MUMBAI: Tired is not a personality trait. And if your big ideas feel more foggy than fiery, wellness expert Luke Coutinho might know why. At the Goa Fest 2025 fireside chat with VML India’s Babita Baruah, he unpacked the anatomy of burnout and why hustle culture is creativity’s worst enemy. “Are you exhausted or just on autopilot?” That was Luke Coutinho’s call to action to a room full of creative professionals who raised their hands at the mere mention of burnout. But Coutinho, integrative medicine expert and long-time advisor to India’s armed forces wasn’t here to peddle another green juice. He was here to challenge the cult of grind and offer a surprisingly simple antidote: adapt.
Burnout, he explained, isn’t just about being busy. It’s chronic stress that numbs joy, dulls creativity, and disconnects people from the very things that once brought them meaning. “It’s when your favourite song doesn’t hit the same, your child’s smile doesn’t light you up, and your morning coffee is just a prop to survive,” he said.
Contrary to social media’s rigid checklists, Coutinho advised attendees to stop chasing generic wellness trends and instead tailor health practices to their own lives. “Trying to live like a reel will burn you out faster than your deadlines,” he quipped. The solution? A mindful mix of food, sleep, movement, and emotion.
Four lifestyle levers for creative spark:
● Nutrition: Ditch junk and stimulants. They tank energy and ideas.
● Sleep: It’s not about waking up early, it’s about completing your sleep cycle.
● Emotional wellness: Channel pain into power, not procrastination.
● Movement: Walk, stretch, breathe—endorphins boost the prefrontal cortex, your creative HQ.
Coutinho dismantled hustle culture as “glorified exhaustion”. Instead, he urged for a shift from performative busyness to “purposeful urgency”. As proof, he shared a story about the architect of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa who, before his big pitch, didn’t power through but went for a swim to reconnect with himself. “Stillness before action. That’s how true creativity emerges,” said Coutinho.
He also offered a practical fix: six minutes a day. That’s all you need, he said, to begin rewiring your burnout brain:
1. Mind Sweep (Morning) – List 3 things you’re grateful for. Set a daily intention.
2. Breath Stacking (Midday) – Take 8–10 deep, slow breaths. Reset.
3. Digital Sunset (Evening) – Switch off all screens and reflect on a small win.
These micro-rituals anchor you in the present, a place creatives rarely linger.
He concluded with a reality check shaped by his work with terminal patients: “Not one of them talks about their titles or salary. They remember love, laughter, and memories.” The lesson? Life isn’t a sprint, and your legacy won’t be built in unread emails.
So the next time your creativity stalls, don’t scroll or sprint pause, breathe, and ask: what really makes me feel alive?
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