Creative Wellness Coaching for Burned Out Women in STEM

I recently joined Joey Calvo on the Life with Joey Calvo podcast for a conversation about burnout, creativity, and why so many high-achieving women find themselves running on empty.

Joey opened the conversation by describing something that many entrepreneurs and professionals are experiencing right now. We are often told to push harder, work longer, and keep producing results even when our nervous systems are already operating on high alert.

For many women in STEM, that pressure becomes constant.

During the podcast, we talked about my journey from plant molecular biologist to creative wellness coach, and how burnout eventually pushed me to rethink the way I approached work, creativity, and personal wellbeing.

If you would like to watch the full conversation, you can view the episode below.

A Career Built on Curiosity and Pressure

Like many people who enter science, I was a curious kid who loved both creativity and discovery.

I followed that curiosity through years of education, completing a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, PhD, and postdoctoral research. Eventually I moved out of academia and into industry, working in government roles and later in medical device development.

The work was meaningful and intellectually challenging. It also came with a high level of responsibility.

During the pandemic, that pressure increased significantly. My company received a large government contract to help develop emergency ventilators. At the time, vaccines were not yet available and ventilators were seen as one of the most important tools to support patients.

Like many people during that period, I was working from home while also supporting my children through online school. My daughter was in middle school and my son had just started high school.

I was juggling work, parenting, and the emotional weight of the pandemic at the same time.

Eventually, I reached a point where I was completely burned out.

The Moment Creativity Stopped Working

One of the clearest signals that something had shifted came from my art studio.

Art had always been one of the ways I managed stress. Painting and drawing helped me clear my mind and reconnect with myself.

But one day I walked into my studio and simply stood there looking at my supplies.

I could not start.

I felt burned out from work, burned out from parenting, and creatively burned out as well. The activity that normally helped me reset felt unreachable.

That moment became an important turning point. It forced me to ask what my mind actually needed in order to recover.

What Creative Wellness Coaching Means

During the podcast, Joey asked what a creative wellness coach actually does.

The easiest way to explain it is that I blend ideas from art therapy with the forward focus of coaching.

Traditional art therapy often looks backward and helps people process past experiences. Coaching focuses more on the present and future by helping people clarify goals and take action.

Creative wellness coaching uses visual exercises to help people explore both.

Instead of trying to make good art, the exercises allow clients to put their thoughts and feelings onto paper in a way that often reveals new insights.

This approach works particularly well with women in STEM because we spend so much of our time in analytical thinking. Drawing and visual reflection activate different parts of the brain and can help create a new perspective on familiar problems.

The Bridge Exercise

One exercise I often use with clients is called the Bridge exercise.

You draw two sides of a river. On one side you sketch your current circumstances. On the other side you draw what your ideal future might look like.

Then you draw the bridge connecting them.

Technically, the bridge can be anything. It could be wide and stable or simple and direct.

What many women draw, however, is a fragile bridge with loose planks or rushing water underneath.

The drawing reveals how they subconsciously view the path forward.

Some people notice they are standing at the beginning of the bridge but have not stepped onto it yet. Others realize they have drawn obstacles that represent fears or internal resistance.

These images often lead to important conversations about what is truly standing in the way of progress.

Seeing Your Energy on Paper

Another simple tool involves drawing batteries that represent different parts of life.

Work.
Family.
Relationships.
Self-care.

Each battery is shaded to show how full it feels.

This exercise may sound simple, but it can quickly reveal where someone’s energy is going and which areas feel depleted.

Once those patterns are visible, it becomes easier to explore what needs to change.

A Different Approach to Burnout

Many high-achieving women believe they need to work harder to solve burnout.

In reality, what they often need is a way to slow their nervous system down.

Creative exercises offer a practical way to do that. They provide a moment of focus and reflection that interrupts constant mental scanning.

The goal is not artistic perfection.

The goal is clarity.

Looking Ahead

Toward the end of the conversation, Joey asked where I see this work going in the future.

One vision that continues to grow for me is hosting retreats where women can step away from daily pressures and reconnect with creativity in nature. I imagine small groups walking through forests, spending time near the ocean, and then returning to a studio space for creative reflection exercises.

A place where women can pause long enough to hear their own thoughts again.

If This Conversation Resonates

If you have been feeling overwhelmed or mentally exhausted, you are not alone.

You might begin with the 5-Day Creative Reset Challenge, where I guide you through simple creative exercises designed to calm the mind and spark reflection.

You can also subscribe to The Creative Shift, my weekly newsletter where I share practical ideas for creativity, mindfulness, and stress management for women in STEM.

You can learn more at MindArtWellness.com.

Sometimes the path forward becomes clearer when we step away from constant analysis and give ourselves space to see things differently.