# We’re Expecting the Wrong Things From Leaders And It’s Causing Leadership Burnout: A #straightfromcait episode.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/fried-the-burnout-podcast-88086/we-re-expecting-the-wrong-things-from-leaders-and-it-s-causing-leadership-burnout-a-straightfromcait-episode
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/fried-the-burnout-podcast-88086/we-re-expecting-the-wrong-things-from-leaders-and-it-s-causing-leadership-burnout-a-straightfromcait-episode.md
Podcast: [FRIED. The Burnout Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/fried-the-burnout-podcast-88086)
Published: 2026-05-17T04:00:52+00:00
Episode link: https://redcircle.com/shows/e4c0db0a-98a4-47e6-a2b0-6a291469e1d6/episodes/09a4ac57-ae4f-4a74-be47-d00a4a14e930
Audio file: https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/09a4ac57-ae4f-4a74-be47-d00a4a14e930/stream.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/fried-the-burnout-podcast-88086/episodes/we-re-expecting-the-wrong-things-from-leaders-and-it-s-causing-leadership-burnout-a-straightfromcait-episode
Duration seconds: 722

## Resource

If you're a leader who's exhausted, this one's for you. Cait Donovan, host of FRIED: The Burnout Podcast has spent over a decade coaching leaders through burnout — and the pattern is clear: expectations have skyrocketed, but support hasn't followed. In this episode, she draws on real stories, her upcoming book *The Match Move*, and 10+ years of field research to break down exactly what belongs on a leader's plate and what doesn't. Key Topics Covered - Why leaders are burning out at unprecedented rates and why it's not their fault - The growing gap between what leaders are expected to be and what they're actually supported to do - Why burnout and stress are biologically contagious and what it means when leaders hit their limit - A real story about a manager who said "no" and changed an employee's entire understanding of leadership - The four things leaders ARE genuinely responsible for: workload, clarity, resources, and culture - The things leaders are NOT responsible for: being a therapist, life coach, nutritionist, or sleep consultant - The "match/mismatch" framework from the upcoming book *The Match Move* - Why working on your own alignment isn't selfish, it's true leadership If you're in a leadership role and you're running on empty, this episode is your permission to stop carrying what was never yours to carry. Host of FRIED: The Burnout Podcast has worked with over 60 companies — Fortune 500s, nonprofits, startups — and coached hundreds of leaders and teams through burnout. In almost 350 episodes, one pattern has emerged above all others: we are asking leaders to do the impossible, and then wondering why they're breaking. In this episode, she maps out the dangerous gap between rising leadership expectations and stagnant organizational support — and explains why th…

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## Transcript

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