The alarm goes off, but for once, you don’t have anywhere to be.

No kids to wake up. No meetings to rush to. No calendar dictating your day.

You sip your coffee slowly, the steam rising as you actually taste it instead of gulping it down between carpool drop-offs and back-to-back calls. You pick up a book, maybe jot a few thoughts in your journal. You go for a walk just because it feels good to move your body.

No one needs you. No one’s asking what’s for dinner.

And for the first time in months, your brain feels quiet.

For women like us — the ones everyone counts on, the ones who carry so much — this kind of pause can feel like a dream.

Why This Moment Is So Rare for High-Achieving Women

If you’re like most women I coach, moments like this are almost nonexistent.

We live in constant go-mode: leading teams, running households, showing up for partners, parenting, volunteering, managing the invisible load that no one else even sees. Because we can carry it all, we often do — at the expense of our own clarity, health, and joy.

And the data confirms it:

• Deloitte found that 46% of women report being “always on” at work — and those women are far more likely to burn out.
   
• McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace study shows women leaders are leaving companies at the highest rate ever recorded — citing burnout, lack of flexibility, and being “stretched too thin” as key drivers.
   
• The American Psychological Association reports that chronic stress impairs memory, reduces creativity, and weakens decision-making — exactly the skills leaders rely on most.
   
• Harvard Business Review notes that executives who take regular time off for reflection and rest are 30% more productive than those who don’t.

Translation: when we don’t pause, everyone pays the price.

The Pause as a Leadership Strategy

Rest isn’t indulgent. For women who lead, it’s a strategy.

Stepping away from the noise isn’t just about relaxing — it’s about letting your nervous system reset. It’s about allowing your brain to shift out of survival mode and back into creativity, vision, and clarity.

The pause makes you better — as a leader, a mom, a partner, a friend.

Yet too many of us wait until burnout forces the pause instead of choosing it on purpose.

The Retreat That Changed Everything

Several years ago, I gave myself permission to take solo retreats.

Three nights away — no kids, no work, no schedule. Just me.

I’d sleep until I woke up naturally. I’d read by the water. Journal. Pray. Take a class that inspired me. Sometimes I booked a massage, sometimes I just sat in silence. I didn’t follow a plan. I followed what I needed.

As an introvert and a leader, that time became sacred. It wasn’t about escaping my life — it was about recalibrating it.

And every single time, I returned with more patience, more clarity, and more energy. The version of me who came home wasn’t just rested — she was renewed.

Why Women Resist the Pause

When I suggest this to clients, I hear the same objections:

• “I don’t have time.”
• “My family needs me.”
• “I’ll rest when things slow down.”

But here’s the truth: things don’t slow down on their own. If you wait for the perfect moment, you’ll wait forever.

And the cost is too high. Without the pause, we lose ourselves in the busyness.

With the pause, we return to who we really are.

The Science Behind the Pause

According to research from the University of California, periods of rest and reflection increase problem-solving ability by up to 40%.

Neuroscientists explain this through the default mode network — the part of the brain that activates when we’re resting or daydreaming. 

This network is responsible for creativity, emotional processing, and seeing the “big picture.” 

When you never pause, you’re literally running your brain without accessing its full power.

When you do pause, you unlock the clarity and innovation you’ve been too busy to access.

Action Step: 3 Ways to Build the Pause into Your Life

1. Create a Micro-Retreat

Block off 2–3 hours this week — phone off, calendar clear. 

Do something nourishing: a walk, journaling, a yoga class, or even just sitting in quiet.

2. Plan an Overnight Reset
Book one night away within the next 60 days. Even 24 hours of space can help you breathe again and return refreshed.

3. Protect “No Input” Time
Pick one block of time each week where no one can reach you — no calls, no emails, no texts. Let your brain wander. That space often sparks your best ideas.

How I can help

If you’re ready to stop running on empty and start leading and living from a place of clarity and alignment, here are three ways we can go deeper:

Grab your copy of my International Bestselling Book, “Fulfilled & Limitless.”

If you want to build a custom strategy for your goals, schedule a FREE consult HERE.

Your turn to reflect a step further: 

If you could step away for three days completely on your own, what would you do first?