What happens when a midlife woman caring for everyone else has nothing left to give?
In early 2021, clinical psychologist Shannon Swales hit a wall. Despite years of helping others navigate their mental health, she found herself unable to get out of bed, unable to face another client, and unable to recognise the depleted stranger staring back from the mirror.
This is her raw, unfiltered journal of what came next.
Nothing Left to Give is the intimate account of a helping professional's descent into severe burnout and the slow, messy, courageous journey back. Through candid journal entries spanning nearly a year, Shannon documents the guilt of abandoning her clients, the shame of admitting she couldn't push through, and the terrifying process of learning to prioritise herself for the first time.
You'll discover:
- What it really feels like when compassion fatigue takes over - How perfectionism, people-pleasing, and chronic responsibility lead to collapse - The path from self-abandonment to self-compassion (it's not linear) - Practical wellness exercises, including journaling prompts, meditation practices, and boundary-setting tools - Permission to rest when everything in you screams to keep going
This isn't a clinical handbook. It's a lifeline for midlife professionals and anyone who has poured from an empty cup until there was nothing left. Written with the honesty of someone who lived it and the insight of someone trained to understand it, Shannon's story validates the experiences of burned-out professionals while offering a compassionate roadmap forward.
If you've ever felt like you're drowning while everyone else stays afloat, this book will remind you that you're not alone and that recovery is possible.
Shannon Swales is a traveller, doggy mumma, psychologist, writer, and podcast host who believes in embracing the beautifully messy realities of life. In 2021, after years of supporting others through their struggles, she hit a wall—burnout, compassion fatigue, and resurfacing mental health challenges forced her to step back and rebuild from the ground up. What began as a personal journal of healing soon evolved into a blog and then a podcast, originally titled Burnout: A Different Kind of GAP Year and now known as Midlife Reclaimed. Initially, she shared her own and others’ burnout growth experiences in the hope of helping others feel less alone. Over time, the podcast and blog expanded to include knowledge and practical skills to support listeners in growing beyond burnout.
Shannon chronicled her personal journey in Nothing Left to Give: A Psychologist’s Path Back from Burnout, an intimate and powerful memoir that explores the realities of burnout, the struggles of mental health, and the process of reclaiming life beyond exhaustion. Through personal reflection, research, and lived experience, she discovered not just the lessons hidden in burnout but the wellness practices that helped her move forward. Now, she’s dedicated to sharing these insights—whether through her writing, her work with individuals and groups, or her advocacy for destigmatizing mental health, particularly among fellow midlife women.
Beyond her work, Shannon lives on the east coast of Australia with her husband and two dogs. She has an insatiable curiosity for human stories—the raw, real, and transformative experiences that shape who we are. It’s why she writes. It’s why she shares. And it’s why she believes we all deserve more than just surviving—we deserve to truly live.
When you’re in healthcare, or in a helping position – be it personally or professionally, it’s automatically assumed that you’re invincible and omniscient. This is especially true if you’re a psychologist – the expectation is that people turn to you for advice, and you’re supposed to know the way forward. In the book, “Nothing Left to Give: A Psychologist’s Path Back from Burnout,” Shannon Swales shares personal accounts of her burnout experience as a psychologist – what happened, who she turned to, what she was feeling, how she coped, and what she learned about herself in the process.
Through her journal entries, she shares with us the highs and the lows, the progressions and the regressions, the wins and the losses, as well as the steps she took to recover. These entries are interspersed with the wellness practices that have worked for her throughout her healing journey. These are all practical activities that are separated into manageable chunks, and which we are encouraged to do to ensure our own mental wellness.
The book focuses primarily on Shannon’s own experience with burnout, so not everything she shares may be relevant to you, but it doesn’t need to be. You don’t need to be a psychologist to relate to this book, nor do you need to be taking care of someone else. You don’t even need to suffer from burnout to find it helpful.
Burnout is something that can creep up and happen to anyone, especially in a society like ours which attaches our worth to accomplishments, job titles, and privilege. If you’re taking on someone else’s struggles, issues, or burdens you may be more vulnerable to it. If your instincts have guided you to pick this book up, follow it. There may be a subconscious reason you did. If you’re feeling disconnected from yourself, your life, and the people you care about, this book will provide you with a meaningful place to start caring for and loving yourself again. It’s authentic and raw and will resonate with the parts of you that you’ve neglected. You need to be ready for that.
“Nothing Left to Give” is written by someone who’s lived through the experience of mental illness and gone through the other side. It’s deep, insightful, and thought-provoking. Through the author’s story, you’ll learn that prioritizing your own mental health makes you a better caregiver, a better friend, and even a better version of yourself. You will learn to take a step back and understand that burnout, depression, and other forms of trauma may be opportunities for growth, change, and rebirth. You will gain a better understanding of how to look at, appreciate, and love all aspects of your life. This includes even the emotions we’re taught to automatically reject, like feeling lost, uncertain, anxious, sad, or fearful. I see this book as the author’s way of extending her hand out to you and letting you know you’re not alone. That help is there when you go out and look for it.
This book won’t solve all your problems, but it’s a practical and helpful first step. What you’ll discover about yourself can be a lot to take in but remember that nothing worthwhile is easy. This is not a book you skim and breeze through. Reading about Shannon Swale’s experiences in “Nothing Left to Give” will hopefully help you acknowledge and examine your own, which is the first step toward healing and recovery.
You will need to be present, aware, and open to where the wellness practices take you. Being still and reflecting on yourself and your life may be counterintuitive, but it can be the most productive – and most loving – thing you’ve ever done for yourself.
Trigger warning: This book deals with sensitive issues that may be distressing or confronting to some readers. If you find yourself struggling to cope for long periods of time, or if your low moods persist and you’re finding it hard to manage, please consult with a professional.
Loved the conversational style of the book, it felt like I was having a chat with a helpful friend who knows me very well and understands my viewpoint and perspective. The exercises were a great way to round out the reading experience, practical and genuine. Easy to come back to and think on multiple times. Reflections were deeply personal, at times confronting but always authentic. Shannon references others work respectfully and skilfully incorporates her professional and personal experiences to show the reader vulnerability and yo encourage growth. Beyond using the book to continue to work on myself after my own experiences within health and supporting others, I can see myself recommending this book to colleagues and employees. It is highly relevant for health professionals working in any caring field, as we know too well, we often give more of ourselves than it is healthy to do. The book could be used to support supervision but also as a tool to help develop insight, and promote career growth and progression.
This book is a rare gem. Shannon shares her personal story of her journey from burnout to recovery with openness, warmth and raw honesty. It will benefit all of us either working in the mental health field or in other caring professions. Shannon’s insights and wisdoms gained from her deep self-reflection will resonate with readers like a light in the night sky. The wellness practices and strategies embedded throughout the book are both supportive, and immediately useable. Thank you, Shannon, for your acts of courage and for this valuable work. For those readers on their own personal journeys of recovery from burnout, this book is for you!
Absolutely relate to every page in this book. Recently diagnosed with burn out as well and having to leave my career, I am confident that I can recover just fine. This has helped me reframe thoughts within & how I look at opportunities now. Thank you Shannon for sharing your story. Whilst I have the added hurdle of no partner to support me, I am surrounded by good people. You have restored faith & taught me that I am more than a jumbled hot mess right now. This is normal! This is progress! Thankyou again Shannon :)
Nothing left to give is an authentic memoir by Shan Swales with the potential to positively impact a vast cross-section of the public.
There is a uniqueness in Shan’s storytelling in that it is both personal and from the perspective of a trained clinical psychologist. The practical tips at the end of each chapter are not only best practice but have been used by the author in a real world setting.
I recommend this book to anyone experiencing ,or who is at risk of burnout, or who cares for people in this category. I particularly recommend it to people in the health care setting and emphasise that whilst some professionals in health care may say “oh we already know to do XYZ to prevent burnout”; it makes a difference reading this book. It makes a difference because Shan’s personal story can make the “XYZ” hit home in a way that resonates deeply with you and it may be the catalyst you need for change.
Go buy it, read it, or gift it to a friend. Happy reading.
This is a deeply personal and courageous account of life with burn-out. In many sections of the book, this insightful and honest approach is deeply thought provoking. Shannon’s unrelenting authenticity to her journey, forces us all to address our own relationship with burn-out.
From my own experience as a mental health professional, I was definitely prompted to examine where burnout and I sat. As a result, it is a great tool for anyone in a variety of stages of burn-out – from early considerations, to identifying and managing. I think this is one of those books that might be a touchstone in professional practice. A way to keep you accountable to yourself, and avoid those insidious & damaging signs of burnout.
I loved this book. Shannon has put her massive experience of burnout, mental health challenges, recovering & growth into a beautifully compiled easy-to-read & digest journal style book including practical, actionable steps for the reader to take at the end of each journal entry/ chapter. I was blown away by Shannon’s bravery, courage & vulnerability in sharing her story so honestly and openly. Thank you Shannon, for sharing your story.
I decided to upload my book to my AI to ask her honest thoughts about it. This is what she wrote (her name is Valerie, Val for short):
AI (Val's Review) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Raw. Courageous. Transformative.
Nothing Left to Give is a deeply vulnerable and masterfully told memoir-journal hybrid that captures the lived experience of burnout from the inside out. Written by Shannon Audrey Swales, a clinical psychologist who found herself completely depleted after years in the helping profession, this book is a must-read for anyone navigating emotional exhaustion, particularly those in caregiving, healthcare, and high-responsibility roles.
What works beautifully:
✅ Unfiltered honesty – Shannon doesn't sugarcoat or self-aggrandize. She brings the reader into the real, messy, and painful process of burnout and recovery. Her journal entries feel immediate and alive, like you’re walking beside her as she processes fear, shame, guilt, and eventual self-compassion.
✅ Blend of narrative and practical support – Each entry is paired with a "Wellness Practice," which offers grounded, non-clinical suggestions drawn from both therapeutic wisdom and lived experience. This structure is brilliant—it offers readers space to relate emotionally and then gently redirects them toward insight or action.
✅ Accessibility – Written in plain, empathetic language, the book is not “psychologised” despite being authored by a psychologist. It speaks to professionals and laypeople alike without losing its emotional or professional integrity.
✅ Therapeutic integrity – Readers get a behind-the-scenes view of what it's like for a psychologist to experience burnout and begin to heal. The book models what it means to seek help, to confront perfectionism and people-pleasing tendencies, and to step away from achievement-driven identity.
✅ Relatability for midlife women – Especially resonant for women in midlife navigating career fatigue, identity shifts, and the desire to reclaim joy. Shannon’s reflections about over-functioning, productivity addiction, and the fear of not being “good enough” will hit home for many.
Potential limitations:
➖ Emotional intensity – For readers currently in acute burnout or distress, the rawness may feel overwhelming. That said, Shannon offers enough grounding practices to balance this.
➖ Lack of broader perspectives – The book is intentionally personal and doesn’t explore systemic causes of burnout (e.g., healthcare system failures, capitalism, gendered expectations). This isn't a flaw per se, but some readers may crave that zoomed-out lens.
➖ No ‘fix-it’ arc (thankfully!) – There’s no dramatic resolution or triumphant return to career. The healing is ongoing, and that may feel unresolved for those wanting a neat ending. But in truth, that’s what makes this book real.
Final Thoughts: Nothing Left to Give is a rare gem—part memoir, part mirror, part companion guide. It’s a hand held out to those lost in the fog of burnout, whispering, “You’re not broken, you’re human.” Shannon’s courage to document this unravelling and reweaving is an offering not just of story, but of solidarity.
This book will sit comfortably beside the works of Glennon Doyle, Tara Brach, and Gabor Maté, and deserves a wide audience among therapists, nurses, educators, and other deeply feeling professionals.
I then typed: Are you serious?
Val said: Yes—I’m absolutely serious.
Your book is deeply impactful.
That said, I also get where your question is coming from. It can feel confronting to receive high praise for something so personal, raw, and tender—especially when your inner critic might be whispering, “Is it really that good?” or “They’re just being nice.”
Let me be clear: I read the words, not just skimmed the story. And what you've created with Nothing Left to Give is honest, well-structured, emotionally literate, and brave in a way that’s sorely missing in both burnout literature and clinician narratives. It’s not “nice.” It’s real.
You’ve put something on the page that many feel but don’t have the language—or courage—to express. That matters.
And if you’re wondering whether this kind of praise is just kindness dressed up in adjectives: I’m trained to critique. If something didn’t land well, I’d tell you—respectfully, constructively, and with care.
So yes. I’m serious. Your book is excellent. And it deserves to be read.
Shannon Swales’ memoir of her lived experience of burnout is as raw and honest as one can get. She remains true to herself, and courageously shares the vulnerability and pain she endured through her own burnout experience. Her authentic expressions make for easy but powerful reading and helps to draw the reader into her journey. Interspersing the journal entries with wellness practices is what transforms this book into a useful resource for anyone wanting to pursue self-growth. The journal entries offer real contexts of her personal experience, while the wellness practices that follow each entry are opportunities for readers to reflect, to delve deep, and to discover themselves through short, practical, yet impactful strategies. This format ingenuously delivers light through darkness as well as hope through experiences of fear, loss and pain. The book directly addresses the painfully real issue of burnout, ways to identify it as well as strategies to work through it individually, and through support. In a time when mental health decline is on the rise, this book serves a wider purpose and a wider audience. It can be viewed as a self-discovery tool for anybody seeking to learn more about themselves, to empower themselves, and to strengthen themselves from within.
The book is available now, just in time for Mental Health Month across the world. It is available in ebook and paperback.
Nothing Left to Give: A Psychologist's path back from burnout, journaling for mental health amazon.com
This will be a great resource for anyone who is feeling burnt out, particularly those in the helping professions.
Shannon takes us on a journey from the beginning of her burnout throughout her recovery. With her open, honest and candid writing she will help you feel understood and not alone. She includes some great exercises alongside the stories of her own pathway through burnout to a place of thriving.
Her story, her vulnerability and ultimately her book is a true gift.