Michael - Competitive Edge, Present Father and Data Collecting

“I started writing down ‘Why am i doing this?’. The first week was better sleep and then I noticed over time there were more reasons than I realized. As you start to go through the journey you start to uncover more reasons of the why which gives you more empowerment to continue for however long you want to go”

After being sober curious since 2019, Michael got serious about his curiosity last November setting a 6 month goal of sobriety. As a regular drinker on the weekends, date night or social events he had tried previous stints of not drinking but felt ready to take on a larger mission after realizing that even after one drink things felt off the next day.

Raised in a non-drinking household where it wasn’t talked about Michael got to college and not knowing how to handle his drink which led to excessive drinking as a young adult. He then drank like a “normal” adult but realized that even after one beer or glass of whisky, his sleep would be off.

We talk about the power of data to not only look at how alcohol affects your body but also in identifying your drinking triggers and staying connected to why you quit in the first place. He shares the shocking statistic of his resting heart rate dropping 17% after quitting drinking and although that may not all be due to a direct correlation of booze, the better sleep, lower stress and increased activity that comes from not drinking certainly helped.

He talks about as the CEO of a high growth company, how being sober is his growth edge when leading his company and supports him in standing out from the others. And also how speaking on this topic on such a public platform like LinkedIn and with this team he has received so much support.

While better health and professional growth is important, the most significant impact is on his parenting. As a late in life father he has found he is more present with his kiddos knowing that the day to day moments he used to rush through, like bed time, are now so much more special. And his kids are showing up differently too.

About Michael

Michael is an introverted leader who shares meaningful and honest stories on LI. He has spent the last decade building and scaling professional services for marketing technology and is currently doing it as the CEO of Stitch (Braze). Michael loves to help others grow and learn and is obsessed with meaningful metrics & ruthless prioritization of my to do list.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldburton/

About Sober•ish Uprising

At Sober•ish Uprising we find freedom from alcohol on our own terms. Founded by Holly Krivokapich, a former heavy drinker who started a sober•ish uprising of her own and everything changed, we know it's not about saying no to the drink but saying yes to you. Holly works with 40ish, personal development junkies who are ready to put their sober curiosity into action, making it their next power move, and doing so with all the fun and none of the dread. Through our podcast, 1:1 coaching and her signature program The Sober•ish Experiment, we support those to create and live their own sober•ish journey.

www.soberishuprising.com