From Burnout to Breakthrough: How One CEO Rebuilt His Company Culture (and Got His Life Back)

“So, how was your summer?”

That’s how I opened lunch a few weeks ago with a client of mine — the CEO and founder of a $175M company with over 600 employees.

As soon as I asked, I flashed back to our previous lunch a year earlier.

Back then, he wore his workaholic reputation like a badge of honor — long hours, constant involvement, and an identity tightly wound around his company’s success. But that success came at a cost. His marriage was strained, his kids felt distant, and even his leadership team was starting to burn out.

He told me something that stuck with me:

“Andy, I feel like I’m building this empire, but I’m losing the people who matter most in the process.”

Not long after that conversation, one of his top leaders — a recent promotion — resigned. Not because he couldn’t handle the work, but because he refused to sacrifice his health and family for a culture that had lost its heart.

That was the first domino. Four more leaders left within four months.

Despite the company’s carefully crafted “vision and values” statements, the truth was clear: the words on the walls weren’t being lived in the halls.

When I asked the CEO one simple question — “Do your personal values align with the company’s values?” — his silence said everything.

That’s when he decided to bring us in.

The Workshop Nobody Wanted… Until They Did

When we arrived to lead the first True North Radical Resilience workshop, the skepticism was palpable. Crossed arms, polite smiles, and that unmistakable “please don’t waste my time” energy filled the room.

But then something powerful happened.

The CEO — who had already been working with me one-on-one — stood up. He thanked his team for showing up. He admitted he’d let the culture drift. And he apologized — vulnerably, sincerely.

You could feel the room exhale.

From that moment, everything changed.

Leaders leaned in. Conversations got real. Breakthrough exercises helped them reconnect their personal values and True North identities with the mission of the organization. By the end of the day, the same skeptical group was energized and united like never before.

My co-facilitator turned to me and said,

“I’ve never seen a group turn around like that.”

From Resistance to Renewal

The ripple effects were extraordinary:

✅ Executives began making sharper, more collaborative decisions.
✅ Leaders rediscovered purpose — not just at work, but at home.
✅ Burnout gave way to resilience, trust, and innovation.
✅ Profits grew — but so did fulfillment, health, and retention.

Their vision and values were no longer just statements. They became the operating system for how people led, decided, and lived.

And the CEO? He became a different man.

When we met this summer, his eyes lit up as he said it was the best summer he’d had in 20 years.

He took three full weeks off to travel Europe with his wife and kids — something he hadn’t done in decades. He trusted his team, unplugged from his phone, and rediscovered laughter, connection, and health.

Even more inspiring? His leaders were seeing similar transformations — not just in performance, but in their marriages, health, and spiritual lives.

They were bringing True North Radical Resilience home.

Why This Matters for You

I know the common objections CEOs and founders have about leadership development:

• “We already defined our vision and values.”
  (So had he — but they weren’t lived.)

• “Workshops take too much time.”
  (Yet one day created momentum that’s still compounding.)

• “Our culture is good enough.”
  (Until ‘good enough’ became the reason great people left.)

This story proves what’s possible when leaders stop settling for “good enough” and start equipping their teams with a framework that upgrades their source code.

That’s what True North Radical Resilience does.
It transforms stress into growth, silos into collaboration, and overwork into fulfillment.
It builds leaders who are exceptional and whole — capable of driving exponential growth without sacrificing family, health, or joy.

So, let me ask you the same question I asked him:

👉 What would it look like if this summer was the best one you’ve had in 20 years?

I’ve seen what’s possible.
And I’d love to see it happen for you.

In your True North corner,
—Dr. Andy Garrett
CEO & Founder, True North Radical Resilience