What if understanding your burnout starts with understanding your why?

In this week’s episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout, Carole Jean Whittington shares how the Enneagram became a powerful guide for self-rediscovery during autistic burnout—and how it can help you or your clients finally make sense of your inner world.

Whether you’ve felt emotionally disconnected, chronically misunderstood, or simply unsure of who you are anymore... this conversation offers clarity, compassion, and practical tools for reconnecting with your true self.

💬 In this episode, you’ll explore:

• What the Enneagram really is—and why it works for autistic minds
  

• How it supports those who experience alexithymia (difficulty identifying emotions)
  

• Why self-understanding is key to burnout recovery
  

• How to identify your Enneagram Type
  

• Ways helping professionals can integrate Enneagram work with neuro-affirming care
  

✨ Plus: A gentle meditation, a downloadable Energy-Honoring Enneagram Assessment, journal prompts, and tips for translating these insights into both your personal healing and your professional practice.

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• 
  

  The Energy-Honoring Enneagram Assessment (in this week’s issue of The Recharge)
  Living Unmasked book + bonus tools: whittingtonwellbeing.com
  

• Subscriber bonus: Enneagram Overview

• 
  

  🧠 This episode is for you if:

  • You’re autistic and feel emotionally disconnected or unsure of who you are
    

  • You’re a therapist, clinician, or coach supporting neurodivergent women
    

  • You want a deeper, more compassionate lens to navigate burnout and healing
    

  🔔 Subscribe + turn on notifications so you never miss an episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout—where we explore what it really means to thrive as autistic women.

  
  

  🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington:

  
  

  How to get out of burnout - STEP 1: Take the Spicy Pepper Burnout Quiz and discover if you are in burnout or not, and if so, what’s your burnout level from a Poblano Pepper Level 1, where there’s just a bit of heat up to the Ghost Pepper Level 5 when “you’re so hot, you’re not.” You’ll get the opportunity to join our free Step 2 Class after you take the quiz.

  Take the Spicy Pepper Quiz: https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1155744

  
  

  Subscribe to The Recharge Newsletter and receive weekly burnout recovery insights, tools for yourself or to use with your autistic clients, and learn about upcoming workshops at Whittington Well-Being.

  
  

  🔗 Subscribe to The Recharge:

  https://energyuplevel.kit.com/becomeafan

  
  

  🌿 Ready to reconnect with your authentic Self and finally step into your Comfort Zone? Get your copy of Living Unmasked: An Autistic Woman’s Guide to Get Into Your Comfort Zone—and start your journey out of burnout and into sustainable well-being.

  
  

  ✨ Your $9.99 digital + audio bundle includes the full book, exclusive bonus meditations, printable worksheets, and your personalized Roadmap to Energy Mastery.

  
  

  📘 Grab it here

  :https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1182513

  
  

  You don’t have to hustle your way to healing. Let’s unmask gently, together. 💛

  
  

  #AutisticBurnout #SelfDiscovery #AutisticWomen #WellBeing #SelfHelp

  #NeuroaffirmingCare #BurnoutRecovery #AutisticWomen #TraumaInformedPractice #Enneagram #HelpingProfessionals #ClinicalTools #BeyondChronicBurnout

What if peace came from unmasking?

This milestone 200th episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout is a celebration in every sense—of unmasking, of sustainable energy, of thriving as our whole selves, and of YOU, the listener who’s been on this journey with us.

In this powerful episode, host Carole Jean Whittington shares what’s possible when we let go of performance, push past the myth of the “comfort zone,” and step into the version of ourselves that’s been waiting to exhale. You’ll hear insights from readers of Living Unmasked, stories from the healing journey, and reflections from 200 episodes of exploring what it really means to live without burnout.

PLUS: A behind-the-scenes look at Carole Jean’s new book Living Unmasked, how it’s changing lives, and why this podcast continues to be a sacred space for autistic women and the professionals who support them.

💡 What you'll discover:

• The real comfort zone and why it’s your gateway to healing
  

• What unmasking actually looks and feels like
  

• The Optimum Steady State and how it reverses spicy burnout
  

• Why this podcast exists—and what’s coming next
  

🔗 Get Living Unmasked (Digital + Audio):

https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1182513

Thank you for being part of 200 episodes. Here’s to 200 more.

#BeyondChronicBurnout #LivingUnmasked #AutisticWomen #BurnoutRecovery #200EpisodesStrong #NeurodivergentSupport #UnmaskingJourney #SustainableEnergy #EnergyMastery

Could you—or someone you care about—be in burnout and not even know it?

In this powerful episode of Beyond Chronic Burnout, Carole Jean Whittington, Lead Burnout Researcher and Chief Well-Being Officer at Whittington Well-Being, brings her recent presentation from the 2nd Annual International Autism Summit straight to you. 🔥

She introduces the Spicy Pepper Scale, a new tool to help identify the stages of burnout, from barely-there to blazing-hot. With over 85% of autistic individuals potentially experiencing Spicy Burnout, it’s time we start calling it what it is—and more importantly, doing something about it.

You'll learn:

• 🔎 Why burnout often goes unrecognized in autistic people
  

• 🌶️ How the Spicy Pepper Scale helps you pinpoint where you are
  

• 🧠 The impact of masking, sensory overwhelm, and health overlap
  

• ⚙️ How The UnVeiling Method + Rapid Recharge Lab are changing the game in burnout recovery
  

This is more than a conversation—it’s a wake-up call filled with practical strategies and hope. Plus, Carole Jean shares tools, quizzes, and a sneak peek at her upcoming book to support your journey toward sustainable energy and safety.

🎧 Listen now and start turning down the heat on your burnout.

🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington:

🎉 You're Invited to the Birthday Book Launch Party! 🎉 Friday, May 2nd | 3 PM CT | MY VIBE Network

✨ This isn’t your usual book launch. This is a celebration of you, your energy, and what becomes possible when we stop hiding and start living—unmasked.

Join hostess Michelle Pecak of the MY VIBE Network and author Carole Jean Whittington for the launch of Living Unmasked: An Autistic Woman’s Guide to Get Into Your Comfort Zone — a groundbreaking book written just for autistic women navigating burnout, masking, and reclaiming their joy.

💬 “We’ve been told to mold, conform, be helpful, and not make a fuss…” And that led to decades of masking—often so well we didn’t realize the slow, quiet burnout setting in. We told ourselves:

“It’s just a stressful season.” “It’ll get better soon.” But that day never came.

Instead, we slipped into the Restoration Illusion Trap—thinking we were okay because it was better than total collapse… but far from thriving.

🚨 It’s time to flip the script.

• 🎁 FREE Preview of Chapter 1
  

• 🧘 Bonus Guided Meditation: “Coming Home to Your Self”
  

• 🔥 Key insights from the book that will shift how you see burnout and masking
  

• 💬 Live Q&A with Carole Jean—bring your juiciest burnout questions!
  

• 🎉 Birthday Vibes! Carole Jean is turning 51, and she’s sharing the spotlight with YOU
  

• 💎 Special Launch Discount to Purchase the Book
  

• 🎈 PLUS: The first 50 registrants receive a Birthday Gift! — Carole Jean’s exclusive Sensory Rest Tool Kit
  

👯‍♀️ Come as you are. Come feeling burned out, curious, celebratory, or quiet. Just don’t miss it.

🪑 Spots are limited! ✨ Register now to save your seat!

This is more than a book launch. It’s a coming home—to yourself, your power, your joy.

Registration for Birthday Book Launch Party, May 2, at 3 pm central

https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1182845

#SpicyBurnout #AutisticBurnout #UnmaskingAutism #BeyondChronicBurnout #TheUnVeilingMethod #AutismSummit #BurnoutRecovery #NeurodivergentWellBeing #AutisticAdults

What’s draining your energy—and how can you protect what little you have left?

In this powerful first episode of our new monthly series Things That Really Matter, Carole Jean and Becca Lory Hector dive into the often invisible emotional and mental toll that autistic individuals face—especially in a world that can feel increasingly marginalizing.

Together, they explore:

✨ How to identify and avoid spoon-stealing conversations ✨ The value of rest, self-care, and creating safe, sustainable routines

✨ Ways to build community that uplifts rather than drains ✨ Why now is the perfect time to build something new

✨ How internal reflection and creativity support long-term resilience

Whether you're autistic yourself or support those who are, this conversation offers a validating, practical, and deeply heartfelt look at how we can protect our spoons—and use them with intention.

🎧 Tune in now and join the conversation about what really matters.

🔗 Connect with Becca Lory Hector:

https://beccalory.com/

🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington:

https://whittingtonwellbeing.com/

#ProtectYourSpoons #AutisticWomen #NeuroaffirmingCare #BeyondChronicBurnout #BeccaLoryHector #CaroleJeanWhittington #ThingsThatReallyMatter

Beware of the Restoration Illusion Trap! Have you ever thought you were out of burnout, only to find yourself back in it?

Many autistic women face this sneaky trap where temporary relief feels like recovery. But it's just a return to baseline burnout.

Today, we're exploring the concept of your "autistic blueprint" and how building foundations for a deeply connected relationship with yourself can transform your life and keep you out of that sneaky Restoration Illusion Trap.

In this episode:

- Understanding unique needs as an autistic woman.

- Importance of creating a personal autistic blueprint.

- Avoiding burnout through self-awareness and compassionate curiosity.

- Introduction of the Restoration Illusion Trap.

- Key foundations: identity, values, strengths, and boundaries.

- Guided meditation and exercises for self-connection.

🌱 Plant the Seed -

Today’s action moment is to begin a list of the following: your core values, your strengths, the things you are naturally good at, and a list of what you need to be at your best. Take a moment to reflect and make a note of which need from your list you would like to set a rule for first to support your energy?

💦 Water & Nourish -

Ask yourself:

What am I clear on about who I am, my unmasked values, my strengths and the needs that require a boundary to ensure they are supported consistently?

Where are the gaps between what is on my lists and what is actually happening in my life?

What components of my 'autistic blueprint' resonate most with me?" "How can I begin to build a stronger foundation for that area?

🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington:

STEP 1: Take the Spicy Pepper Burnout Quiz and discover if you are in burnout or not, and if so, what’s your burnout level from a Poblano Pepper Level 1, where there’s just a bit of heat up to the Ghost Pepper Level 5 when “you’re so hot, you’re not.” You’ll get the opportunity to join our free Step 2 Class after you take the quiz.

Take the Quiz: https://energize.whittingtonwellbeing.com/products/courses/view/1155744

#AutisticBurnout #SelfDiscovery #AutisticWomen #WellBeing #SelfHelp

What happens when autistic women take the mic during Autism Awareness Month—on their terms?

In this Social Saturdays episode, we’re joined by powerhouse advocate, educator, and fellow autistic woman Sara Bradford for a real conversation on shifting the narrative of Autism Awareness Month from external education to internal empowerment.

🔹 Highlights you won’t want to miss:

• A behind-the-scenes look at the International Autism Summit happening April 25–26
  

• How Sara’s entire autistic family informs her work and advocacy
  

• Insight into the SJ Childs Global Network and its mission for family support
  

• Ways the Summit embraces entrepreneurship, tech, and inclusive education
  

• Why representation from autistic women globally matters more than ever this April
  

This episode isn’t just about awareness—it’s about reclaiming space, amplifying stories, and building community that thrives year-round.

🎧 Tune in on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you love to listen.

📲 Grab your seat at the International Autism Summit (April 25–26) and be part of the movement.

📅 Coming Next on Social Saturdays:

APRIL 12: Join me align with my new co-host, Becca Lory Hector, for our new series “Things That Really Matter” Saturday, April 12

APRIL 29: “The ND Lovers Club” with authors Bontle Senne and Sara Louise Ackrell join me on Saturday, April 29 with all the juicy goodness on love, dating and relationships in their new book.

📢 Join me at the International Autism Summit! April 25-26 (I’m speaking Friday at 12 PM CT) – RSVP for Free HERE: https://sjchilds.betterworld.org/events/2nd-annual-international-autism

🔗 Connect with Carole Jean Whittington:

Take the Masking Styles Quiz and discover if you’re The Chameleon, Observer, Script Reader, Performer or Integrator: https://whittingtonwellbeing.com/

🔗 Connect with Sara Bradford:

www.sjchilds.orgwww.sjchilds.betterworld.org

#AutisticWomen #SocialSaturdays #AutismAwarenessMonth #BeyondChronicBurnout #Neurodiversity #SaraBradford #AutismSummit2025