Overloaded with Oversharing in Oregon: when you inadvertently become the office therapist

Season 1, episode 10

You know that moment when being the “nice one” stops feeling kind and starts feeling crushing? That’s where our final caller of the season finds herself: kind, empathetic, beloved by her coworkers—and drowning under the weight of everyone else’s problems. She’s not a manager. She’s not an HR rep. But somewhere along the way, she became the unofficial office therapist. And now, the constant venting, after-hours texts, and emotional labor are burning her out.

Hi Jenny, thank you so much for your thoughtful advice—it always helps me feel grounded. I’m calling in with a question about workplace boundaries. I’ve been at my job for five years and have a great relationship with my coworkers, but lately I’ve noticed that I’m becoming the unofficial “office therapist.” People stop by my desk to vent, text me after hours with personal issues, and even ask me to mediate conflicts. While I want to be a good colleague, it’s starting to affect my own stress levels. How can I compassionately shift this dynamic without coming across as cold or unapproachable?

Signed, Overloaded with Oversharing in Oregon

In this season finale, Jenny responds with her signature mix of warmth, wit, and straight-up wisdom. She holds space for what it means to be “the one everyone turns to”—especially when it starts to cost you your own peace. Jenny doesn’t just validate the exhaustion; she offers a powerful strategy: bore them. Yep. Get boring. Cut off the energetic supply with compassion, consistency, and just the right amount of weather talk. It’s about training the office to see you as capable—but not constantly available. Supportive—but not their sponge.

This episode isn’t just about workplace boundaries—it’s about reclaiming your energy in a world that too often rewards emotional over-functioning. Jenny reminds us that empathy is a gift, but it’s not a job description. Whether you’re navigating your own “office therapist” moment or learning to reset long-standing dynamics, this finale will leave you seen, supported, and ready to say: I love you, but no.