The Pausecast

Rachael O'Meara || The Pausecast
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The Pausecast podcast helps high-achieving leaders move beyond overwhelm and self-doubt to reclaim their confidence in their next career steps using Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience, Mindfulness, and more. Hosted by Rachael O’Meara, MBA, MA, is a PCC executive coach with over a decade at Google and co-founder of SIC Venture Studio. Her 3 books 'Pause', 'Pause the Journal', and her latest collaboration 'Leading with Self-Awareness' are key resources for career growth. Her work is featured in the NYT, WSJ, HBR, and TEDx.

  1. Ep. 178: Presence 🎁 Is Your Power

    DEC 23

    Ep. 178: Presence 🎁 Is Your Power

    In Ep. 178 of The Pausecast... OMG it's Christmas Week - a time to slow down, connect, and reflect. But as leaders, how do we truly embrace the moment and share that sense of presence with others? In this special holiday seasonal episode of The Pausecast, we’ll unwrap the keys to leading with heart and intention this holiday season. Here’s what we’ll explore: The Art of Presence: How to be fully engaged with loved ones, your team, and yourself during the holidays. Reflect and Recharge: Rachael's guided pause to close out the year with gratitude and clarity. Stories of Connection: Hear how Boxing Day is coming back to Rachael's family. What's your inspiring holiday tradition or story to remember or bring out joy, connecting, and reflection? I invite you to listen to this episode and pause as we embrace the moment and step into the last week of 2025. 🌟 Celebrate. Reflect. Lead with love! Happy Holidays, beautiful loving leaders!

    14 min
  2. 🎄 Ep. 177: Ditch Stress & Meet Your Joy-full Future Self 🎉

    DEC 16

    🎄 Ep. 177: Ditch Stress & Meet Your Joy-full Future Self 🎉

    What if this year, you could step into the holidays with calm, clarity, and joy? Join me, Rachael, for this special holiday episode of The Pausecast, where we’ll explore practical and mindful ways to navigate the season stress-free. Here’s what we’ll cover: 🌀 Design Your Vision for the New Year Meet your future self in Rachael's Guided Pause Choose your guiding word or theme for next year to anchor your goals and aspirations. ✨ Embrace the Wonder of the Holidays Discover how pausing to savor the magic of the season can benefit you and positively impact those around you. Practical tips to stay present and soak in moments of connection and joy. ⚡ Sidestep Common Holiday Pitfalls Learn how to avoid energy-draining drama and shift away from a fixed mindset. Strategies for bringing more playfulness into your holiday traditions to naturally boost learning and enjoyment. 🌟 The Gratitude Advantage Explore how cultivating gratitude can amplify your sense of joy, wonder, and productivity both during the holidays and beyond. This episode is your invitation to lead yourself and those around you with more ease, presence, and intention this holiday season. Tune in to Episode 177 of The Pausecast and let’s create a season that energizes, rather than depletes, you.

    21 min

  3. DEC 9

    Ep. 228: From Overthinking → Optimal Thinking: Your Guided Reset

    Ahhh, it's breathing time, YAY! Join me for this moment to realign and get back to your optimal being (and thinking using the guided technique below. Your Go-To Reset to Realign + Believe in Yourself ✨ In this short but powerful 10 minute Pausecast episode, you’ll join me for an integrative breathwork session designed to gently regulate your nervous system, calm your mind, and bring you back into alignment. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck in overthinking, or craving a reset — this one’s for you. 🌿💗 🌬️ A simple 3-part Tri-Active BreathI’ll walk you through one of the most powerful breath patterns for clearing mental clutter, releasing stress, and reconnecting to yourself. It’s easy, grounding, and you can use it anytime you need clarity or confidence. 💆‍♀️ A shift from “to-do mode” into “to-be mode”You’ll feel your system soften as you move out of mental overload and back into presence — the place where real confidence and self-trust live. ⚡ A 5-minute guided resetThis practice helps you realign with your natural energy, access inner steadiness, and remember what it feels like to trust yourself again. 💛 Your go-to moment of beliefUse this session anytime you need a quick emotional reset, a boost of self-belief, or a reminder that you can handle what’s in front of you — even if it doesn’t feel clear yet. If you want a refresher on all the benefits of a quick breathwork practice, you can check out the list below 👇 https://www.healthline.com/health/breathwork

    11 min
  4. Ep. 227: Dr. Richard Davidson on Neuroscience

    DEC 2

    Ep. 227: Dr. Richard Davidson on Neuroscience

    🎧 In Episode 227, you’ll discover... This one’s a gift to your future self. If you’ve been sprinting through Q4 feeling stretched, scattered, or secretly wondering, “Is it just me?” — this episode is your pause, your reset, and your reminder that your brain is far more trainable than your stress would have you believe. And you’re learning from the best. Dr. Richard Davidson — world-renowned neuroscientist, founder of the Center for Healthy Minds, TIME 100 honoree, and co-author of Altered Traits — joins us to break down the science of attention, compassion, and resilience in a way every high-achieving tech leader in the digital economy needs right now. This episode feels like a masterclass + warm hug + brain upgrade all in one. 🍂✨ 💛 A beautiful Loving-Kindness guided pause from Dr. Davidson himself 🧠 How attention training literally reshapes your brain structure 🤝 What the latest research reveals about compassion practices ⏱️ The ideal length to meditate (yes… shorter than you think) 🌱 What to do if you “don’t meditate” but crave real change 🔄 How meditation rewires emotional patterns + boosts resilience 🪞 Dr. Davidson’s own pause + transformation practices 📲 The four scientific pillars of well-being — and the app that helps you cultivate them 🙌 The (surprisingly high!) percentage of Americans who meditate weekly Why you need to know Dr. Davidson: One of the most influential voices in the science of well-being: William James & Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at UW–Madison Founder & Director — Center for Healthy Minds PhD in Psychology from Harvard Author of 400+ scientific articles and 14 books Co-author of Altered Traits with Daniel Goleman Named to TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People Elected to the National Academy of Medicine Advisor to the World Economic Forum and UNESCO Leading global researcher on the neural basis of emotion, meditation, and human flourishing #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence #TechLeadership #DigitalEconomy #MindfulnessAtWork #Pausecast #Neuroscience #ResilientLeadership #WomenInTech #HighAchievers #CenterofHealthyMinds #drricharddavidson

    34 min

  5. NOV 25

    Ep. 226 Max Your Attitude of Gratitude as a tech leader 🦃💛

    If you're a high-achieving leader who’s already mentally drafting Q1 OKRs between bites of pumpkin pie… this episode is your invitation to pause - in service to all your doing! Because here’s the truth: you are more productive, more grounded, and way more inspiring when you unplug from work and plug into gratitude. Yep. Gratitude isn’t fluffy. It’s a performance enhancer. Research shows that practicing gratitude at work can make you up to 50% more productive—and just 3 minutes a day for 14 days rewires your brain toward joy, ease, and emotional resilience. (Take that, endless Slack pings.) In this Thanksgiving-week Pausecast, we explore: Why gratitude is a secret leadership edge—not just a holiday hashtag. Wildly compelling stats on how gratitude impacts your brain, energy, and leadership presence. Simple gratitude practices you can integrate during a season that’s supposed to be warm and meaningful… but often feels like a sprint. How gratitude helps you thrive (especially when work is intense or life feels “a lot”). Your personalized Gratitude Pause Plan—so you leave with something you can use immediately. If you’re craving more ease, more grounding, and a holiday season that feels like connection instead of another item on your to-do list… you’ll love this one. 🧡 #ThanksgivingWeek #GratitudeSeason #HolidayWellbeing #ThankfulLeader #Techleaders

    30 min

  6. NOV 18

    Ep. 225: 5 Lessons from Thailand Travels

    "We can’t see the forest from inside it. Strategic pauses create the distance required for clarity." — Rachael O’Meara I just released a new episode of the podcast, and it’s a personal one. I’m sharing a few unexpected leadership lessons from my recent trip to Thailand—especially from the Lantern Festival, where thousands of glowing lanterns lifted into the night sky. It reminded me how much leaders need moments of wonder to stay inspired… and how easy it is to forget that when we’re deep in deadlines and decisions. In this episode, I talk about: – Why beauty and play actually fuel clarity and creativity – How adaptability becomes a superpower when things don’t go as planned – What gentle strength (thank you, elephants) can teach us about grounded confidence – Why collaborating with strangers can open up new possibilities – And the one thing every tech leader needs more of right now: strategic pausing If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, reactive, or low on inspiration lately, I think this one will feel grounding. Why you need to know Rachael O'Meara Rachael O’Meara is an author, TEDx speaker, executive coach, and host of The Pausecast. She helps high-achieving tech leaders move beyond overwhelm and self-doubt to reclaim confidence, energy, and clarity—so they can lead with purpose on their terms for what's next.

    20 min
  7. 🎧 Ep 224:How Curiosity Fuels Confident Leadership - with Aidan Booth

    NOV 11

    🎧 Ep 224:How Curiosity Fuels Confident Leadership - with Aidan Booth

    What if curiosity was your greatest leadership skill?In this inspiring episode, Rachael sits down with Aidan Booth, Director at one of the big techs, to explore how curiosity, reflection, and joy shape powerful, authentic leadership. 💡 Aidan opens up about his career journey — from the lessons learned through failure to the boundaries he’s set to protect his energy and well-being. He shares how staying curious helps him grow, lead with empathy, and pay it forward to those coming up behind him. 🔥 Whether you’re navigating a big decision, leading through change, or simply ready to feel more confident in your leadership — this episode reminds you that your only real competition is who you were yesterday. ✨ Key Takeaways: Curiosity is your secret weapon for growth and clarity. Self-reflection strengthens confidence and presence. Boundaries protect your energy — and your joy. Failure isn’t the end — it’s how you evolve. Paying it forward expands what’s possible for everyone. 🎙 Favorite Sound Bites: “I want to earn it each and every day.”“I try to be fully present and engaged.”“Pay it forward — 10X, like 100X.” To connect with Aidan, you can find him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-booth-37199a8/

    26 min
  8. Ep 223: Mindfulness for High Achievers — How Kids Teach Leading with Calm + Clarity

    NOV 4

    Ep 223: Mindfulness for High Achievers — How Kids Teach Leading with Calm + Clarity

    High-achieving leaders know how to perform. But do they know how to pause? In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend Ariane de Bonvoisin — former management consultant, Tony Robbins coach, TED speaker, and now author of the Giggles and Joy children’s book trilogy — to explore what it really means to bring mindfulness into leadership (and life). Ariane and I go waayy back to when I hosted her at Google, which we chat about this in the episode. 💡 We talk about:✨ The difference between a work pause and a personal pause — and why both are vital for growth.✨ How children embody mindfulness and joy — naturally.✨ Simple ways to bring more calm and connection into your day.✨ How to name your non-negotiable pause. 🎧 Listen now to learn how mindfulness can make you a more grounded, emotionally intelligent leader — one who leads from presence, not pressure. Ariane writes, coaches and speaks frequently on issues of personal and professional change, happiness and inspiration, entrepreneurship, women in the workplace, parenting and the topic of mindful living and wellness in business. Her ‘9 Principles of Change’ Workshop has become a cornerstone of her teachings and has received rave reviews. Learn more at https://www.arianedebonvoisin.com/

    44 min
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5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

The Pausecast podcast helps high-achieving leaders move beyond overwhelm and self-doubt to reclaim their confidence in their next career steps using Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience, Mindfulness, and more. Hosted by Rachael O’Meara, MBA, MA, is a PCC executive coach with over a decade at Google and co-founder of SIC Venture Studio. Her 3 books 'Pause', 'Pause the Journal', and her latest collaboration 'Leading with Self-Awareness' are key resources for career growth. Her work is featured in the NYT, WSJ, HBR, and TEDx.

Information

  • Creator
    Rachael O'Meara || The Pausecast
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    223
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rachael O'Meara || The Pausecast
  • Show Website
    The Pausecast