The Pause and Burnout.

A few weeks ago, I spoke at an event called "The Pause: Beyond the Hustle."

The event was created by Stephanie Cuachon and Kathleen Foldvari (more about them below), who come from helping professions where burnout, pressure, and emotional overload are common—but rarely talked about openly. Through years of work in mental health, healthcare, and community support, they saw the same pattern again and again: capable, committed people burning out while trying to hold everything together.

"The Pause: Beyond the Hustle" was created to offer something different—a space to slow down, have honest conversations about burnout, and share practical tools that help people care for their mental health while continuing to do meaningful work.

Throughout the presentation and accompanying discussion, one theme stood out to me:

People are exhausted.

They're trying so hard to show up for themselves and others, knowing there are habits they want to change, but making meaningful change feels like a lot of work, and at the end of the day, they're running on fumes. There's no gas left in the tank.

I had been asked to speak about my book - and what kept coming to me was that the Pause doesn't need to feel difficult or huge. It doesn't need to feel like one more thing to add to an already overwhelming list of things to do. There are different ways to Pause, different purposes and intentions around the Pause.

Here are a few that came up in our conversation:

• The Pause is an opportunity to look around - at where you've been, where you're going, what other pathways are available to you.

• The Pause is a moment to feel inward and trust your intuition.

• The Pause is a moment of awareness and choosing how you want to show up - for yourself, for others.

• The Pause is an opportunity to check in with your nervous system.

• The Pause is one small step in a journey of healing, of transformation.

• The Pause is different for each of us.

• The Pause is a time to get curious.

• The Pause is a way of supporting yourself.

• The Pause is a moment of choice in the face of discomfort or judgment.

• The Pause is an opportunity to create safety.

• The Pause is a moment to notice when you're on autopilot.

• The Pause is a place for connecting to your values, to your WHY.

What does the Pause mean to you?
How do you Pause?
What tools help you to get off of the treadmill?

If you sense that the Pause would be helpful to you, but you don't know where or how to start, book 30 minutes with me. I'd love to support you as you decide how to refuel yourself and create the next step of your journey. (It's free - no obligation, no pressure.)

Kathleen Foldvari of A Minute for Mental Health is a social worker and therapist who helps individuals and teams break the cycle of burnout, perfectionism and imposter syndrome. She has created Burnout Affirmation Cards - a simple and practical tool to help people reset and protect their peace.

Stephanie Cuachon of OnCue Executive Solutions supports leaders in bringing focus and clarity to their business operations. She knows her team has been successful when their client feels confidence, energy and excitement about business growth.

The Power of the Pause is a workbook and guide that gives you the tools to support yourself as you learn how to connect to and trust your inner knowing, so you can make meaningful and lasting change in your life.

More about the book here.

Click here to purchase on Amazon.