From Burnout to Breakthrough: Rediscovering Purpose in Tech

Oct 29, 2025

Jared Matfess, a Solution Architect at AvePoint, Microsoft MVP, and author, shares his inspiring journey from aerospace to tech. He dives into the challenges of professional burnout and how rediscovering his passion through writing and Microsoft Copilot revitalized his career. Jared discusses simplifying complex AI tools for business users and shares practical use cases for Copilot Studio. He also reflects on overcoming hurdles during his book writing process, highlighting community support and the importance of adapting to rapidly changing technology.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Crisis Forced SharePoint And Security Expertise

Jared described moving from Plumtree to SharePoint 2010 while his company faced a $75M fine for shipping a dual-use part to China.
He became a pseudo data security expert to avoid further compliance penalties during migration.

ANECDOTE

From Attendee To Beloved Intro Speaker

Jared began presenting at SharePoint Saturday after encouragement from peers and packed rooms for his 101/102 talks.
He gained recognition by simplifying complex topics and sharing practical code with attendees.

ANECDOTE

Burnout Led To A Two-Year Break

Jared experienced severe burnout around 2021–2022, struggling to get out of bed and stepping away from the community.
He later re-engaged by co-authoring a book, which helped restore his purpose.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM

👉 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

Support the show

If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith