16 Apr From People Pleaser to Glow Finder: Janet Bernstein on Burnout, Books, and Becoming Yourself Again
Jeff Crilley welcomes Janet Bernstein—keynote speaker, bestselling author, and self-described recovering people pleaser—to talk about her path from a turbulent childhood to writing ten books and helping women reclaim their sense of purpose. Janet shares how attending 17 different schools as a kid turned her into a chronic people pleaser who slowly lost sight of herself, and how a post-2020 stint in corporate training led to full-blown burnout she didn't even want to name. Her latest book, Let Her Glow, chronicles the raw process of stripping away expectations—including a panic attack in a parked car outside her office—and rediscovering what she calls her "glow." She also reveals that 46 women have become first-time authors through her collaborative book projects, a detail that clearly lights her up. Janet closes with practical advice for anyone feeling stuck: unplug from the environment making you sick, ask yourself when you last felt truly lit up, and consider how you'd spend your final year on earth. She also teases book number eleven, Rebellious Leadership, inspired by her popular LinkedIn newsletter of the same name.
Key Topics
- recovering from people-pleasing patterns
- recognizing and naming burnout
- the story behind Let Her Glow
- helping 46 women become first-time authors
- practical steps for unplugging and healing
- the quarter-life crisis and generational shifts
- Rebellious Leadership and book number eleven
Episode Timestamps
- 01:25 – Janet introduces herself as a recovering people pleaser
- 02:01 – Growing up with a mom with severe mental illness and attending 17 schools
- 02:48 – Losing herself through constant performing and people-pleasing
- 03:15 – Burnout hits: driving to work in silence and losing her spark
- 04:01 – What Let Her Glow is really about—stripping away and starting over
- 04:55 – Panic attack in the car outside her office
- 05:15 – Quitting her job August 19, book out October 10
- 06:10 – 46 women became first-time authors through her collaborative projects
- 07:25 – Millennials and Gen Z having wake-up calls earlier than previous generations
- 08:06 – Practical burnout advice: unplug, ask hard questions, imagine your last year
- 09:12 – Teaser for book eleven: Rebellious Leadership
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Episode Chapters
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 01:25 – Meet Janet Bernstein
- 01:54 – Growing Up as a People Pleaser
- 02:48 – Experiencing Burnout
- 04:01 – Let Her Glow: Finding Your Purpose Again
- 05:37 – Ten Books and Empowering Women Authors
- 06:35 – From Singer to Keynote Speaker
- 07:24 – Quarter-Life Crisis and Generational Shifts
- 08:06 – Steps to Recover from Burnout
- 09:00 – Book 11 Teaser and Rebellious Leadership