In a world that glorifies hustle, rest can feel like failure. But what if your pause is packed with purpose?
In this episode, Hazel shares a timely and soul-grounding conversation about learning to let go of the pressure to always be “on,” produce, or prove. Whether you’re experiencing a forced slowdown, a spiritual pause, or simply questioning what’s next, this episode reminds you that stillness isn’t stagnation—it’s sacred alignment.
We unpack how to recognize divine redirection, heal your relationship with productivity, and release fear of missing out so you can live more fully, not more frantically. Because sometimes, the best progress comes when you’re not moving at all.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How to recognize when a pause is God’s protection or redirection
- Why your identity isn’t tied to how much you achieve or produce
- The hidden power of rest, retreat, and reevaluation
- What it means to live in alignment rather than urgency
- How to honor your quiet seasons without guilt
Best For Listeners Who Are:
- Overwhelmed professionals or creatives in a season of transition
- Faith-driven women who feel behind or unclear about their next move
- High-achievers navigating burnout or spiritual disconnection
- Anyone who feels like life has “paused” unexpectedly
Search Keywords (SEO):
embracing rest podcast, divine timing, trusting the process, fear of missing out, how to slow down, hustle culture detox, how to hear from God, faith and burnout recovery, spiritual redirection, personal growth podcast
Quote from Hazel:
"This pause isn’t punishment. It’s preparation for where you’re being called next."
This episode is your reminder that you don’t need to catch up. You need to catch your breath. Your purpose isn’t passing you by—it's being refined in your rest.
—
Listen, Rate & Review, Share & Subscribe (Follow)!
Check me out online! I want to hear from you!!!
Follow us online & tag us to let me know you’re listening– I want to know your favorite episode! @itsthehumanexperience
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to.
It's the Human ExperiencePodcast Hosted by Hazel Brown, a
healthcare leader, wife, momand career coach.
If you're big on authenticity,personal development,
perseverance and transparency,you're in the right place.
Get ready to be uplifted,inspired and empowered as you
(00:23):
become fearless in pursuit ofthe life you desire and deserve.
Our goal is to help you levelup by creating a safe space to
learn and reflect, whilelistening to transparent stories
from our host or successfulprofessionals and business
owners who've agreed to sharethe parts of success that
typically gets X'd out on socialmedia, because that's the part
(00:46):
you need to see and hear theprocess.
Go ahead and subscribe.
You don't want to miss out onthese transparent stories and
discussions that reveal highs,lows, aha moments and nuggets
that'll help you to grow andglow.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Hey, hey, hey.
You have now tuned into theit's the Human Experience
podcast.
I'm your host, hazel Brown.
Welcome back to the podcast.
I've really missed this spaceand if you're listening today, I
want you to know this is not acatch-up episode.
It is really a moment for us todive deep and remind you that
(01:33):
pauses have purpose.
I realized in the last episodeI completely skipped over the
fact that I'd taken a pause anddidn't even dive into it, didn't
touch on it, didn't talk aboutit.
I just jumped right in becauseyou know I don't like all the
fluff.
But I want you to know thatthat detour is not a delay, it's
divine redirection andsometimes the detour is the real
(01:57):
route.
Hmm, sit in that.
Sometimes it's just very helpful, when we feel like we've been
pulled off track, that we reallytake the time to actually build
the foundation for what's next.
Sometimes we're moving so fast,we're doing so many things I
always refer back to beingbooked and busy we are doing all
(02:21):
the things that we don't evenrealize we're being pulled off
track.
We don't even realize thatwe're shifting and not allowing
ourselves to really reflect, toreally grieve, to really feel
the feels and decide what's next, because we actually need to
know what we learned from ourlast chapter, because sometimes
(02:44):
the very things that feel likethey have pulled us off track,
they're actually helping tobuild the foundation for what's
next.
And the reality is, if we don'ttake the time to reflect and to
sit in our now so we can decideon what's next, then we're just
moving, we're just doing thethings.
We're booked and busy.
(03:05):
I'll refer back to that.
We're making it look and feelto ourselves that we are in
motion, but is the work thatwe're doing actually gonna get
us to where we wanna be?
Are we actually living a lifethat makes the most sense to us?
And I just want you to take areflective pause and really
think about what you want yournext level to look like before
(03:26):
you keep moving.
If you've listened to episode74 or 75, then you know we
peeling back the layers.
We're talking some real stuff.
We're talking about identitygrowth, growing your own path.
We're talking about reallytaking a step further.
Think about what makes the mostsense for your future, that
(03:46):
full circle moment.
Take time to sit in that moment.
Take time to sit in that I feellike for me.
I've been reconnected recentlywith so many people that were a
part of my chapter 10 years ago,20 years ago, but people that
meant so much to me are now backin my life for another reason,
(04:07):
and I think to myself howintentional God is when it comes
to introducing us to people,planting the seed, and then
there are seasons to where thatperson is not in your life,
those people are not in yourlife, and then they get
reintroduced to you, but youalready know their spirit, you
already know their light, youalready know what they're
(04:29):
capable of.
We're talking about whathappens when life reroutes you
how to trust the new road, evenwhen it's unfamiliar, like
listen.
I told you in the last episodethat I was laid off from my job.
They did a mass layoff and Iwas like, wait a minute.
And though in that moment Iknew that it was divinely
(04:49):
ordered, I knew Godintentionally wanted me to focus
on what was in front of me,because, being laid off the day
after election day and I had twoevents coming up, one in
January, another in March, bothcalled, called for more.
He needed me to know I too wascalled for more and I needed to
focus on that calling.
What calling has God given youthat you're not focused on.
(05:13):
I want you to tap into that.
I want you to stand in yourtruth and know that you can
stand it up despite the fact ofthe duality of life, to where
life is lifing, things arehappening.
You can still allow thatreroute to direct you in the
right direction, that divineredirection.
(05:33):
Yes, the pause had purpose and,let me be real with you, I
didn't expect the pause to bethis long.
I didn't plan the gap, but lifehad other plans.
I remember sitting in my roomand thinking to myself man, just
having all these downloadsabout all these things I wanted
to talk to you about, but itjust didn't feel like the right
time to jump back into thepodcast.
(05:55):
There were days that werefilled with stillness,
reflection, a lot of why not nowand even more of what's next.
But that's where I learned thatwhen you stop performing and
start listening, your life willspeak loudly.
It will redirect you, it willbe clear what it is you're
supposed to do.
And what it told me was to slowdown and don't miss what's
(06:20):
actually yours, because thethings that have come into my
life, the people that have comeinto my life, the opportunities
that have come into my lifeworking, being booked and busy
doing the thing would not haveallowed me to be re-centered in
what's currently being expandedin my current level.
(06:41):
So that pause helped me tore-center, realign not just with
my goals like let's not justtalk about goals and to-do list
but also with my truth and whatI want my life to look like and
what I've already done.
I think so many times we forgetthe importance of gratitude and
giving ourselves grace forrealizing that we're not on a
(07:01):
race.
We are just in a space that weare supposed to be fulfilling
our purpose.
Sometimes opportunities thatonce was an opportunity comes to
a closing.
You are released from thatcalling over your life, and
that's what I realized in thisseason.
I was so fixated on doing athing being in a certain area of
(07:22):
my profession.
Sometimes you're called tosomething in a season to fix a
certain thing and you have thosetransferable skills and
knowledge and experience that'sgonna help you in your next
chapter, in your next extensionof who you are, and it's okay to
step away.
So if you ever felt likestepping away meant you were
(07:43):
falling behind, let this be yoursign, your permission slip that
the world can wait while youheal, while you listen, while
you are still, while youtransform.
And I don't just say that justto say it.
I say it because I know peoplefeel it, because I know I felt
it.
I'm like, oh my God, like yourpodcast downloads are going
(08:03):
crazy.
Why are you pausing?
Why don't you go on?
You can just be transparentabout how you feel in the day,
like let them know the thingstoday.
And I had to ask myself but whydon't you deserve to go through
the feels?
Why don't you deserve toreflect?
Why don't you deserve to sitwith your now and just be?
(08:24):
You'll remember it, you'll beable to share it.
You'll still be able to useyour lessons to bless other
people.
You don't always have to be ahuman doer.
Sometimes you could just be ahuman being.
And I had to tell myself thatthere's been so many tears, so
(08:44):
many breakthroughs, so manypivots, so many aha moments and
so many blessings that broughtme so much clarity.
And I want to talk about thosethings that we don't always post
the in-between stuff, therebuilding, the quiet wins,
because growth doesn't alwayslook glamorous.
Sometimes it's messy, it'slonely, it's quiet and it's
(09:08):
necessary.
And I would talk about dualitya lot, because in the midst of
standing up to successful events, having so many breakthroughs
happen with the events memeeting some awesome dope people
, me really helping to expandthe event that I'm doing in
October of 2025 in Las Vegas Istill have moments that did not
(09:30):
look so glamorous, but thosemoments that did not look so
glamorous helped me to recognizesome of my strengths,
weaknesses and areas that Ireally need to get support on.
Maybe you've been there too.
You're carrying it all, growingthrough what no one sees
showing up, even when it hurts,because that's what I was doing.
(09:50):
I was hurting, yet all I wantedto do was serve.
All I wanted to do was helppush people forward, and I
recognized that I needed to pushmyself forward.
Just know this You're not alone.
There's nothing wrong withwhere you are.
You're not too late.
You're not broken.
(10:11):
You are simply becoming her.
You're becoming the nextversion of yourself, and in
order to become the next versionof yourself, you have to go
through the moments.
That's not on, and it's still.
I think about babies crawling.
Can you imagine that babycrawling and feeling like man?
(10:33):
I see those people walking.
When am I going to walk?
It's going to come.
You're simply becoming.
You have to crawl before youwalk.
It's a part of the process.
Every human being.
We have to work that muscle tolearn how to be comfortable with
the process, because we cannotexpect to walk before we crawl.
(10:56):
We have got to learn how tobalance on that ground.
We have to learn how to pullourselves up on that couch with
that fixated object.
We have to be able to pullourselves up before we walk,
because what happened if we walkfirst but we didn't able to
pull ourselves up before we walk?
Because what happened if wewalk first but we didn't learn
to pull ourselves up?
We didn't know how to be stillon the ground.
(11:17):
We didn't know how to move withour knees and with our hands.
Then, if we jump to the walk,when we're about to fall, we
don't know how to pull ourselvesup.
We don't know how to hold on tothe wall for balance, because
we came out walking and with allof these different tactics and
things that we have access tonow, many times people are
(11:39):
falling and they don't know howto hold still to the wall.
They don't know how to crawl.
They don't know how to pull upon the couch.
It's okay to crawl before youwalk.
It's okay to walk before yourun.
You're becoming.
We're building something sopowerful and I want you in it.
I want you a part of it,because what's for you is not
(12:03):
behind you.
It's waiting on you to rise.
It's waiting on you to tap intoyour more.
If you are looking for a spacewhere you could show up as your
authentic self, you could bet onyourself, if you want to be in
person, I need you to join us atWorkplace Therapy Experience.
Follow me on Instagram atWorkplace Therapy Experience.
(12:23):
Trust me, you will see thevibes, you will see the things
and you can easily connect withme.
I want to hear about it.
Dm me at Workplace TherapyExperience.
Let's have a conversation forreal.
Leave me a comment and let meknow how you found this episode
to provide you value and reallywhere you are in your life and
where you're headed.
This episode is really for youto share it with your circle,
(12:46):
with your sister, with yourcoworker, with whoever you know
is waiting on the moment ofclarity to bet on their selves.
Because you are not behind, youare not forgotten, and this
pause, or the pause that youneed, is not a setback.
It is your setup for your nextlevel.
We're back, we're aligned,we're ready.
(13:08):
This is still the it's theHuman Experience podcast, and
I'm just so glad we're doing itwith you.
Make sure that you tune intoepisodes that you haven't
already tuned into.
Follow the podcast again, shareit with your bestie and follow
us online and know that we'rerooting for you.
Know that this step back isyour setup for your next level,
(13:28):
and make sure you don't allowfear, naysayers or anything to
stop you from being the bestversion of you, because you owe
it to your future self and I amrooting for you with love.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
We hope you caught all those gems.
So here for all of it.
Be sure to subscribe so thatyou don't miss a gem.
Write a review so that we knowto keep bringing you episodes
like this.
And check us out online atitsthehumanexperiencecom to keep
up with us.
Keep growing and glowing.
Catch you on the next episode.
Welcome to.
It's the Human ExperiencePodcast Hosted by Hazel Brown, a
healthcare leader, wife, momand career coach.
If you're big on authenticity,personal development,
perseverance and transparency,you're in the right place.
Get ready to be uplifted,inspired and empowered as you
(00:23):
become fearless in pursuit ofthe life you desire and deserve.
Our goal is to help you levelup by creating a safe space to
learn and reflect, whilelistening to transparent stories
from our host or successfulprofessionals and business
owners who've agreed to sharethe parts of success that
typically gets X'd out on socialmedia, because that's the part
(00:46):
you need to see and hear theprocess.
Go ahead and subscribe.
You don't want to miss out onthese transparent stories and
discussions that reveal highs,lows, aha moments and nuggets
that'll help you to grow andglow.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Hey, hey, hey.
You have now tuned into theit's the Human Experience
podcast.
I'm your host, hazel Brown.
Welcome back to the podcast.
I've really missed this spaceand if you're listening today, I
want you to know this is not acatch-up episode.
It is really a moment for us todive deep and remind you that
(01:33):
pauses have purpose.
I realized in the last episodeI completely skipped over the
fact that I'd taken a pause anddidn't even dive into it, didn't
touch on it, didn't talk aboutit.
I just jumped right in becauseyou know I don't like all the
fluff.
But I want you to know thatthat detour is not a delay, it's
divine redirection andsometimes the detour is the real
(01:57):
route.
Hmm, sit in that.
Sometimes it's just very helpful, when we feel like we've been
pulled off track, that we reallytake the time to actually build
the foundation for what's next.
Sometimes we're moving so fast,we're doing so many things I
always refer back to beingbooked and busy we are doing all
(02:21):
the things that we don't evenrealize we're being pulled off
track.
We don't even realize thatwe're shifting and not allowing
ourselves to really reflect, toreally grieve, to really feel
the feels and decide what's next, because we actually need to
know what we learned from ourlast chapter, because sometimes
(02:44):
the very things that feel likethey have pulled us off track,
they're actually helping tobuild the foundation for what's
next.
And the reality is, if we don'ttake the time to reflect and to
sit in our now so we can decideon what's next, then we're just
moving, we're just doing thethings.
We're booked and busy.
(03:05):
I'll refer back to that.
We're making it look and feelto ourselves that we are in
motion, but is the work thatwe're doing actually gonna get
us to where we wanna be?
Are we actually living a lifethat makes the most sense to us?
And I just want you to take areflective pause and really
think about what you want yournext level to look like before
(03:26):
you keep moving.
If you've listened to episode74 or 75, then you know we
peeling back the layers.
We're talking some real stuff.
We're talking about identitygrowth, growing your own path.
We're talking about reallytaking a step further.
Think about what makes the mostsense for your future, that
(03:46):
full circle moment.
Take time to sit in that moment.
Take time to sit in that I feellike for me.
I've been reconnected recentlywith so many people that were a
part of my chapter 10 years ago,20 years ago, but people that
meant so much to me are now backin my life for another reason,
(04:07):
and I think to myself howintentional God is when it comes
to introducing us to people,planting the seed, and then
there are seasons to where thatperson is not in your life,
those people are not in yourlife, and then they get
reintroduced to you, but youalready know their spirit, you
already know their light, youalready know what they're
(04:29):
capable of.
We're talking about whathappens when life reroutes you
how to trust the new road, evenwhen it's unfamiliar, like
listen.
I told you in the last episodethat I was laid off from my job.
They did a mass layoff and Iwas like, wait a minute.
And though in that moment Iknew that it was divinely
(04:49):
ordered, I knew Godintentionally wanted me to focus
on what was in front of me,because, being laid off the day
after election day and I had twoevents coming up, one in
January, another in March, bothcalled, called for more.
He needed me to know I too wascalled for more and I needed to
focus on that calling.
What calling has God given youthat you're not focused on.
(05:13):
I want you to tap into that.
I want you to stand in yourtruth and know that you can
stand it up despite the fact ofthe duality of life, to where
life is lifing, things arehappening.
You can still allow thatreroute to direct you in the
right direction, that divineredirection.
(05:33):
Yes, the pause had purpose and,let me be real with you, I
didn't expect the pause to bethis long.
I didn't plan the gap, but lifehad other plans.
I remember sitting in my roomand thinking to myself man, just
having all these downloadsabout all these things I wanted
to talk to you about, but itjust didn't feel like the right
time to jump back into thepodcast.
(05:55):
There were days that werefilled with stillness,
reflection, a lot of why not nowand even more of what's next.
But that's where I learned thatwhen you stop performing and
start listening, your life willspeak loudly.
It will redirect you, it willbe clear what it is you're
supposed to do.
And what it told me was to slowdown and don't miss what's
(06:20):
actually yours, because thethings that have come into my
life, the people that have comeinto my life, the opportunities
that have come into my lifeworking, being booked and busy
doing the thing would not haveallowed me to be re-centered in
what's currently being expandedin my current level.
(06:41):
So that pause helped me tore-center, realign not just with
my goals like let's not justtalk about goals and to-do list
but also with my truth and whatI want my life to look like and
what I've already done.
I think so many times we forgetthe importance of gratitude and
giving ourselves grace forrealizing that we're not on a
(07:01):
race.
We are just in a space that weare supposed to be fulfilling
our purpose.
Sometimes opportunities thatonce was an opportunity comes to
a closing.
You are released from thatcalling over your life, and
that's what I realized in thisseason.
I was so fixated on doing athing being in a certain area of
(07:22):
my profession.
Sometimes you're called tosomething in a season to fix a
certain thing and you have thosetransferable skills and
knowledge and experience that'sgonna help you in your next
chapter, in your next extensionof who you are, and it's okay to
step away.
So if you ever felt likestepping away meant you were
(07:43):
falling behind, let this be yoursign, your permission slip that
the world can wait while youheal, while you listen, while
you are still, while youtransform.
And I don't just say that justto say it.
I say it because I know peoplefeel it, because I know I felt
it.
I'm like, oh my God, like yourpodcast downloads are going
(08:03):
crazy.
Why are you pausing?
Why don't you go on?
You can just be transparentabout how you feel in the day,
like let them know the thingstoday.
And I had to ask myself but whydon't you deserve to go through
the feels?
Why don't you deserve toreflect?
Why don't you deserve to sitwith your now and just be?
(08:24):
You'll remember it, you'll beable to share it.
You'll still be able to useyour lessons to bless other
people.
You don't always have to be ahuman doer.
Sometimes you could just be ahuman being.
And I had to tell myself thatthere's been so many tears, so
(08:44):
many breakthroughs, so manypivots, so many aha moments and
so many blessings that broughtme so much clarity.
And I want to talk about thosethings that we don't always post
the in-between stuff, therebuilding, the quiet wins,
because growth doesn't alwayslook glamorous.
Sometimes it's messy, it'slonely, it's quiet and it's
(09:08):
necessary.
And I would talk about dualitya lot, because in the midst of
standing up to successful events, having so many breakthroughs
happen with the events memeeting some awesome dope people
, me really helping to expandthe event that I'm doing in
October of 2025 in Las Vegas Istill have moments that did not
(09:30):
look so glamorous, but thosemoments that did not look so
glamorous helped me to recognizesome of my strengths,
weaknesses and areas that Ireally need to get support on.
Maybe you've been there too.
You're carrying it all, growingthrough what no one sees
showing up, even when it hurts,because that's what I was doing.
(09:50):
I was hurting, yet all I wantedto do was serve.
All I wanted to do was helppush people forward, and I
recognized that I needed to pushmyself forward.
Just know this You're not alone.
There's nothing wrong withwhere you are.
You're not too late.
You're not broken.
(10:11):
You are simply becoming her.
You're becoming the nextversion of yourself, and in
order to become the next versionof yourself, you have to go
through the moments.
That's not on, and it's still.
I think about babies crawling.
Can you imagine that babycrawling and feeling like man?
(10:33):
I see those people walking.
When am I going to walk?
It's going to come.
You're simply becoming.
You have to crawl before youwalk.
It's a part of the process.
Every human being.
We have to work that muscle tolearn how to be comfortable with
the process, because we cannotexpect to walk before we crawl.
(10:56):
We have got to learn how tobalance on that ground.
We have to learn how to pullourselves up on that couch with
that fixated object.
We have to be able to pullourselves up before we walk,
because what happened if we walkfirst but we didn't able to
pull ourselves up before we walk?
Because what happened if wewalk first but we didn't learn
to pull ourselves up?
We didn't know how to be stillon the ground.
(11:17):
We didn't know how to move withour knees and with our hands.
Then, if we jump to the walk,when we're about to fall, we
don't know how to pull ourselvesup.
We don't know how to hold on tothe wall for balance, because
we came out walking and with allof these different tactics and
things that we have access tonow, many times people are
(11:39):
falling and they don't know howto hold still to the wall.
They don't know how to crawl.
They don't know how to pull upon the couch.
It's okay to crawl before youwalk.
It's okay to walk before yourun.
You're becoming.
We're building something sopowerful and I want you in it.
I want you a part of it,because what's for you is not
(12:03):
behind you.
It's waiting on you to rise.
It's waiting on you to tap intoyour more.
If you are looking for a spacewhere you could show up as your
authentic self, you could bet onyourself, if you want to be in
person, I need you to join us atWorkplace Therapy Experience.
Follow me on Instagram atWorkplace Therapy Experience.
(12:23):
Trust me, you will see thevibes, you will see the things
and you can easily connect withme.
I want to hear about it.
Dm me at Workplace TherapyExperience.
Let's have a conversation forreal.
Leave me a comment and let meknow how you found this episode
to provide you value and reallywhere you are in your life and
where you're headed.
This episode is really for youto share it with your circle,
(12:46):
with your sister, with yourcoworker, with whoever you know
is waiting on the moment ofclarity to bet on their selves.
Because you are not behind, youare not forgotten, and this
pause, or the pause that youneed, is not a setback.
It is your setup for your nextlevel.
We're back, we're aligned,we're ready.
(13:08):
This is still the it's theHuman Experience podcast, and
I'm just so glad we're doing itwith you.
Make sure that you tune intoepisodes that you haven't
already tuned into.
Follow the podcast again, shareit with your bestie and follow
us online and know that we'rerooting for you.
Know that this step back isyour setup for your next level,
(13:28):
and make sure you don't allowfear, naysayers or anything to
stop you from being the bestversion of you, because you owe
it to your future self and I amrooting for you with love.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
We hope you caught all those gems.
So here for all of it.
Be sure to subscribe so thatyou don't miss a gem.
Write a review so that we knowto keep bringing you episodes
like this.
And check us out online atitsthehumanexperiencecom to keep
up with us.
Keep growing and glowing.
Catch you on the next episode.
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com