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.

What if the shift you desire isn’t about DOING more, but becoming more intentional about who you are BEING as you DO? ✨

I got to sit down with former Disney animator, Hollywood producer, speaker, and host of Life of Awesome podcast, Saul Blinkoff, for a conversation on awe, purpose, and what it really means to wake up to your own life - all told in Saul's mesmerizing hollywood-esque narration using Disney movie themes, voices, and analogies.

Ep. 248 is off the hook IMHO, and a must-listen for anyone who is feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or like life has become a blur of responsibilities and routines, this episode is your invitation to pause, look up, and remember what makes you feel fully alive. 💫

So many of us are moving fast, checking boxes, and living in a constant state of mental noise. Saul shares why pause isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.

From his guided pause he kicks off with - based on his 25-year ritual of listening daily to the Gladiator soundtrack 🎶- to lessons from movies like The Lion King, and E.T. Saul offers a powerful reminder: life becomes more meaningful when we stop living on autopilot and start intentionally noticing what’s right in front of us.

Together, we explore:
✨ Why awe is a practice, not just a feeling

✨ How music, frequency, and intentional rituals can shift your internal state

✨ The difference between “dreaming” and "goals" and how to do both.

✨ Why responsibility is actually one of the most empowering mindsets you can adopt

✨ How small moments of presence, gratitude, and attention create a more meaningful life

Podcast Chapters

1. 1:36 – Why Pause Isn’t a Luxury
   Saul opens with why busy minds need intentional pauses and introduces his relationship with pause.
2. 3:02 – The Gladiator Ritual: Music, Frequency & Presence
   Saul shares his 25-year daily ritual of listening to the Gladiator soundtrack and how music shifts internal state.
3. 14:19 – From Resistance to Breakthrough: Drawing Mickey Mouse
   Lessons from Saul’s Disney workshop on creativity, discomfort, and unlocking hidden potential.
4. 18:13 – Rejection, Resilience & Chasing Disney Dreams
   Saul shares being rejected by Disney twice, the role of fear, and how Rudy changed his trajectory.
5. 36:49 – “Remember Who You Are” | The Lion King Lesson on Purpose & Responsibility
   Saul unpacks the deeper leadership lesson from The Lion King and why meaning matters more than happiness.

Bonus final chapter:
42:59 – Where to Find Saul + Final Reflections

My favorite moments:

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is Saul’s reframing of what many leaders are actually craving.

Not just happiness.

Not another accomplishment.

Meaning.

Because happiness often depends on what’s happening around us.

Meaning comes from how we choose to show up within it.

Because awe isn’t reserved for mountaintops, sunsets, or vacations.

It’s available in ordinary moments, too, if we’re paying attention.

My favorite Saul quote:

“The only way to tap into awe is to pause.” ✨

That about sums up this pause-some awe-some Episode 248.

Pause Song Credit: Honor Him, version from Mathias Fritsche, from The Gladiator score by Hans Zimmer.

Watch Ep. 248 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Yf0Lt2xM7fk

Networking shouldn’t feel like another task on your already full mental stack.

And yet for many of us high-achieving leaders, it still does.

Or worse, that dark cloudy dread sets in just thinking about it.

Not because you don’t know how to do it…
But because your energy is already stretched before you even walk into the room.

Whether it’s a conference, a 1:1, or a virtual intro, the real shift isn’t about doing networking better.

It’s about showing up differently.

In this episode 247 of The Pausecast, I revisit one of the most practical frameworks I share with clients for making connection feel more natural, grounded, and actually effective.

I break down:
✨ A simple reset to ground your nervous system before you engage
✨ The 3 key moments that shape every networking interaction (before, during, after)
✨ How to stop over-efforting and start connecting from presence instead of performance

This isn’t about being more polished.

It’s about being more you, with less internal noise.

Because the goal isn’t more conversations.

It’s better energy in the ones that matter.

If networking has felt heavy, dread-y or performative lately, you’re not alone, but it does require a new approach. Here's how to do it.

This one is for you as a high-achieving leader who’s doing everything right on paper…

and still feels that quiet disconnect underneath.

In this episode 246, I share a real client moment around presence and influence.
Not the performative kind. The kind where you stop carrying the emotional weight of the room, stop shrinking or posturing… and start leading from grounded authority.

Because here’s the truth no one says out loud in big tech:
When you’re oscillating between feeling “not enough” and “too much,” your energy leaks, and others sense it.

Now, you can start to shift that as we get into:

🔎 Why even the most capable leaders drift from their “ideal self” (and how overwhelm plays a bigger role than you think)
💪 What real personal agency looks like in high-stakes environments: without overcompensating or disappearing
🛠 Simple, go-to tools to regulate your energy so your presence actually lands
🚀 How to close the gap between who you are today and the leader your next role requires
🌟 What it means to lead with clarity… even when the path ahead isn’t fully mapped out

This isn’t about becoming someone new.
It’s about removing what’s been quietly getting in your way.

If you’re navigating your next career move, or feeling that subtle “stuck but successful” tension… this one will hit.

🎧 Tune in.

You’ve done everything “right.”

Career milestones, promotions, accolades. And yet… something still feels off.

In this episode, we dive into what it really takes to lead with purpose and stay resilient in tech without burning out. We explore why high performance alone doesn’t create fulfillment and how grounding yourself in clarity and presence changes everything.

In This Episode:

• What to do when your success no longer feels like enough• A more honest definition of resilience (that doesn’t require burnout)• Staying grounded and clear in a fast-moving, AI-driven industry• Balancing ambition with presence… without losing your edge• Why purpose is something you practice daily, not just something you find

Final Thoughts:

If you’ve been running full speed but quietly questioning what it’s all for, this conversation is for you. It’s about recalibrating, reclaiming your center, and leading from a place that actually feels aligned.

Resources & Links:

⁠AI for Business⁠ : Wharton School

Ishwar's site for free ebook via web site:⁠https://ishwarjoshi.com⁠

Ishawar on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishwarjoshi/⁠

Feeling ready to step out of overdrive and lead with clarity? Message me “ALIGN” on LinkedIn or reach out and let’s explore how to reclaim purpose without losing your momentum.

Nine years ago, Pause was a helpful idea when the book came out April 4, 2017.
Today, it’s essential.

In this pause-a-versary episode, I share what's different, and what's the same over the past 9 years pause has been in the wild.

I reflect on what’s changed, and why the cost of staying in overdrive is not sustainable - esp. in our era of AI, 24x7, even the trendy 996 worklife.

The point is, that works great. Until, it doesn't.

The facts speak for themselves, from 2025:

📉 82% of workers are at risk of burnout.
🧠 Multitasking is lowering our IQ and increasing errors.
📲 We’re processing up to 70,000 messages a day.

This isn’t just about pace.
It’s about what that pace is doing to your clarity, energy, and leadership.

From my experience at Google to the leaders I coach today, I’m seeing the same pattern: high performance on the outside… disconnection underneath.

And this is where pause becomes a skill.

✨ Why pause matters more now than it did 9 years ago

🧠 What’s happening in your brain when you’re stuck in overdrive

⚡ The hidden cost of “always on”

🌿 How intentional pause restores clarity and grounded confidence

Inspired by Viktor Frankl (also the dedication/intro quote to Pause the book) , we come back to one truth:

There is a space between stimulus and response.
And in that space… is your power.

But most leaders have lost access to it.

In this episode, I share the TASER technique—a practical way to interrupt stress in real time—and explore how AI and constant input are accelerating the need for pause, not replacing it.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, checked out, or stuck in constant motion, this is your invitation to recalibrate.

Because your next level won’t come from doing more.

It comes from knowing when—and how—to pause.

If something in this conversation made you stop… don’t skip past it.

That’s your signal.

Pause will help you listen—and lead from a place that actually feels aligned.

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