Better Than This Ep. 2: Show Notes

🎙 Episode Overview

Why do women experience more burnout than men? Why do we keep blaming ourselves for stress that’s built into the system?

In this eye-opening episode, Meghan French Dunbar explores the deeper reasons women are struggling at work—reasons that go far beyond self-care or boundary-setting. Through stories, research, and her own experience as a female founder, she unpacks the invisible weight women carry in modern work culture—and how patriarchal norms and toxic leadership ideals continue to shape our experience of ambition, worth, and well-being.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the right things but still falling short, you are not alone—and you are not the problem. This episode names what so many of us have felt but haven’t had the words for.

🔍 In This Episode, We Explore:

• Why burnout, anxiety, and depression hit women harder
  
• How leadership ideals rooted in toxic masculinity reward disconnection
  
• Why “impostor syndrome” isn’t a personal problem—it’s a systemic one
  
• The double standards and outdated structures women still navigate daily
  
• What it really means to create a workplace where everyone can flourish

Why This Episode Matters

The truth is, we can’t build flourishing workplaces until we name who they’re currently failing. This episode is for anyone ready to stop pretending that the system is neutral—and start reimagining leadership, culture, and success in a way that actually works for women. If you care about equity, well-being, and sustainable success, this one’s for you.

🔗 Resources

• Books mentioned:
  
  
• On Our Best Behavior by Elise Loehnen
  
• Fair Play by Eve Rodsky
  
• Patriarchy Stress Disorder by Dr. Valerie Rein
  
  

💬 Join the Conversation:

✨ What resonated with you most from this episode?
✨ Have you experienced burnout or stress in ways that felt invisible to those around you?
✨ What would a workplace built for women actually look like?

Tag @meghanfrenchdunbar on Instagram or LinkedIn and use the hashtag #BetterThanThisPodcast to share your thoughts. Meghan reads every message. 

💛 Loved the episode?

Please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps new listeners discover the show—and join the movement to build something better than this.

And if you know someone who’s on the edge of burnout or questioning their place at work, send this their way. You never know how much someone might need to hear: It’s not you. It’s the system.