Chief Change Officer #286 Michael Levitt: Ditch the Phone, Reclaim Your Sanity
Michael Levitt nearly lost everything to burnout—a heart attack, job loss, foreclosure, and total collapse. But what brought him back wasn’t a digital detox retreat—it was Gen X wisdom: learning to reset without relying on tech.
As the founder of the Breakfast Leadership Network and burnout consultant to global execs, Michael now teaches others how to rebuild. In this episode, he explains why recovery starts with sleep, why analog habits like ditching your smartphone alarm matter, and why burnout is a system failure—not a personal flaw. For Gen Xers who straddle both worlds, this is a call to reclaim the best of both—and redesign a life that actually works.
>>The Burnout Spiral That Changed Everything
“In one year, I lost my job, my home, my car—and nearly my life.”
Michael shares the full collapse that led him from healthcare executive to burnout survivor. But the real story is how he rebuilt—on his own terms.
>>Gen X Wisdom: Unplug to Repair
“Buy an alarm clock. Get your phone out of your bedroom.”
Raised in the analog world, Michael draws on old-school logic to fix new-world problems. The simplest habit—sleep—might be your strongest defense.
>>Burnout Isn’t Personal—It’s Structural
“If your workplace is broken, no amount of yoga will save you.”
Michael breaks down how leaders need to stop treating burnout as an individual issue—and start fixing the systems that cause it.
>>Why the C-Suite Stays Silent
“Some of my clients are CEOs. You’ll never hear their names.”
Michael shares why the stigma around burnout runs deepest at the top—and how privacy, trust, and discretion are part of real recovery.
>>You Don’t Need a New Life—Just a New Setup
“Most people don’t need reinvention. They just need smarter defaults.”
With tools from CBT and NLP, Michael explains how changing your inner programming can help you regain control—without blowing everything up.
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Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Michael Levitt
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