They call you
a "Resource".
You are a person.
Let's start there.

For years they handed you a language built to make you doubt yourself. "Circle back." "Bandwidth." "Onboarding". "Align on next steps."

Cover of the Corporate Jargon Detox

Here's the translation so you can start to detox and stop wondering whether you're the crazy one in the room. You're not. The room is crazy.

50 terms, translated back into plain human.
Lands in your inbox in about thirty seconds.

You'll also join the Burned Out Diaries.
It's free and you can unsubscribe any time. We won't guilt-trip you about it.

Corporate Jargon Detox Term Preview

"For twenty years, I spoke a language that wasn't mine.
This is me translating it back. For both of us."

PETRA PIPERATI | BURNED OUT DIARIES

Chapter One - Reading the signs

What stage
are you actually in?

"There are five stages between "I'm fine" and "I can't do this anymore."
Most people only find out which one they're in when they hit the last."

Seven questions. No right answers. No score.
Just painful self-awareness and a diagnosis from someone who went through all five.

You are not
burning out.

You already did.

You know the exhaustion that lives behind your eyes at 9 AM on a Monday. The Sunday dread that starts at 4 PM on a Friday. The smile you put on for the all-hands call. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
The Burned Out Diaries is where we stop calling it "a challenging period" and start calling it what it actually is.

Empty executive chair on the mountains, clean lines style.

You 've been here.
All of it.

YOU'VE THOUGHT THIS
"This meeting could have been an email. That email could have been a Slack message. That Slack message could have been a thought you kept to yourself. And we'd all be free."

YOU'VE SAID THIS
"I don't have the bandwidth for this right now."

YOU'VE GOOGLED THIS
"off-grid cabin listings in Europe, South America, Australia, anywhere."

YOU'VE SURVIVED THIS
"Let's circle back and align on next steps."

Crumpled office paper on floor

Burned Out Diaries
A Manifesto

  • We believe in the power of "no."

  • "Hustle" is a four-letter word.

  • Success is measured in moments of peace, not promotions.

  • This is group therapy. With more swearing and less unsolicited advice.

Chapter Two - Unlearning their language

The language they gave you, translated back into human.

Cover of the Corporate Jargon Detox

SYNERGY
[noun]
Asking three people to do the job of one while everyone stays late.

CIRCLE BACK
[noun]
I have no answer for you, I'm overwhelmed, and I'm hoping you forget you ever asked.

BANDWIDTH
[noun]
The finite amount of soul I have left to give this company today before I start looking at off-grid cabin listings.

ALIGNMENT
[noun]
A polite hostage situation where you agree to a deadline you know is impossible just so the meeting will finally end.

ONBOARDING
[noun]
The process of slowly realising
you've made a terrible mistake.

PIVOT
[noun]
We have absolutely no idea what we're doing and we're hoping this new buzzword hides the panic.

50 terms. Complete edition.
Yours free, below.

What you actually get

The Corporate Jargon Detox.
50 terms decoded, from "bandwidth" to "E.O.B." The phrasebook HR forgot to give you. Print it. Use it. Recognize yourself in it.

The Burned Out Diaries.
Twice a week. One honest entry, one thing you can use. No hustle, no homework, no "you've got this."

A room with No Jargon in it.
People who survived the same meetings. Less advice, more recognition.

You'll also join the Burned Out Diaries. It's free and you can unsubscribe any time. We won't guilt-trip you about it.

The Burned Out Diaries

What Stage Are You
Actually In?

Seven questions. No score. A diagnosis — from someone who went through all five.

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You\u2019re managing \u2014 which is to say you\u2019ve become very good at hiding how much managing now costs.",diagItalic:"The gap between how you look and how you feel has become a room you live in.",truth:"Performing fine burns more energy than being unwell. You\u2019re paying twice: once for the exhaustion, once for the costume.",art:"performative"}, {tag:"Stage 03",name:"The Sunday Dread",diag:"Sunday afternoon has a sound now. Around 4pm something tightens. The weekend stops being rest and becomes a countdown. You\u2019re not living five days and resting two \u2014 you\u2019re enduring five and bracing for them on the other two. 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The small things \u2014 an email, a kettle, a question \u2014 land like large things. Something in you has stopped bouncing back. You\u2019re not reading this for entertainment. You\u2019re reading it because part of you already knows.",diagItalic:"I\u2019m not going to tell you it\u2019s fine. It isn\u2019t. But I am going to tell you it\u2019s survivable, because I am on the other side of this exact place.",truth:"The Edge is not the end of you. It is the end of a version of you that was never sustainable. That distinction saved my life. It is worth saying out loud to someone who is not your manager.",art:"edge"} ], QUESTIONS: [ {q:"It\u2019s Sunday at 6pm. What\u2019s happening in your body?",opts:[{t:"Nothing unusual. It\u2019s just a Sunday.",w:0},{t:"A low hum I\u2019ve learned to ignore.",w:1},{t:"The tightening. The countdown has started.",w:2},{t:"I stopped noticing Sundays. Every day feels the same now.",w:3},{t:"Dread that doesn\u2019t wait for Sunday anymore.",w:4}]}, {q:"Someone asks how work is going. Your honest internal answer?",opts:[{t:"Genuinely fine. Busy, but fine.",w:0},{t:"\u201CFine.\u201D (I\u2019ve practised saying it.)",w:1},{t:"I change the subject as fast as I can.",w:2},{t:"I do the minimum and feel nothing about it.",w:3},{t:"I\u2019m not sure I can keep doing this.",w:4}]}, {q:"How do you feel about Monday morning?",opts:[{t:"It\u2019s a fresh start. I\u2019m mostly into it.",w:0},{t:"I push through. Coffee helps.",w:1},{t:"I\u2019ve started dreading it by Saturday.",w:2},{t:"I show up in body. The rest of me opts out.",w:3},{t:"Getting out of bed is the hardest part of the day.",w:4}]}, {q:"When was the last time you felt actually rested?",opts:[{t:"Recently. Rest still works on me.",w:0},{t:"A holiday, maybe. It faded fast.",w:1},{t:"Even my weekends feel like recovery, not rest.",w:2},{t:"I can\u2019t remember. Rest doesn\u2019t seem to land.",w:3},{t:"Rest makes me anxious. Stopping feels dangerous.",w:4}]}, {q:"How much of your real energy does the job get?",opts:[{t:"A fair share. There\u2019s plenty left over.",w:0},{t:"Most of it, but I top up on weekends.",w:1},{t:"Almost all of it. The rest of my life runs on fumes.",w:2},{t:"I\u2019ve stopped giving it the real stuff. I ration now.",w:3},{t:"There isn\u2019t a reserve left to give.",w:4}]}, {q:"A small thing goes wrong \u2014 a delayed reply, a changed plan. Your reaction?",opts:[{t:"Mild. I deal with it and move on.",w:0},{t:"More irritation than it deserves, honestly.",w:1},{t:"It sits with me for hours.",w:2},{t:"Flat. I\u2019ve gone a bit numb to it all.",w:3},{t:"Small things land like large things now.",w:4}]}, {q:"Be honest. Why are you taking this?",opts:[{t:"Curiosity. I\u2019m doing alright.",w:0},{t:"A nagging feeling I wanted to check.",w:1},{t:"Sundays got my attention.",w:2},{t:"I\u2019ve felt off for a long time and want a name for it.",w:3},{t:"Because part of me already knows the answer.",w:4}]} ] };
="stylesheet"/>
Legal

Privacy Policy
& GDPR

We're not a corporation. We won't sell your data, rent it, or put it in a spreadsheet with a colour-coded tab.

Last updated: May 2026  ·  Applies to burnedoutdiaries.com

Plain-language glossary of terms used in this policy:

GDPR — General Data Protection Regulation. The European Union law that protects your personal data and gives you rights over how it is used. It applies to any website that collects data from people in the EU, regardless of where the website owner is based.

EEA — European Economic Area. The 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. GDPR applies across the whole EEA.

Data Controller — the person or organisation that decides why and how your personal data is collected and used. In this case, that is Petra Piperati.

Data Processor — a third party that handles data on behalf of the Data Controller (for example, Substack stores your email so we can send the newsletter).

Personal data — any information that can identify you directly or indirectly, such as your email address or IP address.

Legal basis — GDPR requires a specific legal reason to collect and use personal data. We explain ours in Section 3.

IP address — a numerical label assigned to your device when it connects to the internet. It can indicate your approximate location.

BfDI — Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit. Germany's Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information — the supervisory authority you can complain to if you are in Germany.

Contents
  1. Who we are
  2. What data we collect
  3. Why we collect it (legal basis)
  4. How we use your data
  5. Where data is stored
  6. How long we keep it
  7. Your GDPR rights
  8. Third-party services
  9. Cookies
  10. Minors
  11. Changes to this policy
  12. Contact & complaints
01

Who we are

Petra Piperati operates The Burned Out Diaries at burnedoutdiaries.com. For the purposes of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation — the EU law governing personal data), Petra Piperati is the Data Controller — meaning we decide how and why your data is used.

Contact: [email protected]

This policy applies to all personal data collected through burnedoutdiaries.com, including the newsletter subscription form, email correspondence, and any interactive features on this site.

02

What data we collect

Data you provide directly

  • Email address — when you subscribe to the newsletter or download the Corporate Jargon Detox guide
  • Name — only if you voluntarily include it in email correspondence
  • Message content — if you email us at [email protected]

Data collected automatically

  • Browser and device type — collected by Substack and Carrd for functional purposes
  • IP address (your device's internet identifier) — used only for security and anonymised analytics
  • Page visit data — anonymised analytics such as pages visited and time on page, collected via Google Analytics (see Section 8)
  • Cookie data — see Section 9 and our full Cookie Policy for details

We do not collect sensitive personal data such as health information, financial details, political opinions, or biometric data.

03

Why we collect it (legal basis)

GDPR (Article 6) requires us to have a specific legal reason — called a legal basis — for each type of data we collect. Here are ours:

  • Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — for newsletter subscription, lead magnet delivery, and analytics cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time by clicking "Unsubscribe" in any email, or by adjusting your cookie preferences.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) — for basic site security and understanding how visitors use the site in aggregate. We have assessed that this does not override your privacy rights.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) — if required to comply with applicable law.

We never rely on pre-ticked boxes, bundled consent, or vague "by using this site you agree" language. Consent is always specific, informed, and freely given.

04

How we use your data

  • To deliver the Corporate Jargon Detox PDF you subscribed for
  • To send The Burned Out Diaries newsletter (you can unsubscribe at any time)
  • To respond to direct email enquiries
  • To understand how visitors use the site via anonymised analytics (Google Analytics, with your consent)
  • To monitor site performance and fix technical issues
  • To comply with legal obligations if required

We will never sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes. Full stop.

05

Where data is stored

Your email address and subscription data are stored by Substack, Inc., a company based in the USA. Substack is certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, which means it meets the EU's standards for protecting personal data transferred outside the EEA (European Economic Area — the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway).

The website is hosted by Carrd. Carrd stores minimal technical data and applies Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs — legal agreements approved by the European Commission) for any data transfers outside the EEA.

Google Analytics is used to understand how visitors use this site. Google may transfer anonymised data to servers outside the EEA. Google LLC is certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework. Analytics cookies are only set with your explicit consent via the cookie banner.

Email correspondence sent to [email protected] is stored on our email provider's servers within the EEA where possible.

06

How long we keep your data

  • Newsletter subscribers — your email is kept for as long as you are subscribed. After unsubscribing, it is removed from the active list within 30 days.
  • Email correspondence — kept for up to 2 years, then deleted.
  • Analytics data — anonymised and aggregated by Google Analytics. We have set the data retention period to 14 months inside Google Analytics.

You can request deletion of your data at any time — see Section 7.

07

Your GDPR rights

Under GDPR, you have the following rights. To exercise any of them, email [email protected] with the subject line "Data Request — [right you are exercising]". We will respond within 30 days.

  • Right of access (Art. 15) — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Right to rectification (Art. 16) — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Right to erasure (Art. 17) — ask us to delete your personal data (the "right to be forgotten")
  • Right to restrict processing (Art. 18) — ask us to pause how we use your data while a dispute is resolved
  • Right to data portability (Art. 20) — request your data in a common machine-readable format so you can move it elsewhere
  • Right to object (Art. 21) — object to us using your data based on legitimate interests
  • Right to withdraw consent — unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email, or update your cookie preferences at any time

You also have the right to complain to a supervisory authority — the data protection regulator in your country. In Germany, this is the BfDI (Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit — Federal Commissioner for Data Protection) at bfdi.bund.de. In Greece: Hellenic Data Protection Authority (dpa.gr).

08

Third-party services

We use the following third-party services. Each acts as a Data Processor on our behalf — meaning they handle data according to our instructions and are contractually bound to prote