How emotional intelligence, unfinished business, and pausing unlock real confidence.

As we kick off another new year, this episode is an invitation to slow down—and lead differently.

Why listen now:Start 2026 with more self-trust, emotional clarity, and leadership ease—without working harder or pushing through.

In this special re-release, I’m joined by my leadership mentor, Dr. Bob Wright, one of the most influential thinkers in human development and emotional intelligence.

This conversation goes beneath strategy, performance, and productivity—and into the inner work that quietly shapes how you show up as a leader.

If you’re a high-achieving leader who’s successful on paper but still feels tension, self-doubt, or emotional reactivity under pressure, this episode will help you understand why—and what to do about it.

Together, we explore how emotional intelligence, pausing, and awareness of your “unfinished business” can radically shift how you lead, decide, and relate in the new year.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why emotional intelligence is the foundation for sustainable leadership—not a soft skill

• What “unfinished business” really is, and how it quietly drives stress, overwork, and self-doubt

• The five primary emotions—why they matter, and how working with them creates more ease and pleasure

• How projections and transferences show up at work (especially in high-stakes environments)

• Why pausing is essential when emotions are high and decisions matter

• How leaders unconsciously decide whether they do or don’t matter

• An introduction to the Wright Transformational Developmental Model and the six levels of emotional and leadership development

This episode is not about fixing yourself.
It’s about understanding yourself—so you can lead with clarity, presence, and internal authority in 2026 and beyond.

Dr. Bob Wright is a globally recognized leader in human development and emotional intelligence. He is the co-founder of LiveWright and former cofounder and Professor of Transformational Leadership at Wright Graduate University.

Named by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the nation’s top executive coaches, Dr. Wright has spent decades helping leaders understand the emotional and developmental patterns that shape their lives and leadership.

This Model of Human Growth and Development—considered one of the most comprehensive models of its kind—translates deep theory into practical, everyday leadership awareness, and continues to influence coaches, executives, and organizations worldwide.

It’s a wrap! ❤️
HAPPY… NEW… YEAR!! 🎉🎉🎉

The new year is your fresh canvas — a moment to breathe, reset, and choose how you want to lead yourself forward. This episode helps you pause with intention so you can set the tone for a powerful and purposeful 2026.
(And yes… you can do this any time of year — but year-end adds a natural energetic shift that helps your system integrate and realign.)

Here’s what we’ll dive into:

✨ Clear the Slate — Reflect on the lessons, wins, and challenges of the past year so you can release what no longer supports your energy or leadership.
✨ Create Your Future Roadmap — A simple, grounding flow to craft your 2026 vision, goals, and guiding word without overwhelm.
✨ Mindful Celebration — Meaningful ways to ring in the year with intention — whether with your team, your loved ones, or quietly with yourself.

This episode will leave you feeling centered, confident, and ready to step into the new year with clarity and heart. 💛

Tune in and make your #NewYearsEve a moment of meaningful pause.
#Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #MindfulNewYear #NewYearReflection #PowerOfPause #Pausecast

In Ep. 178 of The Pausecast...

OMG it's Christmas Week - a time to slow down, connect, and reflect.

But as leaders, how do we truly embrace the moment and share that sense of presence with others?

In this special holiday seasonal episode of The Pausecast, we’ll unwrap the keys to leading with heart and intention this holiday season.

Here’s what we’ll explore:

1. The Art of Presence: How to be fully engaged with loved ones, your team, and yourself during the holidays.

2. Reflect and Recharge: Rachael's guided pause to close out the year with gratitude and clarity.

3. Stories of Connection: Hear how Boxing Day is coming back to Rachael's family. What's your inspiring holiday tradition or story to remember or bring out joy, connecting, and reflection?

I invite you to listen to this episode and pause as we embrace the moment and step into the last week of 2025.

🌟 Celebrate. Reflect. Lead with love!

Happy Holidays, beautiful loving leaders!

What if this year, you could step into the holidays with calm, clarity, and joy?

Join me, Rachael, for this special holiday episode of The Pausecast, where we’ll explore practical and mindful ways to navigate the season stress-free.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

1. 🌀 Design Your Vision for the New Year

   • Meet your future self in Rachael's Guided Pause

     Choose your guiding word or theme for next year to anchor your goals and aspirations.

2. ✨ Embrace the Wonder of the Holidays

   • Discover how pausing to savor the magic of the season can benefit you and positively impact those around you.

   • Practical tips to stay present and soak in moments of connection and joy.

3. ⚡ Sidestep Common Holiday Pitfalls

   • Learn how to avoid energy-draining drama and shift away from a fixed mindset.

   • Strategies for bringing more playfulness into your holiday traditions to naturally boost learning and enjoyment.

4. 🌟 The Gratitude Advantage

   • Explore how cultivating gratitude can amplify your sense of joy, wonder, and productivity both during the holidays and beyond.

This episode is your invitation to lead yourself and those around you with more ease, presence, and intention this holiday season.

Tune in to Episode 177 of The Pausecast and let’s create a season that energizes, rather than depletes, you.

Ahhh, it's breathing time, YAY! Join me for this moment to realign and get back to your optimal being (and thinking using the guided technique below.

Your Go-To Reset to Realign + Believe in Yourself ✨

In this short but powerful 10 minute Pausecast episode, you’ll join me for an integrative breathwork session designed to gently regulate your nervous system, calm your mind, and bring you back into alignment. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck in overthinking, or craving a reset — this one’s for you. 🌿💗

🌬️ A simple 3-part Tri-Active Breath
I’ll walk you through one of the most powerful breath patterns for clearing mental clutter, releasing stress, and reconnecting to yourself. It’s easy, grounding, and you can use it anytime you need clarity or confidence.

💆‍♀️ A shift from “to-do mode” into “to-be mode”
You’ll feel your system soften as you move out of mental overload and back into presence — the place where real confidence and self-trust live.

⚡ A 5-minute guided reset
This practice helps you realign with your natural energy, access inner steadiness, and remember what it feels like to trust yourself again.

💛 Your go-to moment of belief
Use this session anytime you need a quick emotional reset, a boost of self-belief, or a reminder that you can handle what’s in front of you — even if it doesn’t feel clear yet.

If you want a refresher on all the benefits of a quick breathwork practice, you can check out the list below 👇

https://www.healthline.com/health/breathwork

🎧 In Episode 227, you’ll discover...

This one’s a gift to your future self.

If you’ve been sprinting through Q4 feeling stretched, scattered, or secretly wondering, “Is it just me?” — this episode is your pause, your reset, and your reminder that your brain is far more trainable than your stress would have you believe.

And you’re learning from the best.
Dr. Richard Davidson — world-renowned neuroscientist, founder of the Center for Healthy Minds, TIME 100 honoree, and co-author of Altered Traits — joins us to break down the science of attention, compassion, and resilience in a way every high-achieving tech leader in the digital economy needs right now.

This episode feels like a masterclass + warm hug + brain upgrade all in one. 🍂✨

• 💛 A beautiful Loving-Kindness guided pause from Dr. Davidson himself

• 🧠 How attention training literally reshapes your brain structure

• 🤝 What the latest research reveals about compassion practices

• ⏱️ The ideal length to meditate (yes… shorter than you think)

• 🌱 What to do if you “don’t meditate” but crave real change

• 🔄 How meditation rewires emotional patterns + boosts resilience

• 🪞 Dr. Davidson’s own pause + transformation practices

• 📲 The four scientific pillars of well-being — and the app that helps you cultivate them

• 🙌 The (surprisingly high!) percentage of Americans who meditate weekly

Why you need to know Dr. Davidson: One of the most influential voices in the science of well-being:

• William James & Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at UW–Madison

• Founder & Director — Center for Healthy Minds

• PhD in Psychology from Harvard

• Author of 400+ scientific articles and 14 books

• Co-author of Altered Traits with Daniel Goleman

• Named to TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People

• Elected to the National Academy of Medicine

• Advisor to the World Economic Forum and UNESCO

• Leading global researcher on the neural basis of emotion, meditation, and human flourishing

  
  

  #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence #TechLeadership #DigitalEconomy #MindfulnessAtWork #Pausecast #Neuroscience #ResilientLeadership #WomenInTech #HighAchievers #CenterofHealthyMinds #drricharddavidson

If you're a high-achieving leader who’s already mentally drafting Q1 OKRs between bites of pumpkin pie…

this episode is your invitation to pause - in service to all your doing!

Because here’s the truth: you are more productive, more grounded, and way more inspiring when you unplug from work and plug into gratitude.

Yep. Gratitude isn’t fluffy. It’s a performance enhancer.
Research shows that practicing gratitude at work can make you up to 50% more productive—and just 3 minutes a day for 14 days rewires your brain toward joy, ease, and emotional resilience. (Take that, endless Slack pings.)

In this Thanksgiving-week Pausecast, we explore:

1. Why gratitude is a secret leadership edge—not just a holiday hashtag.

2. Wildly compelling stats on how gratitude impacts your brain, energy, and leadership presence.

3. Simple gratitude practices you can integrate during a season that’s supposed to be warm and meaningful… but often feels like a sprint.

4. How gratitude helps you thrive (especially when work is intense or life feels “a lot”).

5. Your personalized Gratitude Pause Plan—so you leave with something you can use immediately.

If you’re craving more ease, more grounding, and a holiday season that feels like connection instead of another item on your to-do list… you’ll love this one. 🧡

#ThanksgivingWeek

• #GratitudeSeason

• #HolidayWellbeing

• #ThankfulLeader

  #Techleaders

"We can’t see the forest from inside it. Strategic pauses create the distance required for clarity." — Rachael O’Meara

I just released a new episode of the podcast, and it’s a personal one. I’m sharing a few unexpected leadership lessons from my recent trip to Thailand—especially from the Lantern Festival, where thousands of glowing lanterns lifted into the night sky.

It reminded me how much leaders need moments of wonder to stay inspired… and how easy it is to forget that when we’re deep in deadlines and decisions.

In this episode, I talk about:
– Why beauty and play actually fuel clarity and creativity
– How adaptability becomes a superpower when things don’t go as planned
– What gentle strength (thank you, elephants) can teach us about grounded confidence
– Why collaborating with strangers can open up new possibilities
– And the one thing every tech leader needs more of right now: strategic pausing

If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, reactive, or low on inspiration lately, I think this one will feel grounding.

Why you need to know Rachael O'Meara

Rachael O’Meara is an author, TEDx speaker, executive coach, and host of The Pausecast. She helps high-achieving tech leaders move beyond overwhelm and self-doubt to reclaim confidence, energy, and clarity—so they can lead with purpose on their terms for what's next.