The Messy Middle

The Pain Isn't the Problem

In this episode of Essential Pause, Carey shares a personal story about back pain and an unexpected lesson from a massage therapist: the place that hurts isn’t always the source. Using the PAUSE framework, she explores how we often seek advice, mentoring, or coaching for symptoms rather than the deeper systems shaping them. This conversation invites listeners to slow down, treat discomfort as intelligent data, and resist the rush to quick fixes. You’ll leave with a simple practice to help you uncover what’s really asking for your attention.

Essential Pause: Leading and Living with Intention- Introduction

This brand-new podcast, created in partnership between Dragon Podcasts and Loyola University, invites you to step into the in-between spaces—where reflection, awareness, and intentional action take root. Guided by Loyola University’s Dr. Carey Borkoski—coach, educator, and researcher—this series opens a thoughtful conversation on how we lead and live with greater clarity and purpose.

Slowing Down to Find Our Way Forward

In this episode, Carey is joined by Jesse Tubbs, an adventure racer and coach whose understanding of pausing was shaped in high-stakes, multi-day races that rely on map-and-compass navigation across biking, hiking, running, and kayaking terrain. Jesse shares how slowing down—once a source of frustration—became essential for course correction, team alignment, and success, reminding us that the fastest person on the course can still be going the wrong way. Together, we explore the power of creating moments of stillness to gain clarity, cultivating awareness and compassionate acceptance of our experiences, and honoring what both we and others bring to the table when navigating challenge, leadership, and life.

Already in the Room: Leading from Your Authentic Self

You often already have what you need to lead, teach, or coach. In this episode, Carey is joined by Jessica Harrington, a values-based higher ed director committed to strengthening the practices and understanding of leadership, creativity, & innovation through program development, mentoring, and coaching. Together, they explore the role and importance of showing up authentically, centering others, and trusting your presence to provide clarity, creativity, and belonging.

The Messy Middle

In this episode of Essential Pause, Carey is joined by colleague and friend Dr. Es Swihart for a real-life conversation about what it means to pause in the messy middle—those everyday moments filled with motion, relationships, and deadlines. Building on earlier episodes that introduced the pause as a practice, Carey and Es explore how change often begins in the smallest micro-moments: a breath before responding, a quiet reflection, a walk between meetings. This episode bridges theory and lived experience, offering stories, insights, and reminders that growth rarely happens neatly—but it does happen when we slow down enough to notice.