The Power of Pause
Recently, I was in a meeting with one of our clients, and the team was discussing when we should get started on project meetings. One person chimed in, “It’s so hard to schedule anything after Halloween. Everyone seems pulled in so many directions.”
I reflected to myself — didn’t we used to say that about Thanksgiving? How has the timeline backed up to Halloween?
For many of us, November seems to kick off a season of “go, do, accomplish.” Whether it’s end-of-year professional goals or the beginning of the winter holidays, we feel compelled to make things happen. Somewhere along the way, the season of reflection and gratitude became the season of rushing and wrapping up. We’re often moving so fast that our sense of time contracts — and our presence with one another does too.
We’ve forgotten to engage in the much-needed and valuable skills of reflect, review, and rest.
When Hannah and I updated the Ability Leadership Program advocacy model, she reminded me that a critical phase of advocacy is engaging in a season of review and rest before returning to the work. As people engaged in disability justice, that pause is essential for maintaining both balance and focus.
For many of us, it can be hard to give ourselves permission to step back when cultural rhythms, workplace expectations, or dismantled systems urge us to keep moving. But a pause doesn’t mean we’re doing nothing — it means we’re choosing to notice and to ask, What truly needs my attention, and what can wait?
Here are some gentle and realistic actions we suggest to advocates and allies:
Review: Evaluate the advocacy actions, resources, and solutions to determine how effective they are. Consider what other people, groups, or events could be included.
Rest: Advocacy involves planning, action, and passion. Prioritizing your own resources is an important part of being able to sustain this work.
Return: When you feel ready, return to the work. You may approach the same issue in a new way, or turn your attention to a different advocacy goal.
Modeling how you pause with purpose is an important part of leading with intention.
When I circled back with the client and their team, I suggested we take a moment to clarify our priorities for the first phase of the project. Through that process, everyone realized they didn’t want to wait until 2026 to begin — but they also didn’t want to be overwhelmed by meetings in the final weeks of 2025. By taking time to reflect and review, we created realistic goals that honored both their ambition and their capacity.
In slowing down, we gain clarity, preserve energy, and strengthen our ability to lead. The gift of pause allows us to show up fully — for our work, for each other and for ourselves.
