S5 E10: Why Business Owners Need to Take REAL Time Off with Louise Oliver of Peritus PR

Balancing personal life and work can be tough for business owners. In this episode, we explore how leaders can step back, let their teams step up, and find clarity along the way. Louise Oliver, president of Peritus PR, shares her story of how stepping away from her role led to unexpected growth for her team.

Louise opens up about the doubts she had before her recent maternity leave and how completely disconnecting from work for three months—no emails, no check-ins—was both scary and freeing. During that time, her team found new ways to work together, leaning on each other and building stronger connections.

"I realized I had been robbing them of an opportunity to forge their own bond and trust one another in the trenches," Louise says. She talks about the lessons she learned by letting go and how embracing her "irrelevance" as a leader helped her team thrive.

Louise shares some surprising benefits of stepping back and offers practical advice for other leaders ready to do the same.

Key Takeaways

• Business owners should embrace the challenge of disconnecting fully, trusting their teams to manage and grow in their absence.
• Taking a real leave, whether for personal reasons or a sabbatical, can be transformational for both the individual leader and the organization.
• Fully stepping away can reveal new strengths within a team and foster unexpected collaboration and efficiency.
• Leaders need to trust in their team’s capabilities and empower them to make decisions independently.
• Personal growth and organizational development often occur when leaders allow themselves to be "irrelevant" in day-to-day operations.

About the Guest

Louise Oliver is the president and founder of Peritus PR, one of Alabama's most respected communications firms, known for its innovative approach to public relations and advocacy. Louise has led Peritus PR to become a trusted partner for clients when the stakes are high. Her leadership is driven by a vision to build a firm that transcends traditional agency norms and outlives its founders, fostering a work culture that values purpose over burnout.

Louise's career journey is marked by several unique milestones, including lessons learned from running an Alabama-based company from Italy, culture-building in an industry notorious for burnout, and charting a new path as a young small-business owner dedicated to playing well in the sandbox. Her greatest passion is empowering her team to use their gifts to move Alabama forward. Outside of work, she is a proud mother of three under five—two boys and a baby girl—is married to a former U.S. Air Force dentist and resides in Mobile, Alabama.

About the Host

Abbie Fink is president of HMA Public Relations in Phoenix, Arizona and a founding member of PRGN. Her marketing communications background includes skills in media relations, digital communications, social media strategies, special event management, crisis communications, community relations, issues management, and marketing promotions for both the private and public sectors, including such industries as healthcare, financial services, professional services, government affairs and tribal affairs, as well as not-for-profit organizations.

PRGN Presents is brought to you by Public Relations Global Network, the world’s local public relations agency. Our executive producer is