Transition from Aerospace to Microsoft Community

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👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/752

Jared Matfess shares his journey from aerospace to Microsoft MVP, navigating burnout, rediscovering purpose, and diving deep into Microsoft Copilot Studio. With a passion for simplifying complex tech, Jared explains how he helps professionals understand and apply AI tools in real-world enterprise settings. 

🎙️ What you’ll learn     

• How to simplify complex AI tools for business users 
• Lessons from implementing SharePoint under strict compliance 
• Strategies for recovering from professional burnout 
• How to approach writing and publishing a tech book 
• Practical use cases for Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio 

✅ Highlights   

• “I found myself having to become a pseudo data security expert really fast.” 
• “Anybody can share their story.” 
• “It felt so good helping other people that I kind of got like that little high.” 
• “I hit the wall hard. I had a hard time getting out of bed.” 
• “Copilot to me was actually a huge catalyst for that.” 
• “They're literally attacking us with Copilots.” 
• “How do you keep up with the Copilots?” 
• “I like to say I’m a Jared of all trades.” 
• “I wrote chapter 14 with having no Copilot Studio experience.” 
• “Microsoft pushed an update, broke everything.” 
• “It was a fun and stressful time being a solo author on an ever-changing book.” 
• “The village kind of lifted me up, which was a pretty cool feeling.” 

🧰 Mentioned    

• Microsoft Copilot - https://copilot.microsoft.com/  
• Microsoft Copilot Studio - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-copilot-studio/  
• M365 Copilot at Work (Book on Amazon) - https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-365-Copilot-At-Work/dp/1394258372  
• Sharepoint 2010 - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/previous-versions/microsoft-sharepoint-2010  
• Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 

✅ Keywords   
microsoft copilot, copilot studio, sharepoint, ai skills, burnout recovery, enterprise tech, mvp program, data security, power automate, crm integration, tech storytelling, book writing 

Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption

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Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith