{"id":8506,"date":"2026-01-01T13:27:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T13:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=8506"},"modified":"2026-01-01T13:27:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T13:27:22","slug":"ceos-say-theyre-unplugging-by-cancelling-meetings-and-playing-with-legos-over-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=8506","title":{"rendered":"CEOs say they’re unplugging by cancelling meetings and playing with Legos over the holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When the holidays roll around, many professionals find themselves in work limbo, unsure of when they can really unplug from the job. For CEOs, the last stretch of 2025 is no different: Many find it hard to step away from work, especially as businesses boom during the festive season. But chief executives are taking back their holiday downtime with small wins in their work-life arrangements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Despite the holiday season clearing out offices, sending thousands on vacation, and shutting down stores early, CEOs tell Fortune<\/em> their work lives are still intense. Most say they can never truly unplug from the job, always on call if business beckons them back to their laptops. But leaders are still finding little ways to catch a breather from being CEO. Cooking helps one chief executive connect with his family, while another swears by the holiday season as a \u201ccompletely sacred\u201d time to unplug and pick up a book.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CEOs tell Fortune <\/em>totally unwinding during the holiday season is easier said than done, but they\u2019re making it work by setting these boundaries:<\/p>\n

One week of adventures and no set meetings<\/h2>\n

\u201cTo some extent, as a founder & CEO of a large and fast-growing company, especially one responsible for patient health and outcomes, I\u2019m on 24\/7, and I can be reached anytime without boundaries,\u201d said Sami Inkinen, the CEO and cofounder of Virta Health Group. \u201cMy unplugging is more daily in that I allocate time for sports (especially cycling, my hobby), my family, and my spouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do try to have a week or so without organized work meetings,\u201d Inkinen continued. \u201cSometimes this week includes backcountry adventures where I can not be reached, [for example], trail running in the Himalayas in Nepal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooking for his family<\/h2>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in the restaurant industry\u2014there is no unplugging\u2014but on a serious note, unplugging for me is cooking. I\u2019m always cooking, especially with my kids. I have five, I\u2019m always plugged in,\u201d said Derrick Hayes, the CEO and founder of Big Dave\u2019s Cheesesteaks.<\/p>\n

Two hours of no phone time\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u201cI really try my hardest to put my phone down for at least two hours a day. For me, that really helps me literally unplug, recharge and spend dedicated and quality time with my family,\u201d said Seth Berkowitz, the CEO and founder of Insomnia Cookies.<\/p>\n

Active \u2018Keep the Lights On\u2019 mode<\/h2>\n

\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re a small team and everyone wears a lot of hats, so I try to make the holidays feel as restful as possible. We do something we call KTLO\u2014\u2019Keep the Lights On.\u2019 Basically, we cancel all internal meetings and limit external ones so people can actually step away,\u201d said Ryan Lupberger, the CEO and founder of Clean Cult.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only expectation is to stay on top of email and Slack so nothing urgent slips through,\u201d Lupberger said. \u201cIt gives everyone room to breathe and be with family, while still keeping the business running at a level that works for a lean team. It\u2019s been a really nice balance for us.\u201d <\/p>\n

Drowning the noise with skiing and Legos<\/h2>\n

\u201cI unplug by creating moments that feel protected from the noise of the world,\u201d said Ricardo Amper, the CEO and founder of Incode. \u201cMy mornings start with quiet and coffee before my phone wakes up. That hour resets me. When I go skiing, I disconnect completely because the mountain demands my full attention. And at home, my daughter pulls me into her world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is impossible to think about deepfakes while we build a Lego tower together. Those simple moments keep me grounded,\u201d Amper added.<\/p>\n

Truly unplugging with books\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u201cFor me, the holiday season is completely sacred\u2014I take this time off and truly unplug. In the week between Christmas and New Year\u2019s, I step away completely and steep myself in reading, walking the dogs and connecting with people outside of work,\u201d said Sarah Chavarria, the CEO and president of Delta Dental. \u201cBoundaries matter\u2014and honoring them is essential to how I stay balanced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Annual Costa Rica trip\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u201cI always go back to my motherland, Costa Rica, for the holidays to spend time with family and friends,\u201d said Alvaro Luque, the CEO and president of Avocados from Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I cherish every moment, to be honest, I don\u2019t unplug that much,\u201d Luque admitted. \u201cI check my messages and email every day. I\u2019m always close to the operation\u2014especially this time of year, when guac consumption is up in the U.S., College Football Playoffs are in full swing and Super Bowl hype ramps up. I enjoy working, so it\u2019s a good balance for me to do it from a country I love so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Select hours online\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really believe in completely unplugging,\u201d said Cesar Carvalho, the CEO and cofounder of Wellhub. \u201cWhat works better for me is integration. I coordinate schedules with my team and family ahead of time so everyone knows what to expect, and I keep a couple of hours each day when I\u2019m available if something urgent comes up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI find this approach more realistic and less stressful than trying to be \u2018all in\u2019 on one thing or another,\u201d Carvalho continued. \u201cThe same way I don\u2019t want to only work during work days, I don\u2019t want to totally disconnect during time off. It\u2019s more about finding harmony between work and life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#CEOs #theyre #unplugging #cancelling #meetings #playing #Legos #holidays<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the holidays roll around,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[266,6792,542,526,624,4709,666,5684,4051,1055,6794,3124,3777,6787,6793,2015,6791,3718,6788,6789,6790,1982],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8506"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}