What happens when a Silver Medalist, Olympic athlete, F100 leader, women's sports advocate, and cancer survivor shares the lessons she's learned about performance, purpose, and trusting yourself through life's biggest transitions?

In this inspiring conversation, I sit down with Kate Johnson, a 2004 Olympic rower, trailblazing sports marketing leader at Google, TED speaker, and breast cancer survivor. Kate's story is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and listening to your inner wisdom when the path ahead feels uncertain.

For high-achieving tech leaders who are questioning what's next, feeling stuck in the grind, or wondering whether they're still aligned with the work they're doing, this episode offers a refreshing reminder: success isn't just about pushing harder. Sometimes the breakthrough comes from reconnecting to joy, trusting your intuition, and creating space to hear yourself think.

⏱️ Quote Worth Remembering

"The 1st and 2nd thoughts are usually based in fear. The 3rd thought is where the truth lives." - Kate Johnson, 2004 Olympic Sliver Medalist, US Rowing W8+

In this episode, we explore:

✨ How Kate wrote "Olympian" as a goal after only six weeks of rowing and made it a reality(!)

✨ The surprising parallels between elite athletics and executive leadership

✨ What it was like building Google's sports marketing practice from the ground up and convincing others to believe in a vision before they could see it

✨ Why finding joy again helped her overcome one of the toughest periods of her Olympic journey

✨ The life-changing lessons she learned during her battle with Stage 3 breast cancer

✨ How a six-month leave of absence transformed her priorities, career, and life

✨ The powerful "third thought" practice that helps quiet fear and reconnect with truth

✨ Why being fully committed matters when deciding whether to stay, leave, or pursue your next big opportunity

Moments worth pausing for:

🏅 04:00 — Writing down an Olympic dream after just six weeks of rowing

🚀 18:30 — Building something new at Google and navigating resistance as a trailblazer

💛 28:00 — Returning to joy when hard work alone wasn't producing results

🎗️ 36:00 — The breast cancer diagnosis that changed everything

🌲 41:00 — Why stepping away created clarity, healing, and a new vision for life

✨ 48:00 — The "third thought" technique for making aligned career decisions

🎯 58:00 — How to know when it's time to move on from a role

If you've been wondering whether you're playing small, questioning your next move, or feeling disconnected from the work that once energized you, this conversation is a powerful invitation to pause, listen inward, and trust what you already know. 💙

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMfDf8x930c

#Pausecast #OlympianMindset #Leadership #CareerGrowth #WomenInLeadership #Resilience #PowerOfPause #ExecutiveCoaching #TechLeadership #CareerTransitions #WomensSports #BreastCancerSurvivor #HighPerformanceLeadership

I share what it's like to go from overthinking to self-trust, and how to navigate career decisions with greater confidence.

What happens when you've done everything "right" and still feel stuck?

You've built a successful career. You've worked hard. You've checked the boxes. Yet when it comes to making your next big decision, whether it's a promotion, career transition, new opportunity, or simply admitting something isn't working anymore, clarity feels frustratingly out of reach.

In this special episode, I sit down with Davis Nguyen from Career Coaching Secrets to explore one of the biggest challenges I see among high-achieving leaders: learning to trust yourself when the stakes feel high.

I share my own journey from burnout during my years at Google, the wake-up call that led me to take a three-month unpaid leave, and why so many smart, capable leaders get trapped in analysis paralysis without even realizing it.

We talk about the hidden cost of waiting for clarity, why confidence isn't something you magically find one day, and how learning to pause can help you reconnect with what you already know deep down.

If you've been overthinking a decision, questioning your next move, or feeling caught between where you are and where you want to be, this conversation is for you.

✨ A few moments you may want to jump to:

⏱️ 9:00 — Why high achievers get stuck in analysis paralysis and what keeps us spinning when making important decisions.

⏱️ 12:00 — A client story that illustrates an unexpected truth: sometimes the breakthrough isn't another strategy. It's giving yourself permission to pause.

⏱️ 18:30 — Why commitment is a skill and how self-trust grows when we stop keeping one foot in and one foot out.

⏱️ 24:00 — Why you don't need clarity before asking for support. In many cases, support is what helps create clarity.

⏱️ 28:00 — Rethinking career success beyond titles, achievements, and external validation so you can define success on your own terms.

💡 One of my favorite takeaways from this conversation:

"My whole life changed because I took a chance on me."

Many of us were taught that confidence comes from having the answer.

I've found the opposite is often true.

Confidence grows when we learn to trust ourselves enough to take the next step before we can see the entire path.

And sometimes that begins with something surprisingly simple:

A pause. Not as a luxury, but as a leadership skill.

Sometimes the next step isn't another strategy. It's a conversation.

If this episode resonated and you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about what's next, I'd love to help.

Book a complimentary Career Clarity Call and let's uncover what's beneath the noise so you can move forward with greater confidence and self-trust.

👉 https://calendly.com/rachaelomeara/30mins

You may not be stuck, you may simply need more intention.

What if your next career move isn’t a promotion… but a deeper alignment with what actually energizes you?

In this episode 249 of The Pausecast, I sit down with longtime tech leader, and Google Director Monique Sanchez , and longtime x-DoubleClicker colleague of mine for a grounded, honest conversation on navigating career growth in today’s rapidly changing tech landscape.

Monique has spent 18 years at Google (26+ years in digital overall), weathering everything from the dot-com boom and bust to AI disruption, layoffs, reorgs, and shifting market pressures.

Her perspective is refreshingly real: you don’t always need to chase the next title or make a dramatic pivot to grow.

Sometimes the most strategic move is learning how to grow where you’re planted.

We explore: How to stay resilient and grounded amid the noise: reorgs, change, and AI uncertainty Why career growth isn’t always vertical (and why lateral moves matter) How to know when your work is no longer aligned with your strengths The importance of finding your “true north” and making decisions from clarity, not ego How leaders can stay relevant in the age of AI by learning just one hour a week

One of my favorite moments?

Monique shares this gem:

“It’s not AI that will take your job. It’s the person using AI to amplify themselves.”

If you’re a high-achieving leader feeling stuck, uncertain, or wondering what’s next in your career, this episode is a powerful reminder that not every chapter requires reinvention.

Sometimes it requires a pause, a little perspective, and the courage to author your own narrative.