The 3 Types of Burnout and What Your Emotions Are Telling You with Mollie West Duffy — Part 1

Are you burned out — or just overwhelmed? Most people can't tell the difference, and that's exactly the problem.

In part 1 of this conversation, Rebecca speaks with Mollie West Duffy, co-author of Big Feelings and No Hard Feelings and organizational consultant at Lattice. Mollie has spent years researching emotional intelligence and workplace psychology, helping individuals and teams understand how emotions drive performance, resilience, and wellbeing.

This episode reframes how you think about difficult emotions. Burnout, regret, and overwhelm aren't problems to fix — they're signals worth decoding. Mollie breaks down the three distinct clinical types of burnout (and why treating them the same way doesn't work), explains why regret is one of the most useful emotions for growth, and shares why a single question — "Why is this so hard right now?" — can reveal hidden stressors before they become chronic exhaustion.

If you've ever had a simple task feel impossible, struggled to focus despite trying hard, or wondered why you feel depleted even on easier days, this episode gives you a framework to understand what's actually happening — and what to do about it.

What You'll Learn:

• The three clinical types of burnout and how to identify which one you're experiencing
• Why regret is a healthy emotion that leads to better decisions
• How overwhelm limits your mental bandwidth and what to do about it
• The one question that surfaces hidden stressors before they escalate
• Why unrealistic expectations quietly fuel burnout and self-criticism
• Simple emotional check-ins that improve focus and daily performance

About Mollie West Duffy:

Mollie West Duffy is the co-author of Big Feelings and No Hard Feelings, two books on emotional intelligence in work and life. She is an organizational design consultant at Lattice and has worked with companies and teams to build healthier, more emotionally intelligent workplaces.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 — Why regret is useful, not something to avoid
• 01:31 — How Mollie developed the Big Feelings framework
• 03:40 — The evolutionary purpose of core emotions
• 06:37 — The three clinical types of burnout, explained
• 14:47 — Recognizing overwhelm and what it does to mental bandwidth

Connect with Mollie

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

For more insight on making the most out of the small moments in your day, follow Rebecca and the Time Billionaires Podcast on LinkedIn.

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Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Why You're Already a REWARDing Your Life
• (00:00:52) - Molly West Duffy on Time Billionaires
• (00:01:38) - How to Cope With Big Feelings
• (00:04:24) - Why We Regret Our Actions
• (00:06:30) - Have You Talked About Burnout?
• (00:10:58) - How to Tell When You're Starting to Burnout
• (00:14:02) - How to Deal with Ineffectiveness