When life hands you burnout followed by redundancy, getting back on the freelance horse can feel like trying to ride a unicycle while juggling flaming torches — and you’re not even sure you remember how to ride the unicycle. After a year away, the thought of pitching yourself to clients again can feel about as appealing as a root canal performed by a particularly grumpy hedgehog.

Psychologist Caitlin Thamm, Paper Moose CEO Nick Hunter and Streamtime’s Sarah Nguyen sat down to unpack how to find your footing (and your spark) when the ground’s been pulled out from under you.

Acknowledge what you’ve actually lost

Before you go full steam ahead, Caitlin says it’s vital to pause and recognise what you’ve really been through. "I'm sorry that sounds like a terrible position to be in... literally you must it sounds like you've given everything of you to this job and then... it's been taken away from you."

Redundancy isn’t just losing a job — it’s losing your safety net, your routine, and sometimes a chunk of your identity. It’s grief. "Grief and loss can... can encompass everything... and it's a transition of where you have been."

As Caitlin puts it: "You might be looking forward to like what you need to step into... but you're still kind of standing in oh this is what this is my safety net... and so it's really hard to go through through that."

Trying to build confidence again without first acknowledging this loss is like patching up a cracked wall without looking at what’s happening under the surface.

Fill your cup before you pour from it again

Burnout isn’t just being tired — it’s being empty. Caitlin reminds us: "Burnout can have really long lasting effects."

The fix isn’t to hustle your way out of it. It’s to rebuild your reserves properly: "Finding what it is that can fill you up... try and try and hit... all of the marks if you're able to... whether it's socially whether it's been taken from that or mentally and physically."

“Just make sure those cups are filled and that you've... gone through that process of actually acknowledging what's happened... because if... we're sweeping it under the rug it's just it's going to come out someday."

Redundancy feels personal, but it rarely is

Nick offers a perspective from the other side that many never hear: "Just realize that... it is a horrible process for both people involved and... I've unfortunately had had to make people redundant in the past and it is like cutting off one of my own limbs."

Redundancy rarely reflects your worth or talent — it’s about circumstances, money, timing. "There's such a trusting relationship that we have with our employees and... to have to do that feels like a betrayal."

It won’t change what happened, but maybe it softens that inner voice telling you this was somehow your fault.

Make your comeback about passion, not desperation

When you’re ready to think about working again, Nick’s advice is a good gut-check: "Try and get back out there not because it's a job but about what you want to be doing and... what's in it for you and if you love the craft of what you're doing... then make it about that and that the job is it's a means to that it's not about the job itself."

It’s a simple reframe: Why do you want to freelance again? Is it for money, or because you genuinely love solving creative problems? You’ll pitch yourself differently — and show up more confidently — when you’re doing it for the craft, not just the paycheque.

Take it one small step at a time

No one expects you to go from burnout to full books overnight. This is a slow re-entry — and that’s not only okay, it’s smart.

Caitlin reminds us to name what you’ve lost and honour it. Take care of your mind and body first. Social connection, creativity outside work, even a good night’s sleep — they all count as progress.

When you do start pitching again, remember: your value wasn’t erased by redundancy. If anything, it’s proof you showed up and gave your all — and now you’re ready to do it differently.

As Nick says: "So maybe reframe it... I realize how... how difficult it is." But small steps, done with care, will build your confidence again. Like a cat peeking out from under the bed after the hoover’s been put away, it’ll happen — just in your own time.

You’ve done the hard bit already

If you’ve survived burnout and redundancy, you’re already stronger than you probably realise. You’re here, asking how to do it better next time — that matters.

Trust that the same resilience that got you through the hardest bit will help you build something that works for you, not against you. Freelance life will always have its ups and downs, but you’re allowed to rebuild it on your own terms.

You don’t need to juggle flaming torches right away — just pick up one, when you’re ready.

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