Books
The Ballad of Burnout: a helper lost and found
Ballad of Burnout is a personal memoir, a travel log to transformation, and a love letter to all helpers. Recommended reading for every teacher, medical professional, caregiver, and working parent who is exhausted.
Part poetic memoir, part battlecry, a clinical psychologist documents her journey through professional burnout to healing and growth.
Clinical psychologist Kerry Makin-Byrd appeared successful and balanced. She treated trauma survivors at the University of California, San Francisco and published research at the National Center for PTSD and New York University. But as COVID-19 spread across the globe, Kerry joined approximately 5 million medical professionals experiencing work burnout.
This lyrical poem details first her unraveling, then her journey to a new peace. Makin-Byrd reports her disintegration with wrenching precision. Happily, her evolution receives the same care and scrutiny. Drawing from her expertise in posttraumatic growth, moral injury, and compassion practices, she deftly integrates the wisdom of poets, philosophers, and scientists into a healing roadmap for us all.
Ballad of Burnout is a personal memoir, a travel log to transformation, and a love letter to all helpers. Recommended reading for every teacher, medical professional, caregiver, and working parent who is exhausted.
Endorsements
“Devastatingly honest, Ballad of Burnout reads like a confession made specifically to let you know you aren’t alone. A portrait of self destruction that manages to be a demonstration of self-compassion, and a reminder of the burdens we ask those who care for us to bear. A Ballad of Burnout sings with humanity, and it was just what I needed to read tonight. "
– Kelly McGonigal, PhD, Oprah's Magazine 2020 Visionary and best-selling author of Joy of Movement,The Upside of Stress, and The Willpower Instinct
“Dr. Kerry Makin-Byrd, a friend, a colleague, and…human being, takes readers…no…wait…participants on a dreadful and wonderful journey into and out of the wounds and scars made by the capitalist and performance machine. Such a personal and revealing manifesto, touching the sorrow of overdone sacrifice and emerging into a Phoenix – a full resurrection into life and reclamation. She gets it, this journey isn’t over yet, but wow! What a ride. Thank you for bearing your soul and, through ingenious flow from page to page, inspiring me (and I know it will inspire others, too) into the capacity to rise and live wholly. This work is amazing, and I am grateful that you have chosen to share it with others.
- Robyn D. Walser, PhD, author of The Heart of ACT, co-author of Learning ACT, The Mindful Couple, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and The ACT Workbook for Anger
“Readers may find it terrifying to read a book about yourself…This was raw in the best possible way; in a way that we ask our clients to be, but often struggle to be ourselves. Or at least I do. Makin-Byrd lays her soul bare, describing webs that I imagine most therapists have been caught in…I was moved and inspired."
– Ben Sedley, PhD, clinical psychologist, author of Stuff That Sucks and Stuff That's Loud
"A journey that is so familiar in this modern world, where our lives are lost to things that don’t really matter, like emails and to-do lists. Join the author's journey, and reveal parts of yourself that are lost too, and perhaps, choose to let the unwanted fall away. I thoroughly enjoyed sinking into this and reflecting on my own life. I think you will too."
- Louise Hayes, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Co-author of bestselling books Get Out of Your Mind and into your Life for Teens, Your Life Your Way, The Thriving Adolescent and What Makes You Stronger
“Dr. Kerry Makin-Byrd has written a heartfelt, raw, and brutally honest account of burnout. If you’ve ever experienced work burnout, you will resonate with Kerry’s story. Through her powerful words, you will glean deep wisdom.”
-Debbie Sorensen, PhD, psychologist, cohost of the Psychologists Off the Clock podcast and author of ACT Daily Journal and ACT for Burnout
Start Here, a practical guide for the overwhelmed
Coming 20 Nov 2025 in UK, Australia, and New Zealand; coming in March 2026 in the US
Surveys indicate that over half of workers are experiencing burnout.
Burnout results from chronic work stress and when we experience it, we feel exhausted and depleted. Our performance suffers and we can feel disconnected and cynical about our work. Burnout can also lead to more significant physical health and mental health problems. Working mothers and those in the helping professions are especially vulnerable to burnout.
Many of us yearn for a map which will take us from languishing to flourishing, narrated by an expert who has climbed the same mountain. This book is that map - distilling a century of science into a three-step recipe for treating burnout: Soothe, transcend, then move.
Start Here is crafted for easy readability for the overwhelmed reader. Sentences and chapters are short. The research is supported by relatable personal stories applying their lessons in real life. Professional design and illustrations increase accessibility for those lacking time, energy or attention.
This warm, culturally-informed manual is the emotional life manual that you want your smart friend to write.