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In this episode of Time to Press Pause, Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, interviews Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier (MH), a leadership psychologist, executive coach, and workplace mental health expert. Dr. Peltier discusses the importance of taking strategic pauses in life and leadership, sharing her own experience of pressing pause during the lead-up to her book launch, The Resilience Plan. She emphasizes how proactively managing her time before, during, and after the book's publication allowed her to be fully present and creative during key moments, something she attributes to the success of her launch.

Dr. Pelletier explains that pressing pause doesn’t always mean a complete stop, but rather adjusting the usual pace to focus on what matters most. She also highlights the importance of integrating pauses into one’s strategic planning for resilience, ensuring leaders have the mental space and energy to seize new opportunities.

Ellen and Dr. Pelletier discuss how taking breaks enables better performance and creativity, offering advice to CEOs and leaders to plan for pauses as part of their leadership strategies. The conversation concludes with the reminder that leaders should be intentional about their resilience, just as they are about other business goals.

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In this episode of Time To Press Pause, Brynn Gibbs shares her experiences as a CEO and the pivotal moments when she realized she needed to "press pause" to improve her leadership and company culture. About three years ago, she recognized that her controlling nature was hindering the growth of her company, Consumer Fusion. To address this, she implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), which helped her delegate responsibilities, empower her team, and foster a healthier work-life balance. The EOS tools, particularly the People Analyzer, allowed her to align her team with the company's core values and restructure roles for better efficiency and satisfaction.

Brynn also discussed the importance of understanding and maintaining the "why" behind her business, which stems from her personal experience with cyberbullying in high school. This passion for reputation management continues to drive her work today.

Brynn shared a second "press pause" moment related to her tendency to compare herself to other successful companies, which caused her stress and detracted from her enjoyment of work. Her business coach introduced her to the book *The Gap and The Gain* by Dan Sullivan, which helped her shift her mindset to focus on celebrating her own progress rather than comparing herself to others. This change in perspective allowed her to better appreciate her achievements and set a healthier long-term vision for her life and business.

Overall, Brynn’s advice to CEOs is to recognize when it's time to pause and reassess, avoid unhealthy comparisons, and focus on empowering their teams for sustainable growth.

To learn more about Brynn Gibbs, go to www.consumerfusion.com. To learn more about Ellen Williams, go to www.thesalientstrategist.com.

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In this episode of *Time to Press Pause*, host Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, interviews Julie Christiansen, known as the "Anger Lady," who is the president and CEO of Leverage U and author of 15 books on leadership and mental health. Julie shares her personal story of burnout and pressing pause after her father suffered two strokes, and she experienced a severe bout of vertigo due to stress.

She discusses the importance of recognizing the signs of burnout, grounding oneself, and practicing intentional self-care strategies. Julie emphasizes the value of delegating tasks with purpose, building resilience, and balancing work with personal well-being. She also offers practical advice on identifying when to pause, using methods like the "fun and money" exercise to evaluate which tasks to prioritize, and checking in daily on emotional well-being.

Julie’s experiences serve as a reminder for CEOs and entrepreneurs to prioritize mental health and avoid pushing through stress at the expense of long-term well-being.