The Chronic Fatigue and Burnout Recovery Podcast

In this episode, Anna shares a personal update on her own health and some of the things that have shifted over the past 6 months or so. 

Having spoken in previous episodes about some of the challenges she has been navigating, this episode is about coming full circle, sharing what has been implemented and the outcomes experiences. In particular, she shares her personal experience of starting HRT and the changes she has noticed in her cyclical stability, energy and capacity for exercise. 

She also touches on digestive health, histamine, iron supplementation and fuelling for activity and da...

In this episode, Anna explores a newly published study investigating the relationship between light exposure patterns and symptom severity in people living with ME/CFS. 

Rather than focusing on light as a treatment, the research highlights the potential role of circadian rhythm and how consistent daytime light, alongside reduced evening light exposure, may be associated with better sleep, lower fatigue and improved quality of life.

Anna explains why light is much more than something that helps us see—it acts as one of the body's most important biological signals, helping to regulate sleep, hormones, nervous sys...

What does recovery look like when life doesn’t stop around you?

In this episode, Anna is joined by Charlotte Wightman for an honest conversation about chronic illness, motherhood, recovery and what it means to build a life that feels sustainable — rather than constantly trying to do recovery “perfectly.”

Charlotte shares what it was like navigating her own health while also being a mum, including the inevitable tension between what she felt she should be doing for her recovery and what family life actually allowed.

They also explore some of the different pieces that bec...

A recently published study investigating Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) in people living with ME/CFS has generated considerable interest within the chronic illness community.

But what did the research actually find?

In this episode, Anna takes a balanced look at the study, exploring both the encouraging findings and the important limitations. Whilst the results suggest that HBOT may improve physical functioning, fatigue, pain and cognitive performance in a subset of people with ME/CFS, the study was observational and should be interpreted with appropriate caution.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the research...

In this episode, Anna shares the experience of completing her longest hike since chronic illness — a 21km hike lasting almost 6 hours — and reflects on what the following 72 hours revealed about recovery, capacity, and nervous system regulation.

This is not an episode about pushing harder.

It’s a conversation about what late-stage recovery often really involves:

Anna explores:

Creatine is often associated with the fitness industry and sports performance — but emerging research is now exploring whether it may have relevance far beyond the gym.

In this episode, Anna explores the current evidence surrounding creatine supplementation in Long Covid and fatigue-related conditions, including its potential role in energy metabolism, muscle function, cognitive symptoms, nervous system health, and recovery capacity.

This conversation also looks at:

In this episode, Anna explores a side of recovery that is rarely discussed:

What happens when the nervous system begins to reconnect with emotions, sensations, and internal experiences that were previously difficult to fully feel.

As the body becomes safer and more regulated, many people notice unexpected shifts:

Drawing from both personal experience and Somatic Experiencing concepts such as undercoupling and energy wells, Anna explores why these changes can emerge during recovery — and wh...

In this episode, Anna breaks down a recent study exploring brain neurochemicals in Long COVID and ME/CFS — with a particular focus on glutamate and its potential role in symptoms, particularly physical capacity. 

Rather than simply summarising the research, Anna walks you through what these findings may actually mean in practice. We’ll explore how glutamate fits into the wider picture of nervous system regulation, inflammation, and energy metabolism — and why these conditions can’t be understood through a single lens.

Anna talks about where targeted approaches like diet, supplements, or medication may have a role, and...

In this episode, Anna is joined by Lexi Boreham, who shares her experience of living with and recovering from Long Covid.

This conversation gently explores the reality of rebuilding a life alongside ongoing symptoms — from the early confusion of becoming unwell, to navigating setbacks, identity shifts, and the emotional impact of recovery.

Together, they talk about the often-unspoken parts of the journey, including loneliness, the role of community, learning to set boundaries, and what it means to move forward when life looks very different to before.

They also explore the complexities of breakups an...

Some people notice that they seem to experience stimulation and stress more intensely than others.

They may feel overwhelmed in busy environments, react strongly to caffeine, or find it difficult to switch off mentally after a demanding day.

Sometimes people encounter the term COMT when exploring genetic testing and begin to wonder whether this might explain their nervous system sensitivity.

But conversations about COMT online can quickly become confusing — and sometimes unnecessarily alarming.

In this episode, Anna explores what COMT actually does in the body, how it influences the way we pr...

There is a stage of recovery that many people reach where life has largely returned to normal.

You may be working again. Socialising more. Exercising gently. Participating in daily life in ways that once felt impossible.

And yet, your system may still experience occasional fluctuations.

Energy might dip after a busy week. Sleep may become more fragile during stressful periods. Your nervous system might still feel sensitive to certain types of load.

This stage can feel confusing, because you’re no longer severely ill — but things don’t always feel completely stable...

Movement can feel like a complicated topic for people living with chronic fatigue conditions.

Many people have been told to exercise more. Others have experienced crashes after pushing too hard. And over time, movement itself can start to feel risky.

But something interesting often emerges during recovery.

Certain types of gentle, rhythmic movement can actually help the nervous system settle.

In this episode, Anna explores why the body sometimes responds positively to movement — not because it improves fitness, but because it can help the nervous system process activation and return toward re...

One of the most frightening moments in recovery can be when symptoms suddenly return after a long period of stability.

And many people immediately think:

"I’m back where I started."

But in many cases, what looks like a relapse is actually something quite different.

Sometimes the body is simply going through a temporary recalibration.

In this episode, Anna explores why symptom waves can occur even after months or years of improvement, and why these experiences often don’t mean that progress has been lost.

Understanding the diff...

Not all post-exertional malaise (PEM) is driven by the same physiology — and understanding the difference can completely change how you approach pacing and recovery.

In this episode, Anna breaks down the three most common patterns of post-exertional crashes seen in clinical practice: autonomic “hit the wall” crashes, metabolic “wired but exhausted” responses, and delayed immune-driven flares.

You’ll learn why timing matters, how different symptom patterns reflect different underlying mechanisms, and why applying the wrong strategy can stall progress.

This is not about avoiding movement or labelling yourself as fragile. It’s about understanding...

We’re back again this week sharing a recording from one of our Nurturing Resilience Group Calls. Each month we have one call dedicated to the nervous system and one call dedicated to what I call the more “practical” elements of recovery. In this recording you will hear some of our members asking their questions and we cover topics such as protein consumption, building up physical capacity and endurance, rehabilitation for deconditioning that happens when you have been ill a long time, migraines, delayed recovery after infections, what to do when you have more energy and how to manage guilt...

This week on the podcast we do something a little different. We share a recording from the Nurturing Resilience Membership where we focus on supporting your Nervous System as you navigate recovering from Chronic Fatigue and other Energy Limiting Illness. This is your opportunity to be a fly on the wall of one of our group calls and if you want to take part yourself, you are very welcome to join the Membership and get involved. We cover topics such as using yin yoga for emotional processing, discharging survival energy, finding purpose in life while navigating recovery and how...

Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is more than just feeling tired after activity — it’s a delayed and often severe worsening of symptoms that affects many people with ME/CFS and other energy-limiting conditions. In this episode, Anna unpacks what PEM is, why it happens, and what current research is beginning to reveal.

Anna explains how PEM differs from everyday fatigue, explores emerging insights into energy production, inflammation, and stress responses, and discusses why “pushing through” can be harmful. She also reflects on what this research means in real life, and how it can support safer pacing, validation, and more com...

Oxaloacetate is a compound that plays an important role in cellular energy production and mitochondrial function. In this episode, Anna explores the emerging interest in oxaloacetate as a potential support for people with Chronic Fatigue and other energy-limiting conditions.

Anna explains what oxaloacetate is, why it has gained attention in the chronic fatigue space, and how it may influence metabolism, inflammation, and energy production. She also discusses who may benefit, important considerations around dosing and sensitivity, and where oxaloacetate fits within a broader, foundations-first approach to recovery.

This episode is a helpful listen if you’re...

We’ve all been there. You share some details about your chronic illness with a friend, family member or colleague and instead of empathy, you receive a prescription for yoga, meditation or a B12 injection. Although the unsolicited advice is well meaning, often it can be another load that we have to manage. Chronic illness is complex and nuanced and it is exhausting to explain the physiological complexity as well as the dramatic impact it is having on your life. This episode is here to help you waste less energy with some ideas about how you can respond in si...

Mistakes are how we learn and grow and the same is true for Chronic Fatigue Recovery. In this episode Anna shares what she wouldn’t do if she had to recover from Chronic Fatigue all over again. She shares lessons and learnings from her own experience and experience working with clients. She weaves in guidance on what she would do instead so that you can learn to build strong health foundations from the ground up. 

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ann...

Cycle syncing is a practice whereby you align your diet, lifestyle and energy management around your menstrual cycle. In this episode Anna answers the question: can this be helpful if you have Chronic Fatigue? Anna gives an overview of the menstrual cycle and explains how imbalances at certain points in the cycle can make us feel a certain way. She shares her own experience with cyclical fluctuations in energy and how she managed them, things that have worked clients and how to manage your cycle if you have histamine intolerance or MCAS. 

Useful Links

Take t...

Prompted by a question from a Nurturing Resilience Member, Anna answers the question about how long to keep going with things when you aren’t seeing progress. She talks about the importance of laying life long foundations, getting overwhelmed by healing gadgets, supplement grave yards, the importance of context, strategy and structure, testing and retesting and how giving yourself a break can be the best thing at times!

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna__marsh_

Work with me: ht...

***PLEASE NOTE*** Prices quote in this episode have increased since recording AND we have also added a selection of Pay As You Go Services to help people manage their budgets.

Each week I get enquiries from people who are experiencing energy limiting conditions such as CFS/ME, Long Covid, Post Viral Fatigue and Mould Illness. Your health is the most important thing and you want to make sure that whoever you work with is the right fit for your needs and your budget. Which is why I wanted to create a podcast episode where I talk about...

Prompted by a question on Instagram Anna shares 3 things that she feels stop people from recovering from Energy Limiting Conditions. She talks about how embodied safety is essential for change, some of the mistakes she made in her own journey recovering from Chronic Fatigue and insights into what can be supportive if you resonate with any of these 3 areas.

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna__marsh_

Work with me: https://annamarsh.co.uk/work-together/

Website: http...

One of the things that people with Chronic Fatigue struggle with the most is exercise. In this episode Anna shares her exercise journey and how she approached building her capacity from heart rate controlled walking to returning back to the gym and swimming 4km! She shares her step by step process, failures, strategies to mitigate PEM and the 3 most important considerations for anyone who wants to be able to exercise more as they recover their health. 

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.c...

If you find yourself struggling to do things you know you should be doing to support your health, this episode of the Chronic Fatigue and Burnout Recovery Podcast is for you. Anna does a brief recap on the nervous system and explains how certain nervous system states may contribute to feeling stuck, frozen or general apathy when it comes to making diet and lifestyle changes and being consistent with them. She offers guidance on how we can better attune to the needs of our nervous system so that we can take small steps forward in the direction of health.<...

In this episode Anna speaks to the natural expansion and contraction which is an essential part of life. Often in fatigue recovery there can be periods of being able to do more and expand into life as well as periods where symptoms pop up, we feel more tired and able to do less i.e. contracted. We often celebrate the expansions and resist the contractions but both are an important part of the process. This episode will hopefully help you embrace, accept and plan for the natural ebb and flow of fatigue recovery and life in general. 

U...

Recently someone asked me if they thought there was a connection between being an empath and Chronic Fatigue. My answer: Absolutely! In this episode we unpack why. We talk about what it means to be an empath and importantly, how many of the qualities of being an empath could actually be learned survival patterns of the nervous system. We may still be sensitive, but we can learn to regulate through our sensitivity to live a beautiful  and energised life!

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: h...

Travel can have pro’s and con’s when you have a chronic illness like Chronic Fatigue. Travel can be stressful, energy demanding and destabilising to a sensitive nervous system. However, travel can also take us out of our comfort zone in a healthy way and break stuck cycles of fear. 

In this episode Anna talks about the pro’s and con’s of travel, how to titrate the experience of travel back into your life as you start to be in the world more, important things to consider when travelling, how to prepare before, recover afterwards and the b...

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Burnout and Chronic Fatigue? Are they different or the same thing? In this episode Anna explains burnout from a nervous system perspective and how this can relate to symptoms of Chronic Fatigue. She talks about how we can support ourselves to move forward after a burnout. 

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna__marsh_

Work with me: https://annamarsh.co.uk/work-together/

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

There are some schools of thought that suggest poorly functioning adrenal glands could be an underlying cause in chronic fatigue. Although imbalanced adrenal function could be part of the complex web of fatigue, it is more likely to be a piece of the puzzle than the whole puzzle itself. 

That being said, when it comes to recovering energy and vitality, there is seldom one magic solution. Instead, improvements happen when we support the body as a whole. Part of that support may include supporting the adrenal glands. In this latest episode of the Chronic Fatigue and Burnout R...

Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) are a class of medications originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, but have since gained widespread attention for their effects on weight loss and metabolic health. Emerging research suggests that GLP1-Receptor Agonists could be supportive in managing inflammatory symptoms associated with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). Although research is currently limited, Anna talks about what we know so far and her experience with clients taking these drugs in clinical practice. 

Useful Links

Research Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002962925011061

Take the Chronic Fatigue Q...

This is a chatty "behind the scenes” episode where Anna shares some personal stories regarding her own healing and some exciting business updates. She covers topics such as rest, regulation, core wounds and grief. 

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna__marsh_

Work with me: https://annamarsh.co.uk/work-together/

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Join the Nurturing Resilience Subscription: https://annamarsh.co.uk/nurturing-resilience/

This is part 4 of a 4 part series on what to focus on in the different stages of Chronic Fatigue and other energy limiting illnesses. In this episode Anna talks about the most important things to focus on when you are high functioning but not thriving. Anna reflects on what she would have done differently if she could go back in time and advise her younger self. You can enjoy a diverse conversation about pacing, the nervous system, boundaries, hormetic stressors and much more!

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk...

This is part 3 of a 4 part series on what to focus on in the different stages of Chronic Fatigue and other energy limiting illnesses. In this episode Anna talks about the most important things to focus on as you navigate a transition back to work. This includes knowing when the time is right, things to consider and how you can support yourself, the importance of giving space for the transition and increasing self care. 

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna__m...

This is part 2 of a 4 part series on what to focus on in the different stages of Chronic Fatigue and other energy limiting illnesses. In this episode Anna talks about the most important things to focus on as you navigate being housebound with Chronic Fatigue.  This includes things that you may be able to introduce now that you have transitioned from being bed bound, tips on how to gently build capacity and create routine and physical supports that may be useful if accessible. 

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/qu...

This is part 1 of a 4 part series on what to focus on in the different stages of Chronic Fatigue and other energy limiting illnesses. In this episode Anna talks about the most important things to focus on as you navigate being bedbound. This includes an understanding of what is happening in the nervous system, tips on how to gently build capacity and create routine and physical supports that may be useful if accessible. 

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna__marsh_

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex and often misunderstood condition that leaves many people struggling with persistent exhaustion, brain fog, and muscle aches.

Although there are multiple different factors that contribute to symptoms and every case is different, diet can play a significant role in symptom management. 

There are many different dietary approaches and different things will work for different people depending on the mechanisms contributing to their specific case. One dietary component that has gained attention in this context is oxalates—naturally occurring compounds found in many healthy foods such as spinach, nuts, and...

Not everything we do to support our bodies will have an immediate or noticeable impact. However, often these interventions work in synergy with one another. 

In this episode Anna talks about the importance of layering interventions in an intentional and consistent way to move the needle of health forward over time. 

Useful Links

Take the Chronic Fatigue Quiz: https://app.annamarsh.co.uk/quiz-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna__marsh_

Work with me: https://annamarsh.co.uk/work-together/

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Mood disorders refer to significant changes in mood that have a negative impact on daily life. It goes without saying that when someone experiences a chronic illness such as Chronic Fatigue, they may feel low at times. 

However, this is different to someone who may be experiencing an ongoing low mood that feels unrelated to their current state of health or someone who is experiencing a low mood disorder that is perhaps mechanistically entangled with some of the mechanisms of chronic fatigue. 

In this episode Anna talks about different types of low-mood disorders and how we...