The Breakfast Leadership Network is a burnout media firm that works with companies so they not only survive but thrive in today’s post-pandemic times. Michael Levitt is the founder and Chief Burnout Officer of Breakfast Leadership Inc. In that role, Michael wears many hats. He is an in-person and Certified Virtual Speaker, a Certified NLP and CBT therapist, and one of the world’s leading authorities in burnout recovery and prevention. Michael has consulted with top executives from Fortune 500 companies, is a #1 best-selling author and host of the Breakfast Leadership Show, a top 200 podcast on iTunes. He is also a 2x Top 20 Global Thought Leader on Culture with Thinkers360. He brings his expertise to the table along with his Hero’s Journey of how he recovered from burnout in 2010 and came back stronger than ever. Listen as he shares his One Big Tip on how you can beat burnout with self-care on today's podcast. 

Michael Levitt knows firsthand the damage that doing too much can cause. Having suffered from professional burnout in 2010, Michael had to put into practice techniques and skills that he acquired over his 30+ years as a consultant to his own life and make drastic changes so he can recover from what is most likely inevitable in today's post-pandemic work culture. With headquarters in San Diego and Toronto, Breakfast Leadership Inc has consulted with clients throughout North America. The company specializes in mitigating workplace challenges to avoid burnout and helps to implement strategies to help those in burnout recover. This is done by helping each company identify its strengths and help it thrive without burned-out leaders and executives. 

The World Health Organization recognizes burnout as an occupational phenomenon since 2019. They cite the following as symptoms: lack of energy and exhaustion as well as the increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativity or cynicism related to one’s job. All of these symptoms are exactly what Michael experienced from 2007 to 2009. Michael was working 7 days a week from 6 a.m.-11 p.m. as a healthcare executive. His work was all-consuming, leaving him to eat fast food daily and give up activities that brought him joy. The stress from work caused him to have a heart attack in the spring of 2010, and it all went downhill from there. Michael was fired, had his car repossessed, and his home foreclosed on, all within a year. Today, Michael sees it as the best year of his life because it allowed him to reinvent himself and design a burnout-free life. Michael learned self-care techniques and how to use his habits and emotions to avoid the burnout state again. 

Throughout all this, Michael never allowed himself to play the victim. He knew that victims stay in the position they are in. Michael knew he wanted to start over and rebuild his life. During the 17 week recovery after his heart attack at the age of 40, Michael did a lot of self-reflection. He did the hard work necessary to understand what brought him to that point in his life. But most importantly, he dug deep and realized the actions he needed to implement to change his life and the direction it was headed. He worked with various health professionals that guided him to get his life back on track to a steady, balanced place. Understanding the importance of boundaries was an integral part of the process. It is only through personal and professional boundaries that Michael was able to create a work environment where he was sure that burnout would not happen again. 

The first step to recovering from burnout is to recognize the behaviors and actions that lead up to it. The most prevalent cause of burnout, Michael found is the lack of sleep. According to Michael, most people don’t prioritize a good night's rest and making their bedroom an environment conducive to a good night