What Stress? :X

Stress usually comes from holding onto fear, anger, sadness, or hurt — and not letting ourselves fully experience or process it.

Instead, we often turn to our devices, numb out, and avoid what’s really going on. The result? Feeling tense, drained, and disconnected from ourselves. Does this sound familiar?

In Ep. 216 we cover...

💡 What really causes stress (hint: it’s not just deadlines)

💡 How to mitigate stress by addressing the root cause

💡 How your body can help you process stress — instead of making it worse

💡 Daily “pause experiments” to shift out of stress patterns - listening to this definitely counts and is a great start.

Are you leading your team (or yourself for that matter)… or just managing? 🤔

In this episode, we dive into the real differences between managing tasks and leading people—and why learning to lead with clarity, confidence, and emotional intelligence is what sets the most effective tech leaders apart.

Inside, we’ll cover:

• The key traits that distinguish great leaders from great managers

• How to spot when you’re stuck in “manager mode” (and what to do about it)

• Why both roles matter—and how to intentionally step into leadership when it counts

• Practical shifts you can make today to inspire your team, be more visionary, and reduce overwhelm

If you’re feeling pulled in a million directions and want to lead with more impact, presence, and confidence—without burning out—this episode is for you.

I’d love to hear what resonates most for you after you listen. Message me and share your takeaways—I read every note personally. 💬

Want more support to rise into your next level of leadership? Learn about the Confident Tech Exec Mastermind - now open for enrollment. https://www.rachaelomeara.com/course

Why Emotional Intelligence Isn’t Just Personal—It’s Team-Based. 👥🔥

You don’t need another personality assessment or trust fall.
You need the right team norms that foster collective emotional intelligence.

In this 🔥 conversation with Dr. Vanessa Druskat—renowned researcher and author of The Emotionally Intelligent Team—we explore what makes teams thrive beyond individual EQ. If you're leading a team and feel like something’s missing, this might be it.

🤔 Team-reflection pause led by Vanessa (2:11)

📊 Rachael's real world example of a emotionally intelligent team from her Google days (4:28)
🌱 Environment > Individual EQ (11:47)
🚩 Scapegoats as Valuable Signals (17:49)
🔺 3 Pillars of Emotionally Intelligent Teams (21:52)
❤️ The Case for Belonging (27:42)
🧠 Emotion > IQ in Collective Intelligence (33:57)
⚡ The Tipping Point for Team EQ (38:52)
🔁 Examine Routines—Not Scapegoats (44:21)

💡 If you’re building, leading, or reshaping a team, this episode will give you the tools to unlock more trust, psychological safety, and sustainable performance.

🎧 Listen now + tag a colleague who needs this - and BUY THIS BOOK 👇👇

🔗 More from Vanessa, including her book, assessments and handouts at vanessadruskat.com

In this episode of The Pausecast, we’re continuing the conversation from Ep. 212 and taking it a step further.

You’ll learn practical tools to untangle your identity from your job, reclaim your energy, and redefine success on your terms.

Here’s what we cover:

🔹 Why over-identification leads to stress, burnout, and identity confusion

🔹 Powerful language shifts to separate who you are from what you do

🔹 Micro-practices to reconnect with your values, not just your title

🔹 Simple rituals & mantras (including breathwork + journaling prompts)

🔹 How to create a new paradigm of success based on alignment, energy, and clarity

This is your invitation to pause, reflect, and start creating a version of success that actually feels good. 🌿

👉 Ready to go deeper?

If you’re a high-achieving tech leader who wants more clarity, confidence, and personal energy in your next career chapter, my new group program — The Confident Tech Exec Mastermind — was designed for you.

Learn more + apply here → www.rachaelomeara.com/course

You know you’re more than your job… but why does it feel so hard to actually believe it? 🤯

In this first of a 2-part series, we get into the messy truth of why our self-worth gets so tangled up with career success—and why even the most capable leaders can feel “less than” without the title or achievement to back it up.

I share personally about my two big identity crises (one happening right now 🙋‍♀️) and why so many high-achievers fall into the trap of equating self-worth with career success. Spoiler: it’s HARD to untangle—but mission-critical if you want real confidence, clarity, and freedom at work and beyond it.

If you’ve ever secretly thought: “Who am I without my job?”—this episode is your wake-up call. 🚨

👉 Listen and start seeing yourself differently.

#identity #self-worth #career #personalgrowth #lifetransitions #authenticity #jobloss #self-discovery #mentalhealth #emotionalintelligence #leadership #pausecast

Here’s what you’ll get when you hit play:
💡 Why “being” will supercharge your “doing” (and your results)
🤯 The zillion-dollar Q: If you had all the money in the world… would you still be hustling this hard?
🔥 How to ditch outdated success habits that are quietly burning you out
🛑 The price you pay for living in constant “go mode”
💨 A guided breathwork session to re-train your body to ALLOW more ease, clarity, and joy—while still being your Type-A, high-achieving self

Do you have a mantra that helps you with more allowing and ease? Please let me know, I'd love to hear what you've been up to.

Breath Pattern:

• Halo active (inhale thru nose, exhale deeply through mouth)
• Blow breath (short, strong exhales also called the lion's breath)
• Halo active (repeat)

• 
  

About Rachael

Rachael O’Meara is a bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and career coach who helps high-achieving leaders move beyond overwhelm and self-doubt to reclaim their confidence in their next career steps. Her book Pause was a top business book for your career, and she also authored Pause the Journal and co-authored Leading with Self-Awareness. She’s been featured in the New York Times, WSJ.com, HBR and on the TEDx stage. After thirteen years at Google in client services and sales she has a pulse on what it takes to be a successful & transformational leader. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), has an MBA from Fordham University, and a Master’s in Transformational Leadership and Coaching from the Wright Graduate University. She is also a certified trauma informed breathwork facilitator. She is a eight-time rowing national champion, and tries to pause as much as possible, a lifelong challenge.

Learn more at www.rachaelomeara.com

What if your to-do list is actually holding you back from the life you really want? 📝💀

In this powerful and playful episode, bestselling author + behavioral change expert and VIP Karen Salmansohn joins Rachael to explore how mortality awareness can help high-achieving leaders pause, realign, and make bold, values-driven moves — before life forces the pivot.

Here’s what’s inside:
✨ A guided "Stop & Swap" Pause to reset in real-time
💡 How writing your own eulogy can clarify your values and next steps
🔁 Bridge habits that help you close the gap between your current life and your to-die-for life
🧠 The hidden flaw in every to-do list (and how to rethink it)

👉 Learn the 3-D Marble Mortality Method (It's powerful!)
🧭 The 7 core values Karen uses to design a more intentional life
🧱 Identity-based habits for sustainable change
🎭 Frank Sinatra, Aristotle, and… terror management theory?!
💔 Supportive tools for navigating #grief and major life transitions

This one’s for you if you’re:

→ Overthinking what comes next

→ Feeling stuck in "someday" mode

→ Ready for more clarity and connection to what really matters

🎧 Tune in now and give yourself the gift of perspective + possibility

Why you need to know Karen - she's quite incredible

Karen Salmansohn is a multi-bestselling author and leading Behavioral Change Expert with over 2 million books and online courses sold – plus the creative force behind the popular personal development website ⁠NotSalmon.com⁠. Her career began in New York’s top ad agencies (remember the Crossan'wich - thats her), leading her to a successful transition as a thought leader in personal development. She's been blessed by Madonna, talked on the TEDx stage, and is a very funny woman we all need to know.

#ThePausecast #LeadershipPause #EmotionalIntelligence #ConfidentLeader #EndOfLifeWisdom #HighAchieverHealing #ToDieForLife

You’ve crushed goals, led teams, and made an impact—but fulfillment?
That still feels… mushy—or like a luxury you don’t have time for.
Especially when:

✅ Deadlines are looming
✅ Team dynamics are draining
✅ You’re juggling high-stakes leadership and home life

Here’s the truth:
What got you here (working harder, proving yourself, pushing through)…won’t take you to your next level of leadership.

🔥 Real leadership rises when it starts from the inside.
Not by checking more boxes—but by connecting to your emotional clarity, confidence, and calm.

In this episode, Rachael shares how executive women can:
💡 Lead from EQ, not exhaustion
💡 Reclaim fulfillment without quitting
💡 Let go of the inner critic and own your voice again

🎧 Plus: a powerful mindset shift to stop confusing “calm” with “weakness.”

👉 Listen in and ask yourself:
What would change if I felt more fulfilled every day—without changing jobs?

If this resonates, tap to listen + rate the show—and don’t forget to subscribe to get more leadership clarity delivered right to your ears each week.

#HighAchievingWomen #EmotionalIntelligence #FulfilledNotFried #ThePausecast #leadership #fulfillmentnotfluff