Jackie Bruno: When the Dream Job Stops Feeling Like a Dream
From Mostly Together by Mostly Together
April 22, 2026 · 44 min · Season 1 · Episode 5
About this episode
Jackie Bruno shares her journey of overcoming burnout and redefining her identity after stepping away from a successful career in TV news.
Jackie Bruno and I go way back — she got her start at WWLP in Springfield, the same station where I landed my first job out of college. We've stayed connected over the years, watching each other navigate different chapters of this industry; so sitting down for this conversation felt less like an interview and more like two women finally saying the quiet parts out loud. Jackie is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, former Boston news anchor, Miss Massachusetts USA 2008, and the founder of Newsmaker Marketing. On paper, she had everything. But behind the scenes, she was running on empty — until she made the difficult decision to step away and put her mental health first. On this episode of Mostly Together, Jackie gets refreshingly honest about burnout, identity, and what it really takes to rebuild when the dream you chased for years no longer fits who you are. In this episode: Why she walked away from a 14-year career in TV news at the height of it What burnout actually looked like — and how a breakdown became a breakthrough Starting a business in two weeks (and why she didn't overthink it) The simple analogy that completely reframed her sense of self-worth The moment she…
People in this episode
Host: Mostly Together
Guest: Jackie Bruno
Topics covered
- burnout
- mental health
- career change
- self-worth
- identity
- entrepreneurship
Keywords
- burnout
- mental health
- career change
- self-worth
- entrepreneurship
- identity
- Emmy Award-winning journalist
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: WWLP, Newsmaker Marketing
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