S3E2: Gather at the Well: How to Plan Your Pause - Frameworks + Practices for Stepping Away
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Overview
The pause only works if you plan for it. Here’s how to get ready to truly rest.
Whether you’re heading into a sabbatical, PTO, or just a long weekend, this episode helps you actually get ready to rest. Lindsey shares three readiness reflections — Finance, People, and Program — to gauge if your org (and you) can sustain time away.
You’ll learn how to design an “only-call-me-if” checklist that protects your peace and keeps operations smooth—so you can step away without second-guessing.
Then, run a Start–Stop–Continue to help your team prioritize what truly matters, pause what can wait, and sustain the rhythms that make your culture healthy. These simple tools turn time off from something stressful into something strategic.
Part of the Power of the Pause series, this conversation reminds nonprofit pros, educators, and helpers everywhere that rest isn’t a reward — it’s a leadership practice.
You’ll hear:
A repeatable framework to prep for sabbatical, PTO, or any meaningful pause
How your pause can strengthen, not stall, your team’s momentum
Tools that make re-entry smoother and less overwhelming
Key Takeaways
Preparing for breaks is crucial for both personal rejuvenation and organizational stability.
Reflecting on finance, people, and program helps assess an organization's readiness for staff absences.
Taking a "powerful pause" can lead to renewed energy and clarity upon return.
Fostering a culture of reciprocal care ensures team support during absences.
Visualization aids in setting intentions and preparing mentally for time away.
Trusting intuition is vital in leadership, especially when planning breaks.
The "start, continue, stop" framework helps manage responsibilities effectively.
Collectivism and team support are essential for smooth organizational functioning.
Affirmations
I can focus on my preparation and trust the process.
Every step of prep brings me closer to recovery.
I am resilient as I approach my restoration.
Today’s Speaker
Lindsey Fuller, Executive Director of The Teaching Well
Marisol Pineda Conde, Deputy Director of The Teaching Well
“It never seems like the right time to go out. You’re not crazy. That’s real. Your job is to find the right-ish time.”
Episode Transcript
Download Full Episode Transcript Here
Episode Highlights
Preparing for a Powerful Pause: The Need for Rest (01:00)
Extended Breaks & Sabbaticals: Overcoming Resistance (03:00)
Readiness Reflections: Finance, People, Program (04:54)
The Role of a Co-Leader & Timing Your Leave (08:46)
Somatic Practice: Breathe and Bloom (feat. Marisol Pineda Conde) (10:51)
Emergency Checklist: Planning for Critical Issues (13:48)
Start, Stop, Continue: Transitioning Responsibility (17:58)
Somatic Exercise with Marisol Pineda Conde (21:30)
Visualization for Restoration & Setting Intentions (23:50)
Affirmations and Reflective Questions for Readiness (27:58)
Powerful Quotes
“Half the battle is getting you to the starting line of your time away.”- Lindsey Fuller
"A solid co-leader, this blessing of a human is the game changer. They are the glue that allows you to rest without the pieces of your company falling apart."- Lindsey Fuller
"Intuition is an essential tool in leadership." - Lindsey Fuller
"You cannot continue to do all parts of that person’s job while they’re out." - Lindsey Fuller
"Visualization is a powerful tool. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system—what some refer to as the rest and digest response." - Lindsey Fuller
"What’s on the other side of this discomfort, of the overwhelm of the to do's, is the rest you desire." - Lindsey Fuller
"A powerful pause is also a case for collectivism. Your team holds you down now and you have their back when they need time away. This is a true culture of reciprocal care." - Lindsey Fuller
"The emergency checklist allows all parties in your organization...to have real certainty around the short list of topics that you would be contacted about during your leave." - Lindsey Fuller
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