Burnout recovery is not a personal willpower problem — and if you are a working parent trying to hold a demanding job and a full life at the same time, this conversation will name something you have been carrying quietly.
Leslie sits down with Jessica Lattif, founder of Not Working in Tech, a platform and community challenging toxic workplace culture and the myth that burnout is just the price of success. Jessica spent more than a decade in the tech industry, rising to senior engineering manager, before a string of illnesses, a chaotic team, and a performance plan led her to take medical leave — and never go back.
Together they get into what actually drives burnout: the unspoken cultural rules that punish anyone who is neurodiverse or simply unconventional, the impossible math of caregiving alongside a job that expects round-the-clock availability, and the way hustle culture asks individuals to solve problems that were never individual to begin with. Jessica also shares why she now tells clients to take the leave they have already earned, and what it looked like to rebuild a working life on her own terms.
If this one lands, the invitation at the end is simple: you do not have to figure out the next chapter alone.
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WORK WITH LESLIE
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Book a 1:1 coaching discovery call → https://theloomlife.com/discovery-call
Coaching + programs → https://theloomlife.com
Therapy (Florida clients) → https://loomlifetherapy.com
Leslie Ellen Mathews → https://leslieellenmathews.com
Instagram → @the.loom.life
TikTok → @leslieellenmathews
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CONNECT WITH JESSICA LATTIF
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Not Working in Tech → https://www.notworkingintech.com
Instagram → @notworkingintech
TikTok → @notworkingintech
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/not-working-in-tech
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CHAPTERS
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00:00 Welcome & meet Jessica Latif
01:18 Growing up between cultures and feeling like an outsider
07:30 From nutrition policy to sustainable seafood
13:15 An unexpected path into tech
15:15 Career pivots, imposter syndrome & starting over
17:25 "Family friendly" doesn't always mean parent friendly
18:10 What working in tech was really like
21:00 Burnout, motherhood & becoming the first parent on leave
23:15 The job that pushed her to the breaking point
27:30 How burnout quietly builds over time
30:00 Can employers access your mental health data?
33:20 Why taking leave can change everything
36:10 Entrepreneurship, hustle culture & the social safety net
40:35 How Jessica helps people recover from burnout
42:40 Why burnout isn't something to solve alone
45:00 Hidden resources most people never hear about
47:10 Building Not Working in Tech
49:45 Why teachers, healthcare workers & parents are burning out
53:00 Why young people are rethinking work and family
54:10 Envisioning a healthier future for work
55:10 Final thoughts and Closing
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SUPPORT RESOURCES
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This episode discusses burnout, workplace discrimination, and mental health. If you are struggling, support is available.
US — call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
Outside the US — find a helpline at https://findahelpline.com
This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for therapy, medical care, or legal advice.
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KEYWORDS
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burnout recovery, working mom burnout, tech industry burnout, toxic workplace culture, taking medical leave for burnout, neurodivergent at work, hustle culture, life coach for women in transition, mental health podcast for women, career burnout support
#BurnoutRecovery #WorkingMomBurnout #ToxicWorkplace #PullingThreads #TheLoomLife
