Chris Butsch

Where do you live now?
CHB: Back in my hometown, ATL!

What are your hobbies?
CHB: I love cars more than some people love their own children. I write a weekly, 100-word car column for The Atlanta 100 and car companies send me a new car to review every Friday, so I'm always driving something different. I've picked up dates in both a Mercedes S-Class convertible and Honda Odyssey minivan.

What are some of the things you're most proud of from your time at Epic?
CHB: I am most proud of the Home Health team. Some might say we got shafted by the Epic Sorting Hat, with less documentation, more required app knowledge, and fewer case studies to model after, but our family of masochistic rag-tags powered through our installs and always stayed late to help each other out. I truly think we were the Navy SEALs of Epic.

What was it that made you realize that it was time to venture beyond Epic?
CHB: A dear friend taught me that "true wealth" is a combination of your money, time, talent, wisdom, health, and personal network. Working consistent 55-hour weeks at Epic I was scoring high in the money category, but poorly in everything else. To rebalance my wealth, it was time for a change. I needed to better explore my passions of writing and public speaking, build meaningful relationships, and see the world to build my wisdom.

What have you been up to since leaving, and what are you most proud of in the time since?
CHB: After my worldwide travels, to help Millennials battle depression and learn the principles of Positive Psychology, I successfully Kickstarted and published my first book The Millennial's Guide to Making Happiness. I'm now editing my second book, These Damn Millennials: 8 Secrets of Millennial-Winning Managers and plan to Kickstart it in August 2018.

I'm also a keynote speaker and corporate trainer on the topic of, you guessed it: Millennials. In part because of my time at Epic, I see the staggering potential of our generation, and will do anything to help us get there.

What do you wish you had known before striking out for post-Epic life?
CHB: I wish I'd known how to meditate. While researching my first book, I spent a week in a Buddhist monastery in Batesville, Mississippi (naturally, where one finds Vietnamese Buddhists) and it changed my life. I'm minimum 20% more calm, focused, and creative on a daily basis. I could've really used that boost during Validation.

What's next for you?
CHB: I've found my passion for speaking, training, and writing, so I plan to continue publishing books and speaking at businesses and conferences around the world. I suppose I'd like to be known as "The Millennial Simon Sinek!"