The Permission to Pause

Rest isn’t a reward. It’s where the real work begins.

There’s a moment in every driven person’s life when the grind stops feeling like growth.
This was exactly my position after a tremendous amount of work commitments over the entire span of Q2 2025 — a season marked by consistent domestic and international travel, brand-building efforts for The Storyteller, and the honor of graduating from the prestigious African-American Leadership Academy of Charlotte, which I shared more about on LinkedIn.

The pace was relentless — meetings, flights, strategy sessions, personal milestones — all stacked back-to-back. For weeks, it felt like I was running on momentum alone.

I was still getting things done. Still making the meetings. Still saying yes. But I had lost the margin to check in with myself.

That’s when I started learning something I was never taught in school, in business, or in leadership development:

During my much-needed PTO, I finally had a chance to slow down — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. In that stillness, something powerful surfaced: inspiration.

I realized I wasn’t the only one who needed to be reminded that rest isn’t optional — it’s essential. That’s when this idea came to me:
What if I created a series for all of us — a space to explore what rest means, how it heals, and why it matters now more than ever?

This issue kicks off that series.

Since then, rest has become more than sleep or recovery — it’s become a leadership tool.

When I pause:

• I make better decisions.

• I become more empathetic.

• I regain creativity and vision.

• I feel human again — not just productive.

📌 So Here’s Your Invitation This Week:

Pick one moment to rest — on purpose.

✔️ 15 minutes of silence with no screen
✔️ A walk without a podcast
✔️ Saying “no” to one thing, just because you need space
✔️ Closing your laptop even when the work isn’t “done”

You don’t have to hit a wall to take a break.
You don’t need to be exhausted to choose stillness.
Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is... pause.

📚 Books That Shaped This Reflection

These reads helped me reframe rest not as weakness, but as wisdom:

• Rest Is Resistance – Tricia Hersey

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry – John Mark Comer

• Essentialism – Greg McKeown

• Wintering – Katherine May

• Sacred Rhythms – Ruth Haley Barton

One chapter can shift the way you lead — or the way you breathe.

💭 Let’s Reflect

When was the last time you chose rest before burnout?

Hit reply and let me know. I’ll feature a few reflections in next week’s issue:
📬 “The Sacredness of Stillness” — a reflection on the deeper, often hidden renewal that happens when we stop trying to earn our worth.

Until then,
Rest well. Lead well.
— DeWayne