From Burnout to Contribution: The Way of Twilight with Michael Brant DeMaria

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What happens when the work you care about most begins to drain the very life from you? 

Over thirty years ago, Dr Michael Brant DeMaria was working as a child protection psychologist, witnessing thousands of cases of severe abuse and neglect. The emotional toll led to compassion fatigue, burnout and even suicidal thoughts. For someone devoted to helping others, it became a defining question: how do you stay open-hearted, purposeful and resilient in the face of profound human suffering? 

What followed was a life-changing vision quest in the wilderness, guided by a Native teacher. Alone and without food or water, Michael entered what he now calls “the way of twilight” — the space between breakdown and breakthrough, ego and soul, despair and renewal. It was there that he rediscovered meaning, creativity and a deeper reverence for life. 

In this powerful conversation, we explore the hidden cost of leadership and caring roles, why burnout is often a signal rather than a failure, and how nature, creativity and authentic connection can restore clarity and purpose. We also discuss what keeps us “off the bridge of dispair” when life feels overwhelming, and why community and creative expression are not luxuries, but essential to sustained impact. 

Michael’s music has been streamed over 250 million times and earned four Grammy® nominations, yet what emerges most strongly here is his grounded wisdom and commitment to helping others move from exhaustion to wholeness. 

Here are some insights from the interview you don’t want to miss:

There is a spring at the deep inmost centre of the human heart… a spring of the great loving. And the great loving is here to help heal the deepest wound and calm the greatest fear
– Michael Brant DeMaria

1. The Hidden Cost of Helping Professions

Michael’s early work as a child protection psychologist exposed him to severe traumas, which took a deep emotional toll, leading to compassion fatigue and burnout. He emphasised that those drawn to help others are often at high risk for emotional exhaustion.

2. Burnout as a Rite of Passage

He framed burnout and breakdown not just as something to be avoided, but as a potential transformation point—a “way of twilight” between despair and renewal, ego and soul. Periods of crisis can catalyze deep self-discovery and growth.

3. The Importance of Connection: With Self, Nature, and Others

Connection, according to Michael, is fundamental: with ourselves (through deep listening), with nature, and with authentic relationships. Time in nature and genuine conversations are powerful antidotes to the loneliness and despair fueling burnout.

4. Creativity as Personal and Collective Healing

Michael’s journey integrates psychology, music, and healing. He describes music not merely as entertainment, but as a meditative, community-building practice that helps process suffering and fills the inner wellspring, benefiting both self and others.

5. From Codependency to Wholeness

He openly shared about his struggle with “the need to be needed”—a form of codependency—and explained the importance of learning to balance helping others with caring for one’s own creative, emotional, and spiritual needs. “Caretaking” must be distinct from authentic “taking care.”

6. The Power of Soul Work

Michael encourages people to find and honor their “soul work”—what brings them most alive, even if it’s outside societal or parental expectations. When possible, weaving together “soul work” and “survival work” leads to the greatest fulfillment.

7. Practical Steps for Those in Despair or Burnout

• Reach out and connect: Find someone who can truly listen.
• Take time for solitude and nature: Even small moments of reflection away from busyness matter.
• Ask transformative questions:
  • “What in my life is dying and needs to die?”
  • “What in my life is trying to be born and needs to be born?”
• Engage in creative practices: Music, journaling, or other expressive arts help process emotions and rekindle life energy.

8. Normalise the Human Experience

Michael advocates for destigmatizing feelings of despair and even thoughts of suicide, noting that these can be invitations to profound self-inquiry and transformation rather than signs of pathology.

If you are a leader, entrepreneur or change-maker navigating pressure and responsibility, this episode offers both depth and practical hope. 

You can listen to this Business Elevation Show interview with Michael Brant DeMaria & Chris Cooper here. Alternatively on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tunein, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio (latter US only).

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More about Michael Brant DeMaria:

Over thirty years ago, Dr. Michael Brant DeMaria’s life changed forever. Working as a child protection team psychologist, he witnessed over 2,000 cases of severe abuse and neglect—an experience that left him with compassion fatigue, burnout, and even suicidal thoughts. Searching for healing, he embarked on a life-changing vision quest guided by a Native teacher—alone in the wilderness without food or water. This journey ignited a deep heart-opening and reawakened his first loves: nature and creativity, while instilling in him a reverence for the profound mystery of living and dying—far beyond what modern culture teaches. 

Since then, Michael has devoted his life to what he calls the way of twilight—embracing life’s paradoxes in a way that opens, rather than closes, the heart. Through music, writing, film, and mentorship, he helps others walk this path toward wholeness. 

He is the author of four books and the creator of the Peace Within program and book (Peace Within: Clear Your Mind, Open Your Heart, Embrace Your Soul, and Heal Your Life). His music—streamed over 250 million times—has earned four Grammy® nominations, eight ZMR Awards, six #1 albums, and a Native American Music Award. His work appears on the Grammy®-winning All About Bullies Big and Small and in collaborations with Eckhart Tolle, Mark Nepo, Peter Kater, and Noah Levine. 

As a storyteller and filmmaker, Michael has written, directed, and scored four award-winning films and three award-winning plays, including his latest, The Twilight Café. Learn more at http://www.michaeldemaria.com  

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