Hello!
I’m Anna. Welcome to The Burnout Rebellion! I am so happy you are here. This is a space in which I document my journey back to connection while helping you with yours. This year I turned 38, and for the last 12 months a discontentment with my life has been stirring. A discontentment which I now recognise as a life not aligned.
When I was 6 years old, I would spend hours making nests for birds from my Dads lawn cuttings and the fallen leaves. We would rescue birds, shrews, mice and hares and nurse them back to health. Walking the shoreline, dad would teach me how the pull of tide would allow all sorts of creatures to survive. I would learn the seasons by the ocean with a pair of binoculars permanently hanging round my neck. I found joy and safety in nature. But as I grew older, what I thought I should be doing overtook me, and I began to live a life that wasn’t really mine. My dad, who taught me this wilderness, was diagnosed with terminal leukaemia in May 2023 (I write about this journey separately in my Substack, Letters to my father). It felt as if I could see behind the veil, glimpsing the universes meaning and plan. I could no longer deny the discontentment inside.
So in January 2024, I handed in my notice on my old life. By September I moved away from the city and back to the coast with no job, no plan and not very much money. Almost delirious with excitement (or fear!), I now enter a life that allows me to live more seasonally, in tune with natures rhythms and explore what my purpose really is.
Not only have I been exploring life as a writer, with a Substack community and a podcast in the making, I have also returned to the biology research I always loved, completing a research project in Biological Psychology in September on social bonds, cooperation and intergroup conflict across taxa. My latest research focuses on humans, and the evolutionary mechanisms for why certain behaviours arise and are maintained in conflict. I am currently applying for funding to continue my research and it feels wonderful to feel alive again. I still remain a nature writer, I am currently writing my first book proposal, and I work part time as a book seller. I have made my own portfolio career and I love it.
I was surprised to find how many other people were also feeling the same about their work, and the need for a community to support that transition, so I sought a way to not only navigate my own journey, but connect and work with others on theirs.
Become a Burnout Rebel
I do not believe we are on this Earth to follow a predefined path. Life is more than that. We are here to observe the passage of time, to experience the universe. I am passionate about the idea that anyone can create a life that works for them, and that we can live a life in which we are happy, of service and living a life aligned with our purpose. It is from this idea that The Burnout Rebellion was born.
Burnout doesn’t just have to be about your career. My burnout did revolve around my job, but it was also so much more than that. I have become increasingly convinced since my own dance with the flames, that the symptoms described were the result of a complete misalignment with my values. My purpose. It goes beyond “successfully managing” situations. In my opinion, burnout can happen in all areas of out lives, and often do not occur in isolation. I was not only burnt out with a job that no longer matched my values, but with my location, my relationship. Everything was….off. I had lost how to live.
Come, let us make a community of people who keen to live more in line with their values, nature, and be of service to others. Let us live this one wild and precious life together.
What you will find in this publication
Click subscribe and you’ll get my newsletters delivered straight to your inbox every week. You will hear about my story as I navigate a world in which I hope to become more aligned, through rediscovering my connection with nature and uncovering my purpose right alongside you. You will also find a community that supports you and tips and tricks to help you along the way.
The main categories of my work are below;
The Burnout Rebellion - The Burnout Rebellion is for all of us. Those of us seeking a new way of living, a change in direction, whatever that may be. In the Burnout Rebellion you will find interviews with fellow Burnout Rebels, how they have and are navigating their path, how their lives have changed, and no doubt a ton of inspiration for our own lives. This will come in both written and podcast form. I cannot wait for you to hear it! These interviews will remain free, but the threads, chats and posts on how to realign your life will require a paid subscription to access.
Deep dives into nature - These are always free. Often longer pieces of writing on spectacular interactions I have had in nature, and the magic and myth behind them. My hope is that we realise that all interactions are purposeful and give a sense of meaning to our lives. Check this one out, on my absolute favourite….The Fox.
Earth’s medicine - I am learning how we can use the great wisdom of plants, ritual, history, our ancestors, breath and wisdom to heal ourselves. Here you will find an amalgamation of these teachings, and the stories of how these are being weaved into my life with helpful tips and resources for you to use too. ‘Ritualising your life’ was super jam packed with not only resources but how this can get us closer to nature. These will all be paywalled for paid subscribers only but this one remains free so you can see what these will be like.
Notes from the garden - These are free. In order for me to live more seasonally, I am learning how to tend to the land. Here I will share updates on my progress in the community garden as a complete novice, what I learn and any tips that may be helpful. Right now I am focussing on two main projects; the self sustaining Hügelkultur and the forest garden.
You can subscribe to subsections of my newsletter if there are some areas that interest you more than others. Use this help page from Substack to find out how to do this.
Is it free?
Some of my work will always remain free. You’ll find my offerings for each subscription type below.
Free Subscribers will have access to;
Notes from the garden, opinion pieces, and interactions in nature, posted at least twice a month.
Access to Saturday threads in chat where we will exploring some of the themes coming through either in the seasons, chats on notes or the pieces published that week.
The Burnout Rebellion Podcast. This will be available here on Substack and on Spotify (coming in January 2025, I am very excited!).
Interviews with fellow members of the Burnout Rebellion that will be included as Substack posts and as part of my podcast. If you like to be interviewed for this look out for an email and post in January when the second round of submissions will open.
As well as the above the following is included as a paid subscriber;
Access to the archive. I have been running my Substack for almost a year now, and there is a endless posts to explore if you join.
Join the Burnout Rebellion Squad; access to posts on Earth's medicine, supporting you to live a life closer to nature and The Burnout Rebellion posts containing a whole heap of tips and tricks to help you navigate your next steps. These will not only be on the theme of the month, but also include useful tools I have found that support my search for meaning, spirituality and getting closer to nature.
Chat threads specifically for Burnout Rebels so you can find your tribe, provide support and cheer each other on. Once I reach over 150 paid subscribers I’ll also be offering ceremonies and support groups on zoom.
Video content (coming in November 2024) on returning to nature. Include how to videos on gardening, cooking, seasonal living, working with the moon and behind the scenes shots from the publication.
If you become a founding member you will also receive;
A 1:1 coaching call (either 2 x 30 minutes or 1 x 60 minutes) with me to support you on your journey as a Burnout Rebel.
An optional birth chart reading (astrology) which can be added into your coaching call.
Thank you
Thank you for coming along for the ride. I am looking forward to building this community with you, and hearing more of your own stories.
I hope to chat to you in the comments again soon!
Anna xxx
Anna xx
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
