Boardroom By Day, DJ Booth By Night— These CEOs Are Living Their Best Double Lives

We’ve all got our ways of coping with the chaos of in our lives—some of us swear by Pilates, others go hard on banana bread. But when you’re a high-powered CEO making billion-dollar calls before breakfast, what keeps you sane? Surprisingly (or not), the answer often lies in the most unexpected, gloriously simple hobbies.

Take David Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, who’s also a DJ. Like a legit club-playing, Spotify-streaming, dancefloor-filling DJ. Known on stage as DJ D-Sol, Solomon spun at Lollapalooza and even opened for The Chainsmokers at one point. He eventually had to dial it down due to the spotlight, but not before making one thing clear— even Wall Street’s sharpest suits need rhythm and release.

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And he’s not the only one. Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, turns to his ukulele when the stock market’s being temperamental. He’s performed publicly, and frankly, watching a man who controls half of America’s financial fate strumming “You Are My Sunshine” is both adorable and oddly comforting. It’s a reminder that no matter how many zeros you’re working with, joy doesn’t need a price tag.

These “side gigs” aren’t PR stunts or billionaire boredom projects. They’re anchors—offering grounding, stress relief, and often, a more human sense of purpose. In the glossy (and sometimes isolating) world of success, there’s something profoundly humbling about Jack Ma belting out “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” in full Lion King regalia at an Alibaba event.

Christine Yen, co-founder and CEO of Honeycomb trades office chairs for motorcycles—at least on weekends. She races superbikes and tracks lap times like earnings reports. Not only is it thrilling, but she’s said it helps her stay balanced, focused, and surprisingly calm back at work. Because nothing puts a product deadline in perspective like cornering a racetrack at 200 km/hr.

Marissa Mayer, ex-Yahoo CEO, bakes like a scientist. She once made over 20 versions of a cupcake recipe to perfect its texture—complete with spreadsheets, because of course. Aaron Levie of Box brings the magic to boardrooms, quite literally, performing sleight-of-hand tricks in between meetings. And Guy Laliberté, Cirque du Soleil’s founder, took his passion to another stratosphere—flying to space to raise awareness for global water issues. 

Even Jeff Bezos, arguably the busiest man on Earth (and now, off it)—likes to escape by piloting helicopters. He holds a commercial license and says it helps him stay hyper-present. No algorithms. No distractions. Just the wind and the controls. Casual.

From triathlons to baking sprees, these passions give structure to the unstructured, perspective to the pressure. They remind these execs—and the rest of us, that beyond all the productivity metrics, sometimes it’s the simplest acts (like baking a perfect cupcake or learning to DJ) that keep us most connected to ourselves.

So the next time you feel like your 9-to-5 is swallowing your soul, maybe take a page from the playbook of the ultra-successful. Pick up that guitar. Sign up for that pottery class. Make space for something that has nothing to do with ambition, and everything to do with joy.

Because even CEOs need an off switch, and sometimes, that switch looks suspiciously like a ukulele.