From Burnout to Breakthrough: Rediscovering Purpose in Tech

Microsoft Innovation Podcast

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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

Support the show

If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.
Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Chương

1. From Burnout to Breakthrough: Rediscovering Purpose in Tech (00:00:00)

2. From Aerospace to MVP: A Journey Sparked by Crisis (00:03:26)

3. Teaching the Basics: The Power of 101-Level Tech Education (00:06:03)

4. Burnout and Reinvention: Walking Away from the MVP Program (00:08:37)

5. Attack of the Copilots: Making AI Understandable for the Enterprise (00:10:45)

6. Rejection and Resilience: The MVP Nomination Rollercoaster (00:11:43)

7. Writing the Book: From Zero to Copilot Studio Expert in One Week (00:16:07)

8. The Agent That Broke: Building AI Solutions in a Constantly Changing World (00:20:03)