Time To Press Pause – Real-Life Stories from the C-Suite
Time To Press Pause - Real-Life Stories from the C-Suite
Podcast Description
The only constant is change.To successfully navigate through the change, leaders need the time and space to focus.It’s time to press pause.Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, is the host of these raw, intimate C-Suite "press pause" stories. Listen to the why, when, and how they knew it was time to press pause and their outcomes. Pausing to focus is crucial, whether it is minutes, days, weeks, or longer because some decisions can be made quickly, but many can’t and shouldn’t.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
This podcast centers around themes such as leadership development, personal growth, and resilience in the face of change. Topics discussed include recognizing burnout, the importance of taking strategic pauses, and the realignment of professional goals with personal values, evidenced by episodes featuring guests like Ruchi Pinniger discussing mentorship and financial guidance and Urs Koenig exploring self-assessment in leadership.
The only constant is change.
To successfully navigate through the change, leaders need the time and space to focus.
It’s time to press pause.
Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, is the host of these raw, intimate C-Suite “press pause” stories. Listen to the why, when, and how they knew it was time to press pause and their outcomes.
Pausing to focus is crucial, whether it is minutes, days, weeks, or longer because some decisions can be made quickly, but many can’t and shouldn’t.
What happens when everything that’s worked your entire career… suddenly stops working?
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, Ellen sits down with Nicole Donnelly, co-founder of Cardinal Search Partners, to unpack a deeply human and vulnerable moment in her career, when success stalled, confidence wavered, and nothing seemed to move forward.
After nearly two decades of success in legal recruiting, Nicole found herself in unfamiliar territory: stuck, uncertain, and questioning everything.
Instead of pushing harder in the same direction, she did something most high-performers avoid, she paused.
What followed was a powerful shift:
- From autopilot → intentional action
- From comparison → self-awareness
- From comfort → growth through discomfort
Nicole shares how leaning into discomfort, building her personal brand, and changing her daily actions helped her rebuild momentum and become a stronger leader in the process.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone in sales, leadership, or high-performance roles who feels stuck despite doing “everything right.”
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why success can suddenly stop working (even after years of results)
- The difference between a forced pause and a conscious pause
- How comparison kills momentum and how to break free from it
- Practical ways to “get comfortable with the uncomfortable”
- How LinkedIn and personal branding can reignite growth
- Why vulnerability makes you a stronger leader
Key Takeaways:
- “What worked before won’t always work next.”
- Growth often starts where comfort ends
- Comparison is one of the biggest blockers to progress
- Small daily shifts can completely change your trajectory
Connect & Learn More:
Guest:
Nicole Donnelly:
- Company: https://www.cardinalsp.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleldonnelly/
Host:
Ellen Williams
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenwilliamsny/
- Book: https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Time-Ellen-Williams/dp/1637778481/
If this episode resonated with you:
Follow the show, share it with someone who needs a reset, and take a moment to reflect, where in your life is it time to press pause?
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