An Interview With Jake Frankel: Beating Burnout: Elishia Trainer Of Quantum Signature On The 5 Things You Should Do If You Are Experiencing Work Burnout

… Burnout affects every part of your body, mind, and spirit as it drains the energy from the force that is you. You begin showing symptoms of dis-ease that affect your work, your personal life, and your own personal well-being. These symptoms can show up as a lack of concentration, inability to focus, loss of cognitive function, anxiety, depression, and a loss of the ability to manage your time effectively. However, they can also show up as physical symptoms such as chronic headaches, insomnia, restlessness, gut issues, and so much more.

Millions of Americans are returning back to work after being home during the pandemic. While this has been exciting for many, some are feeling burned out by their work. What do you do if you are feeling burned out by your work? How do you reverse it? How can you “get your mojo back”? What can employers do to help their staff reverse burnout?

In this interview series called “Beating Burnout: 5 Things You Should Do If You Are Experiencing Work Burnout,” we are talking to successful business leaders, HR leaders, and mental health leaders who can share insights from their experience about how we can “Beat Burnout.”.

As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Elishia Trainer.

Elishia Trainer is the founder and creator of Quantum Signature, a metaphysical luxury skincare brand that is the first of its kind. Her products are formulated with energy medicine infusions in the form of solfeggio frequencies, chakra-tuning™, color, gemstones, flower essences, and more. She is bridging our mental/emotional connection between our inner cosmos and the outer cosmos.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I was an inquisitive, problem-solving child, and like most curious kids, I was always searching for answers.

I was raised by my Mom, a single parent who was my best friend and when I was a eleven-years-old, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. One year later, she had brain surgery for an aneurysm. We spent days and nights together at the local library searching for answers. This started her 22 year long road of complex, debilitating illnesses, and my own equally long journey toward searching for information.

In 2018, I finished an MS in Business Analytics, trained in machine learning, and was embarking on a career as a data scientist in silicon valley. When my Mom passed away, I had my first therapy-guided psychedelic experience to help me cope with the complex grief I was experiencing. Three plant medicine sessions later and my life was forever changed.

I have always held a relentless desire to pursue deep truths. This is what led me into data science. When my mother passed, this pursuit of the truth expanded beyond the material world and into the intangible.

I left technology behind and chiseled a more heart-centered path. One that would allow me to become an explorer of consciousness and alternative healing. And one that would allow me to give back to the planet in a meaningful way.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.

My inspiration really comes down to three things. One, a desire to celebrate life. Two, a desire for us to give back to the thing which supports our life (our planet). And three, to live our own best lives in the process because our time here is so noticeably short; a mere cosmic blink.

Plant medicines taught me that we ourselves are powerful beyond belief, and that if we tap back into this ancient, forgotten memory written inside our own biology, we can be empowered to break so many barriers superimposed on us through conditioning from virtually everywhere.

To revive this memory, it helps to reconnect with the deeper cosmic and biological energy and intelligence all around us. This energy can be very empowering if we engage with it. That is my motivation behind Quantum Beauty.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

My life partner Steve has given me the most help and encouragement. I don’t think I would have the courage to stay the course without him. Any time I have tried to give up on myself and my dreams out of fear, shame, or exhaustion, he has reminded me of my “why.” He knows my story intimately, and he reminds me of my values when my doubts and insecurities cloud my heart. I often call him my guardian angel, and I wouldn’t be as grounded in my pursuit of the stars, without him.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or takeaway did you learn from that?

The way I received my first order was completely unexpected. I haven’t yet launched, and I thought I had made every product viewable but unavailable for purchase by zeroing out the inventory. However, there were three travel size products I had missed, and a customer found these and purchased them. When I saw the email come through as “Quantum Beauty, order processed” I said out loud to myself, “I didn’t order anything”. It took me a second to realize this was an order that had slipped through the cracks, and we had officially received our first order!! Definitely a moment for celebration. I was happy it happened this way. A lot of pressure was released after receiving that first order.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching said, “If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you must give is that of your own self-transformation.” The Gospel of Philip says, “To Know Thyself” is our purpose for being alive. To me, these are the foundations upon which I build my own philosophies because the universe seeks to know itself through our own evolving consciousness.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

We are currently focused on submitting our “Matriarch” skincare set to gift guides for the holidays. This skincare set is comprised of three products, all which honor the idea of aging gracefully. Our Matriarch serum is an elegant, tender, luxurious oil made for mature skin, abundant in nurturing and luxurious ingredients

This product theme is inspired by the energetic archetype of the matriarchs found throughout the animal kingdom, from elephant herds and orca pods to other giant, sentient, graceful mammals. It seems universal that we love these creatures and feel a sense of kindred spirit with them. I believe on a subconscious level, our hearts can sense into this pure maternal love radiating throughout these groups, and without even realizing it, it inspires our own maternal instinct (which I believe can be a genderless emotion) to help protect them. This love is another way to reconnect with our hearts and remember, through the hustle and bustle of modern life, to look out for one another and to be kind.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I can be obsessed with perfection, which drives me to turn down social invitations, working long weeks and weekends. I wouldn’t be able to do this consistently without an internal drive to perfect my message, brand, and products. I’m hard on myself and I am rarely satisfied, which is a double edge sword. But I need this sort of drive for constant improvement to continue pressing forward.

Finding my deepest “why.” Knowing myself well enough to carve out my own higher purpose that gets me out of bed in the morning. A personal ‘why’ that is unshakeable and that I’m willing to sacrifice for.

Commitment. Not giving up. Borrowing from Napoleon Hill, I’ve burned my other ships.

For the benefit of our readers, can you briefly let us know why you are an authority on the topic of burnout?

Before I was a data scientist, I owned a mental health agency. Over the decades, I’ve become a sort of biohacking expert, as I’ve spent 2/3rds of my life exploring, researching, experimenting, and interviewing experts in nearly every alternative health modality available on the planet. I have healed my own health challenges along the way, and I’m also working on a book called, “Hacking Into Your Creative Genius.”

Ok, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview about beating burnout. Let’s begin with a basic definition of terms so that all of us are on the same page. How do you define “Burnout”? Can you explain?

Burnout is the physical, mental, emotional, even spiritual sensation of not having enough energy to continue problem-solving in clever, innovative, creative ways. Not having enough energy to care. Slugging through the day, checking boxes, getting the bare minimum required done, just to get home and relax and tune out. Sometimes, this is exactly what we need. But when these days turn into weeks, months, years, burnout is likely at play. It is the feeling of being disconnected from what we are doing, and unable to tap into stores of motivation to remain thoughtfully and willfully engaged. When we are in a state of burnout, we are often “white knuckling” life.

How would you define or describe the opposite of burnout?

The opposite of burnout would be when you are in a flow state or “in the zone”. When you are fully

immersed, in a state of energized focus, and you feel connected to the work you are doing. This is an

uplifting, energizing experience. From this place, you can make a creative contribution to the world.

This might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to expressly articulate this. Some skeptics may argue that burnout is a minor annoyance and we should just “soldier on’’ and “grin and bear it.” Can you please share a few reasons why burnout can have long-term impacts on our individual health, as well as the health and productivity of our society?

Burnout affects every part of your body, mind, and spirit as it drains the energy from the force that is you. You begin showing symptoms of dis-ease that affect your work, your personal life, and your own personal well-being. These symptoms can show up as a lack of concentration, inability to focus, loss of cognitive function, anxiety, depression, and a loss of the ability to manage your time effectively. However, they can also show up as physical symptoms such as chronic headaches, insomnia, restlessness, gut issues, and so much more.

From your experience, perspective, or research, what are the main causes of burnout?

Burnout is an unfortunate side effect of our modern lifestyles. Current social media consumption habits and food habits exacerbate this problem by desensitizing our dopamine centers in the brain, requiring increased stimulation to reach the same satisfying effect. Pair this with the behavior of people-pleasing over setting strong boundaries to protect sanity, energy, inner peace and finally sprinkle it with a dash of pursuing a life or career path that may be out of line with our highest personal values, and we have a recipe for burnout.

Fantastic. Here is the main question of our discussion. What can an individual do if they are feeling burned out by work? How does one reverse it? How can you “get your mojo back?” Can you please share your “5 Things You Should Do If You Are Experiencing Work Burnout?”.

1. Listen to binaural beats designed to induce alpha brainwave states and solfeggio frequencies on YouTube/Spotify/Amazon Music, etc.

Alpha is the brainwave state of relaxed alertness. A place where we can create from and do productive work without the distracting twinge of anxiety, and without the sleepiness of a deeper brainwave state. You can also pair this with solfeggio frequencies to bring maximum musical support for greater heart/brain coherence. When we are in coherence, our nervous systems can relax, we shut down the fight or flight mode, and we reach a higher functioning state of being and thinking and can find renewed energy. Make this a daily practice for one week and feel the positive changes almost immediately.

Quantum Signature has recently launched a YouTube channel designed exclusively for achieving these brainwave states. We have meditation music to listen to in the background that include binaural beats, alpha/beta/gamma brainwave states, solfeggio frequencies, and more. Find “Quantum Beauty” on YouTube. There are numerous other great YouTube channel options out there as well.

2. 3 Cycles of Hot Sauna/Cold Plunge, 4–5 days a week.

Impressive studies from Finland examining 2,000 people over a 20-year time period show dramatic reductions (like 40–50%) in heart disease, all-cause mortality, dementia, etc. when using the sauna four times/week. These effects are improved when the cold plunge is included. This is my own personal favorite killer combo for snapping out of a funk. This is what brought my energy back when I was still exhausted after catching Covid. It usually takes me personally 4–5 days of consistent use to feel the effects, but the effects are fantastic once they build up.

Employers can support a 90-minute wellness break for this. The surge in productivity will far outweigh the loss of employee office time.

3. Start with a week-long media/social media detox.

Decide to disconnect from the national news dialogue and stop posting and viewing social media content for one week. Oh, I can feel how unpopular this answer might be, but our neuroscience needs a break. Whenever we get a like/comment/share of something we’ve posted, we get a mini hit of dopamine. Foraging for these micro dopamine hits throughout the day every day is making our dopamine receptors dulled. Like becoming addicted, we reach a place where we need increasingly high levels just to get us the same juicy feeling we once received long ago. This has real and measurable effects across the board in our lives, beyond just social media.

We reach a place where we need greater stimulation from work, friends, weekend events, conversations, movies, etc., just to feel. Fortunately, this can be reversed if we put ourselves on a strict anti-artificial dopamine diet. This would of course include sugary treats and other artificial sources of dopamine as well. If one week feels good, see if you can stretch it for 30 days.

4. Boundary Setting.

This is so important. We can often experience burnout when we are giving more energy than we are receiving. There are many situations where this seems unavoidable, and where one may even feel selfish or harsh by setting limits, but it is paramount to our mental health, physical energy, and brain resources to set limits to protect our sanity. In fact, I would go as far as to say we have a responsibility to ourselves to implement limits.

There are several people out there, including and especially in our close circle of friends and family who will unfortunately take as much as they can get without regard to our own well-being, and who may in fact make us feel guilty when we push back. Inner peace is our right and our responsibility to nurture. I would seek the advice of a marriage and family therapist to help navigate these difficult conversations with loved ones and continue cultivating a deeper spiritual relationship within yourself to deepen your knowledge of your own value and self-worth, and your right to keeping a portion of your energy to yourself.

It is perfectly ok to figure out what your limits are, what you can give of yourself while still feeling motivated and inspired in other areas of life, and then installing these limits into your personal life. If this is particularly challenging, there may be work to do regarding embracing and acknowledging your own self-worth. We may have picked up unhealthy habits of self-sacrifice when we were young, to be seen or valued by our caretakers. When we become aware of this dynamic, we can begin to correct it.

Use your physical sensations as a guide. If someone asks you to do something, and you feel your stomach tighten or turn sour, or you feel your throat constrict, this is your body telling you, “this request is out of alignment for what is best for me.” This can be our guiding system. Our body is an antenna for information in the electromagnetic energy ether, and our body is aware of things often before our conscious mind is. It is not weakness, inadequacy, or selfishness. It is strength when we begin to listen to ourselves and allow these feelings to be validated. We can still make the choice to give when we’re in this state, but awareness and discernment is key. When we feel the scales tipping too often to one side, it is ok to establish new parameters.

5. Find Your “Why”.

This is a deeply personal process of self-discovery. Fifteen years and 4,000+ decisions later, we may find ourselves well into adulthood, far away from the path we imagined for ourselves.

Sometimes it takes a jarring circumstance … a death, divorce, or career loss to take another look inward. I will say this … walking on a path that is out of alignment with our highest values is a surefire way to eventually deplete ourselves of our source energy making it hard to continue forward without a change. The probability for burnout in this scenario is extremely high.

It takes courage and time, often months or even years, to correct the plane mid-flight, but it can be done.

Thought experiment: fast forward in time to the week of your death. What will give you peace as you close your eyes for one last time? I understand this is a very painful question. It might stir up many uncomfortable, painful emotions, including regret. This is one question that will take time to answer. Of course, our immediate thoughts may run to family. Sharing love and connection, building memories, etc., will most likely be our first answer. Keep going and see if there is more there. Allow yourself to dream for a moment. What do you really wish you could accomplish before departing?

For example, if it’s more time with family, then you now know your value system at the deepest level. Start cultivating a life that gives you more time and energy for family. Even if that means sacrificing certain things in your career. If this is your value system, but you’re working 50–70 hours a week or traveling for work all the time, you become burnt out. You’re not feeding the thing that really matters to you. There are so many superimposed expectations, illusions, false standards that we’ve been hardwired to believe in and sacrifice for. Instead, let’s shift things. Let’s be willing to question some of these conditioned beliefs and start detangling their grip. See if you can rebuild a life that gives you time for the things that matter to you, that are aligned with your own highest ‘why’ and you’ll find your energy starts returning almost instantly, as soon as you make these major shifts.

Find your “why.” Your real why. Not the one superimposed by expectations. The one that is in your heart. The one that brings you to tears when you think of the possibility of never achieving it. And then build a life around that. Even if you never get there, that journey will be magnitudes more enriching than the path that does not make room for your soul.

What can concerned friends, colleagues, and life partners do to help someone they care about reverse burnout?

We can be supportive by encouraging our loved ones to look deeper. And we can participate in the sauna/cold plunge idea for now and/or listen to the same YouTube meditation channels together even if separated by distance. Also, social connection and laughter, without pressure or expectations, can be a fantastic way to unplug from the default mode network, and get a quick surge of oxytocin. These “feel good” brain chemicals can give us greater resources to tackle the more difficult challenges.

Most importantly, supporting our loved ones if they’ve discovered their “why” and building a new life calls for significant changes. You do not necessarily have to go along with all the proposed changes, it must be compatible with your energy and life too but avoid shaming them or being critical. See if there are some points of mutual agreement and go from there.

What can employers do to help their staff reverse burnout?

Having an open company culture toward self-improvement. Removing the stigma from therapy. Group meditation to foster this group connection toward higher achievement. Having policies in place that support time away specifically for mental rejuvenation. Some of these things might help break down these barriers.

Employers can even consider creating a 2pm, 20-minute group meditation, where everyone pours into the conference room, lights off, and everyone listens together to a musical meditation clip on a speaker without fear or repercussion for delaying work for this time period. This element of safety is important for it to be effective.

These ideas are wonderful, but sadly they are not yet commonplace. What strategies would you suggest to raise awareness about the importance of supporting the mental wellness of employees?

It depends on the empathy levels of the founders and c-suite and their willingness to embody empathy and to manage their directors in increasing their own embodiment of empathy toward others. If certain individuals in management are used to dissociating from their own stressors, disappointments, pain, etc., then it will be exceedingly difficult to get them to care about their own employee’s mental wellness as they themselves detached from their own needs long ago.

What are a few of the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they try to reverse burnout in themselves or others? What can they do to avoid those mistakes?

Shaming themselves into continuing forward. We value strength, grit, and fortitude in our society but sometimes we misdiagnose our burnout with, “I just need to push forward” when the situation is calling for a deeper investigation and examination of the contributing factors, in order to create long-term, sustainable changes.

Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I think everyone should have a therapy-guided psychedelic experience followed by a few months of focused analytic psychotherapy to integrate the material uncovered during the plant session. Anyone who has done psychedelics knows that the experience is so profound, one usually ends up referring to their lives as “before psychedelics” and “after.” It breaks down barriers, begins to explain the nature of the universe, sheds light on our deepest mysteries both around the planet and inside ourselves, and has the potential to completely reshape our value system. And of course, it is great for shedding new light on old circumstances which can help relieve trauma, depression, anxiety, etc.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

I would love to one day have a reason compelling enough to be on the Joe Rogan podcast. That would be a blast. I spent the first 20 years of my life in martial arts training, we share a love of saunas/cold plunges, stem cells, psychedelics, pursuing innovative alternative health paths, Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz, and more. I think this would be a cool, memorable way to spend an afternoon.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Readers can find our YouTube channel at “Quantum Beauty”, and visit us at www.quantumsignature.co

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!