Time To Press Pause – A Podcast for CEOs by CEOs

Be Present to Unleash Creative New Opportunities

In this episode of Time to Press Pause, Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, interviews Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier (MH), a leadership psychologist, executive coach, and workplace mental health expert. Dr. Pelletier discusses the importance of taking strategic pauses in life and leadership, sharing her own experience of pressing pause during the lead-up to her book launch, The Resilience Plan. She emphasizes how proactively managing her time before, during, and after the book’s publication allowed her to be fully present and creative during key moments, something she attributes to the success of her launch.

Dr. Pelletier explains that pressing pause doesn’t always mean a complete stop, but rather adjusting the usual pace to focus on what matters most. She also highlights the importance of integrating pauses into one’s strategic planning for resilience, ensuring leaders have the mental space and energy to seize new opportunities.

Ellen and Dr. Pelletier discuss how taking breaks enables better performance and creativity, offering advice to CEOs and leaders to plan for pauses as part of their leadership strategies. The conversation concludes with the reminder that leaders should be intentional about their resilience, just as they are about other business goals.