After experiencing burnout and adrenal fatigue, author and entrepreneur Chris Ducker realized hustling harder wasn’t the answer. He gets candid about burnout, recovery, and why joy-filled practices are essential for leaders who want to last. Two of his favorites: bonsai gardening and birdwatching. He also makes a compelling case for getting outside. It’s a refreshing invitation back to an embodied, sustainable way of life.

Memorable Quotes

1. “I hadn't necessarily been burning the candle on both ends. But what I had been doing was a little too much of pretty much everything.”
2. “You don't need to break in order to take a break.”
3. “Self-care actually is a strategy, and it's a strategy that you can use to your advantage, particularly from a business owner standpoint.”
4. “Ultimately you're the engine, you're the spark, you're the difference maker. But even engines need a little maintenance.”
5. “Hobbies, particularly creative hobbies, if you spend a minimum of two hours a week on your hobby, you will be as much as 30% more productive in your work.”
6. “Any kind of success that costs you your health or your family or your joy isn't really actually success.”
7. “We want that big win, that big roar. And you only get that by being really consistent and the real game here is patience. It's consistency, it's showing up when it's not sexy, when it's not flashy, it's doing the unsexy work.”

Key Takeaways

1. Burnout Isn’t Just Overwork. Stress from life, context, and even unsustainable pace can take you down. Your body always keeps the score.
2. Self-Care Is Strategy. Leaders last when they guard their health and energy—because even engines need maintenance.
3. Hobbies Heal. Joyful pastimes don’t just prevent burnout; they restore creativity and can boost productivity by up to 30%.
4. Step Outside. Just 15 minutes in nature can reset your mind and body. Make it nonnegotiable.
5. Small Shifts, Big Change. Consistent micro moves compound into lasting transformation.

Resources

• The Long Haul Leader by Chris Ducker
• Youpreneur community

Watch on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/GOLw7Vz4kRA

This episode was produced by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound

If your conversations are starting to feel more like combat, you’re not alone. In this powerful episode, Michael and Megan sit down with Jefferson Fisher—trial attorney, social media sensation, and author of The Next Conversation—to talk about the small shifts that create major breakthroughs in communication. From regulating your nervous system to choosing connection over triumph, this episode is packed with practical, actionable tools you can use today.

Memorable Quotes

1. “When you set out to win an argument, you often will lose the relationship. If you only see it as something to win, that means you’re going to lose a lot more.”
2. “Who wants to be around the person who always has to be right? That is somebody who is lonely.”
3. “Instead of seeing arguments as something to win, you see them as something to unravel.”
4. “You don’t have to like it. You just gotta understand it.”
5. “That’s the key with connection: I can disagree with you and still connect with you. I can still be unhappy, I can still be mad at you, and still connect with you.”
6. “You are in complete control of the pace of the conversation.”
7. “When you don’t say it with control, you end up reacting rather than responding. It’s just your natural fight or flight will take over and you’re going to start responding more emotionally.”
8. “You gotta let them pour it all out before they’ll ever be willing to accept anything that you say.”

Key Takeaways

1. Arguments Aren’t Battles. If your goal is to win, you’ve already lost. Reframe arguments as something to unravel, not conquer.
2. Start With Self-Control. Nervous system regulation is the key to effective communication—especially when things get tense.
3. Use “Small Talks.” Short, verb-based phrases like “be still” or “practice kindness” can center you in high-stakes conversations.
4. Connection > Agreement. We don’t always have to be on the same page to cultivate a meaningful relationship.
5. Confidence Follows Action. Speak with assertiveness, not apology. Confidence grows as you use your voice.

Resources

• The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More
• Jefferson Fisher on Instagram
• The Jefferson Fisher Podcast

Watch on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/kJsQe3S3rw0

This episode was produced by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound