Judith Lucy on burnout and the book that nearly broke her
Comedian Judith Lucy has written a book about the burnout that hit her in 2023 after COVID and overwork.
Lucy is 58 and has been a stand-up comic since her 20s, building a career on radio, TV and stage. In 2023, burnout broke her.
COVID in lockdown started the spiral, draining her love of stand-up. When a theatre role came up, she took it even though she needed rest.
When that finished, she thought a holiday to Perth would fix her. Instead she got physically ill.
Back in Melbourne, exhaustion hit so hard she couldn't get out of bed. Anxiety spiked.
Her digestion fell apart. She called her management to say she needed six months off.
Now she's turned that experience into a book called Well, Well, Well, asking how a person can chase work their whole life and still feel unfulfilled.
- 58
- Age
- her 20s
- Career start
- six months
- Time off requested
- Winnie in Happy Days
- Role played
Why it mattersLucy's story speaks to people in their mid-50s who have achieved outward success but don't feel fulfilled. Her honest account of burnout, recovery and reckoning offers a map for others stuck in the same loop.
AustraliaAn Australian cultural figure is putting burnout and midlife exhaustion into mainstream conversation at a time when many Australians report feeling overwhelmed by work.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 6 d ago
