.. Busy with our own lives, we tend to overlook the other people as you say and that's social and we are social creatures so you know we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that we do need that interaction with each other to, you know, fulfill our lives and, you know, asking the simple question, how was your Easter or how was your, you know, your night out or, you know, how's the family or, you know, just asking simple questions to build that connection and, you know, bringing that interaction, I think is really important. That way you can notice when someone else is not faring so well. 

 Carolyn | 17:30
Absolutely and quite often people stress about well I don't really know what to ask them and I and like you just said I say just start with something really general but listen listening is the most important skill it's not then you know I've asked my question what am I going to ask next it's just sitting back and listening and yeah and that will then create more conversation absolutely. 

 Rose | 17:52
And you know When you go to a party, you're talking with people all the time. Well, why don't you, I'm not saying to treat your workplace as a party. No, but I know what you mean. Use those same, you know, skills that you were at a party that you know, you can use them in the workplace. It's not harmful. And unless you're a boss. 

 Carolyn | 18:14
Yes, exactly. Look, I think more and more workplaces are understanding that they need to have good culture and to have good culture, they need to have shared morning teas, they need to have, you know, guest speakers potentially coming in and an opportunity to have lunch together or a coffee cart or they may celebrate, you know, the Are You Okay Day or some other key dates of the year. And that can be a great time to get staff together. But we're talking now about outside of those sort of pre-organised activities. Activities, it is really important to be able to, you know, have lunch with a colleague or go for a walk, pop your sneakers on and go for a walk and just move mindfully in the middle of the day, get some sunlight on you both. And you know, have a conversation about life as well as other things that might come up. 

 Rose | 19:01
Absolutely. And you know, At home too is the same. 
 You know, if you see a partner struggling or a family member struggling... You know reach out to them don't just don't sit back and say I'll let someone else deal with it or you know I'll get back to them later if you notice it right there and then you should act you should you know make that conversation with them so that they don't feel alone because being really stressed can be a lonely road yes Yeah. 

 Carolyn | 19:30
It's quite correct yeah. 

 Rose | 19:35
Caroline. Carolyn, sorry, beg your pardon, I've got it wrong. Tell me a little bit about what people can find on your website. 

 Carolyn | 19:46
Well, on my website, I've got lots of information. I do a lot of workshops with companies. 
 So asking me to come in when they may have a sales conference or another. You know, an empowerment day or a well-being day and they want a presentation on mental health, on anything to do with well-being, it could be resilience in the workplace. We just know that when employees are looking after their health and their well-being and work employers are providing many opportunities and whether that might be, you know, a lovely breakfast together to encourage social connections or they may have yoga sessions in the middle of the day or something. Organizations I've worked with have got a massage person that comes in every Thursday. How wonderful. We see that productivity increases. We see less sick days taken. When the company culture is really thriving, we see so many benefits. 
 So it's in the best interest of small and medium-sized businesses, not just our big businesses, to really pour into staff well-being. So I love that. I just really love working with individuals one-on-one. 
 So sometimes when I do a corporate presentation and people do connect with me on LinkedIn or on another social media platform, They may reach out to me when they see me talking about sleep. And that may then remind them, yeah, I remember you talking about that in the workshop, and I actually suffer from insomnia. Or they may suffer from something else. They may just not have any trouble going to sleep at night, but they wake up every single morning at 3am and can't get back to sleep. And they hate having to start their day that early and all the flow and effects that has for them throughout the day, right. And so then they may reach out and become a private client of mine. And that could mean a whole lot of different things. That could be that I'm treating them for the insomnia through hypnosis or which is a fabulous modality. And usually we have three sessions together and pretty much we can really turn around and transform whatever the challenge was to eradicate that. 
 Sometimes people join me for six months and they love a one-on-one coaching session in person or online every month for six months to tackle all the things we've talked about from making better food choices to potentially releasing weight, sleeping better, getting back into daily movement. Managing their stress levels. 
 So overall, at the end of the six months, we can say, wow, you know what, in terms of work-life balance, you've come from a two out of 10 to now a 10 out of 10. And don't you feel amazing? 
 Sometimes people are not sure about coaching at all. And so joining a 30-day reset is such a great opportunity to see what it's like to have somebody check in on you. 
 So I have a private WhatsApp group for my 30-day reset. And each day I jump in there and I could just be out for a walk. It could be in the rain and I'm like, here I am, it's raining, but I am still out walking just to get some steps in and just to have a bit of movement in my day and to break up my being on the computer all day. Or it could just be a photo of what I'm having for breakfast to inspire them to make a better choice if they haven't already had breakfast for that day. 
 So I'm going to go ahead and jump in there. That is a fabulous way to test out coaching and to reset your health goals and to be really inspired for a month and to feel more energized and just better about everything at the end of that month. And the other thing you'll see on my website is that I'm running retreats and I've started running a couple of these a year. They're predominantly focusing on leadership and wellness. 
 So talking to people who are leaders in their workplace. So I've got another one in May that's already sold out, which is super exciting. I'll probably do another one in September or October this year. And we have sessions. We go down to Cape Shank in beautiful Victoria on the Mornington Peninsula. I've And we have two nights away together in a most beautiful Airbnb home that I've discovered. I have a private chef coming in and a yoga instructor. And as well as a couple of yoga sessions, we talk about leadership, what it means to be a leader, how to be showing workplace well-being and how that junior staff look up to the leaders. And when they see them not replying to emails at nine o'clock at night and putting on their sneakers and going out for a walk in lunchtime. That then motivates them and empowers those staff to prioritize their health and their well-being. 
 So that's great for people that potentially can't wait six months to reset their health goals and they want two days where they're really focused and they're inspired in their leadership and their healthy habits. 

 Rose | 24:42
Wow, sounds wonderful, Carolyn. Thank you so much for sharing that. You're welcome. Just touch on a little bit about work-life balance and how people think that's a bit of a fallacy. I have had... Guests on who don't believe in it. Tell me a little bit about why it's important. 

 Carolyn | 25:00
Well, I speak from the heart, Rose. You know, I'm a mum with four children and I am married to a corporate lawyer. 
 So I say more than anything, if I can have good work-life balance with my own business, as well as managing a very busy household, you can have it too. And it's just one step better today than yesterday, 1% making a better choice. 
 So that overall at the end of the year, wow, you can see how far that you've come. I absolutely believe that you can. And have a thriving career and have balance at home and in your family life. And I think I'm a great example of that. 

 Rose | 25:39
Absolutely you are. Now if you wanted to touch base with Carolyn, you can find her on LinkedIn, on Facebook, Instagram and on her website at carolynaposteloo.com.au. Carolyn, thank you so much for joining me today. It's been an absolute pleasure to speak with you again about workplace health and safe, well mindfulness and health. I think it's so important that even now you know Business leaders really need to take more account and be more accountable to their employees and to their staff about, you know, having that balance and stopping all the stressful things that are happening because stress, it doesn't, I mean a little bit of stress is beneficial but overstressed chronic stress is so harmful to everyone. 

 Carolyn | 26:28
It is. Thank you so much, Rose, for having me on today. 

 Rose | 26:31
Bye-bye. 

 Carolyn | 26:32
Bye. 

Outro | 26:34
You've been listening to Talking With The Experts, hosted by Rose Davidson. Make sure you have a look at our back catalogue over at talkingwiththeexperts.com. And be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you don't miss out on any episode. We look forward to your company next time.