Designed Pause Podcast

Open Palmed: A Conversation with Sandy Diaz Haley

Sandy Diaz Haley did not leave corporate on a whim. She left when the timing was right, the cushion was there, and nothing on the corporate side excited her anymore. And even then — it was the hardest she has ever worked. Sandy is the founder of SDH Communications and the creator of the Badass Collective, a community of 3,000 plus communications and PR professionals that started as a happy hour after an unexpected layoff and grew into something she never planned. In this episode we talk about building something accidentally and intentionally at the same time, what corporate trauma actually looks like and how long it takes to feel it lift, why listening is the foundation of all good communication — including the communication you have with yourself, the job interview that confirmed she was exactly where she was supposed to be, and what she whispered to her daughter at camp drop-off that says everything about how she moves through the world. Her advice for anyone still in corporate: don't be impulsive, take your inventory, and choose your hard. Both paths are difficult. The question is which one you can make peace with. Connect with Sandy and SDH Communications: https://www.sdhcommunications.com/ The Badass Collective: https://wearetbcollective.com/ Get the Designed Pause Decision Kit — 50% off with code PAUSEPOD: https://stan.store/designedpause/p/get-my-designed-pause-decision-kit-now-copy Free journaling prompts: designedpause.com

Bet on Yourself: A Conversation with Kalilah Wright

Kalilah Wright founded Mess in a Bottle in 2016 with less than $500, during one of the hardest seasons of her personal life. What followed was nearly a decade of building something remarkable — national television, major brand partnerships, and close to $10 million in revenue. And then life changed. The stakes got higher. The hustle that worked at 32 looked different at 42. And Khalilah found herself at a crossroads that a lot of entrepreneurs recognize but rarely talk about out loud. This episode is that conversation. We talk about betting on yourself when everything around you is a mess, using skills you already have in ways you never expected, what it means to protect what you have built when you have more to lose, running toward everything at once and not being attached to how it lands, and what she is building next. Kalilah also shares the resource that has shaped how she thinks about her next chapter — The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran — and drops some breaking news about what is coming up for her. This one is real. No polish. No highlight reel. Just an honest conversation about what it looks like to keep building when the road changes underneath you. Check out Mess in a Bottle: https://www.messinabottle.com/ The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran: https://amzn.to/4vfuobE Get the Designed Pause Decision Kit — 50% off with code PAUSEPOD: https://stan.store/designedpause/p/get-my-designed-pause-decision-kit-now-copy designedpause.com

Burn It All Down: Bernadette Smith on Building a Life Led by Freedom

Bernadette Smith has been an entrepreneur for 22 years. She didn't leave corporate to start over — she never went in. And what she built instead is a masterclass in following purpose over comfort, even when it means burning it all down and starting again. In this conversation, Bernadette and I talk about: * How a Supreme Court ruling on the steps of the Massachusetts State House launched her first business * What it actually felt like to walk away from six-figure weddings in New York City at the height of her success * The abundance mindset work that got her through her hardest season — and why it's still a daily practice * How Inclusive 360 was born directly from imposter syndrome * What self-love actually has to do with professional freedom * How she designed a life led by her two core values: freedom and optimism Get Inclusive 360 by Bernadette Smith: https://amzn.to/4dRfiDo You're a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero: https://amzn.to/4dzXlI6 You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero: https://amzn.to/499yf1o The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu: https://amzn.to/3RQ0v37 Five Things Newsletter by Bernadette Smith: https://amzn.to/3RQ0v37 Get the Designed Pause Decision Kit — 50% off with code PAUSEPOD [https://stan.store/designedpause/p/get-my-designed-pause-decision-kit-now-copy]

You Don’t Owe Anyone An Explanation - How to Make a Big Life Decision Without Asking for Permission

The thing keeping most high-achieving women from making a big life decision isn’t other people’s opinions. It’s the anticipation of them. In this episode I talk about what it actually looks like to make a decision that belongs entirely to you — without asking for a panel, without defending yourself before you’re ready, and without owing anyone an explanation you didn’t agree to give. We cover: * Why the imaginary audience is more dangerous than the real one * How to protect a decision while it’s still forming — without being secretive * The three categories of people in your life and who gets access to what, and when * What to actually say when people ask — and how to say it without apologizing   Download the free Designed Pause journaling prompts: www.designedpause.com

Finding the Audacity to Pause - A Career Break, A Pivot or Rest is Within Reach

You know you need to stop. Your body knows it. Your sleep knows it. But you can't quite give yourself permission to do it. That's not a logistics problem. That's an audacity problem. In this episode I walk through the four things that make pausing feel impossible for high-achieving corporate professionals — and why finding the audacity to slow down is one of the most strategic things you can do. We cover: 1. The permission problem — why you keep waiting to earn rest you were never going to be handed 2. The identity threat — why pausing feels like disappearing, and what's actually on the other side of that fear 3. What you're actually afraid of losing — and what I found out when I lost it anyway 4. Why audacity is a skill, not a personality trait — and how to start practicing it today   Download the free Designed Pause journaling prompts: www.designedpause.com