Burnout, Invisible Labor & the Feminist Fight to Rest with Nicole Havelka

In this candid conversation, burnout coach Nicole Havelka joins Becky Mollenkamp to explore the systemic roots of burnout, especially for women, mothers, and caregivers. They discuss why rest is more than sleep, how women’s invisible labor adds up, and why the “just get a new job” advice is bullshit in a culture designed to drain us dry. Nicole brings a trauma-informed, embodied approach to healing burnout—one that doesn’t start with productivity hacks but with reclaiming your nervous system, your spaciousness, and your humanity. This episode is part of our special Feminist Founders summer series focused on women’s labor.

Nicole Havelka's Website | Newsletter

💬 Discussed in This Episode

• What burnout really is (and why it’s more than just being tired)
• How gendered expectations and invisible labor feed chronic overwhelm
• The critical role of embodiment and nervous system work in healing
• Why capitalist and white supremacist systems depend on our burnout
• The illusion of spaciousness and what it means to actually rest
• How meditation doesn’t have to look like sitting still and saying "om"
• The power of giving yourself permission to not volunteer at the damn PTO
• How to plan your schedule to not be a human version of a doctor's waiting room
• Why moms get guilted and dads don’t—and what that says about our systems

📚 Resources Mentioned

• "Burnout" by Emily & Amelia Nagoski
• "Fair Play" by Eve Rodsky
• "Sacred Rest" by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith
• "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown
• "Rest is Resistance" by Tricia Hersey
• The Nap Ministry on Instagram

🎧 This show is part of the Feminist Podcast Collective, a community of progressive creators reclaiming media through storytelling and solidarity.